Startup Sales Strategy in 2025: How AI can help your startup grow

Startups often treat sales like a moving target. Hiring too fast, spending too much or getting stuck in cycles of hiring, firing, and fixing. In this session, Manuel Hartmann from SalesPlaybook and Theresa Engl from Holycode shared a more grounded approach. One that uses AI not as hype, but as leverage.

Sales needs a system

Hiring a superstar salesperson and hoping they carry the pipeline is not a strategy, it is a liability. Manuel emphasized that sales only work when everyone involved knows what the pipeline looks like, what the conversion points are, and where automation can reduce human error. What does not work is handing everything to one person with no tools, no context, and no support. A common mistake founders make is expecting one person to fix what the business has not solved structurally.

Your pricing model determines your sales motion

If you are selling a CHF 500 product, you need scale. If you are selling something that costs CHF 1000, your process needs depth. The go-to-market approach depends entirely on contract size and buying behavior. Self-serve funnels and outbound touchpoints are not interchangeable and startups need to build with that reality in mind.

Theresa gave a clear example from HolyCode. Their high-touch B2B sales model would fail if treated like SaaS. Instead, they built around dedicated relationships, longer cycles, and deep trust with clients.

Use AI to eliminate bottlenecks, not replace everything

Most startups cannot afford to build huge sales teams. AI helps by replacing the tasks, but not the people. Manuel shared that by using AI to draft case studies, automate outreach sequences, and even calculate cost-of-inaction frameworks in seconds, saves him time. It also gives him room to focus on actual conversations. At the end of the day, AI helps with awareness and trust-building, but people are still the ones closing the deal.

Build pipeline backwards from value

Demand generation does not start with ads; It starts with value. Manuel walked through how his most effective LinkedIn posts created trust and attention because they solved real problems first and not because they were optimized for impressions. As it was highlighted, the more useful your content is, the more likely someone will reach out ready to buy.

Outreach still works, if it’s smart

Cold emails and AI spam are easy to spot and easy to ignore. Smart outreach today is more about timing, relevance, and message quality. Tools like Amplemarket or Smartlead work well when paired with clear ICPs and sequencing logic.

Once you do reach out, being personal matters more than being overengineered. A voice note or short message that sounds like you will always beat a templated sequence that tries too hard.

Use surveys before the call

One practical takeaway from Theresa: send a short questionnaire before your first call. Ask what the client wants, what problem they are solving, and what success looks like. This turns your sales call into a solution meeting. It saves time and sets the tone for the relationship.If someone cannot be bothered to fill out three questions, they are probably not that serious anyway.

Focus on time to value

The faster you can show value, the easier it is to build momentum. That means onboarding needs to be sharp. Case studies should be ready and your early steps should be clear. Startups that retain and grow accounts do this well. They do not just land deals, they stay helpful, they adapt and they are easy to work with.

Final thought

Sales in 2025 are not just about closing, it’s about how you structure your entire system like your tech stack, team, automation, and your storytelling. Every single detail matters. AI helps, but without clarity on who you are selling to, why they care, and how to reach them, it will not help your startup to grow.

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If you want to dive deeper and discover how automation, AI, and an all‑bound strategy are revolutionizing GTM, join us in Zürich on September 9, 2025, for a hands‑on session offering tactical tools to scale smarter with Manuel Hartmann, CEO & Founder of SalesPlaybook.