My mission is to help entrepreneurs
execute their vision.
Who is Otto?
My name is Steve Botz. I love working with inspiring founders and entrepreneurs to overcome the early hurdles of executing sales, landing foundational customers, finding product-market fit, and scaling teams to drive growth.
Today companies face more selective access to capital and at a higher cost. The pressure to execute, while remaining capital efficient, is as high as it has ever been. In this environment, business leaders need strategic support to achieve their growth goals.
My superpower is being able to come into a situation and provide clarity on how to go-to-market and execute quickly. This could be for a new company, product, service, or in a specific area of your business. People who have worked with me know I am passionate about what I do and like to make work fun.
The Botz family enjoying Austin City Limits, 2024
Working with Steve
Paul Graham's post about "Founder Mode" is blowing up, and my advice is to hire executives who embody that mindset.
I remember when we were just getting our product off the ground—there was so much potential, but we needed the right person to help us realize it. Then Steve came on board, and in his first month, he sourced a $300K deal, setting the tone for the incredible journey ahead.
Steve, what truly stands out is how you've elevated Jones. You brought a level of expertise and leadership that quickly became the standard here. Your knack for understanding customers, identifying new opportunities, and contributing bold product ideas (which I always appreciate as the product guy!) has been a cornerstone of our growth.
You're not just an outstanding sales leader—you truly embody that "Founder Mode" mindset. You're a partner who excels across the board, from sales to product to customer success. Everyone at Jones enjoys working with you and admires your vision and dedication to keeping our customers at the forefront.
Where I can Help
I like to focus on practical strategies and disciplines that can be readily implemented and have driven repeatable results.
Go-to-Market Basics
- Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) & Buyer Persona Definition: Refine all the key attributes that will lead you to the best customer targets. Identify and Target companies that fit your ICP.
- Value Proposition & Messaging Development: Craft compelling narratives that resonate with your target audience and differentiate your solution.
- Sales Process Design & Optimization: Build a pipeline methodology and playbook to move prospects through a funnel and provide more accurate forecasting.
Sales Enablement and Coaching
- Playbook Development: Create comprehensive guides for your sales team, covering everything from discovery calls, to objection handling, to negotiation and closing.
- Sales Training & Skill Development: Equip your sales team with the techniques and confidence needed to guide prospects through your buyer's journey.
- Create Buyer's Journey: Map out the steps that your reps can take to help the client navigate the buying process while uncovering the information needed to execute an agreement.
Revenue Operations Foundation
- Sales Forecasting & Pipeline Management: Implement robust systems for predictable revenue growth.
- Annual Revenue Forecasting: Waterfall model to project top-line revenue, churn, and net revenue based on historical performance.
- CRM Optimization (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot): Ensure your CRM effectively supports your sales process and data needs.
Partner and Channel Development
- Market Research: Determine the channels and partners that can help distribute your product or services most effectively.
- Deal Structuring: Referral, Reseller, Integration Partner, etc. Define the best GTM strategy for each channel.
- Execute: Identify target partners and build out the foundation for your partner or channel GTM strategy.
Targets and Outcomes
Every engagement will have target deliverables and outcomes based on the scope. These will be expressed in terms of clear documentation, processes, or improvements above your current performance and compared against industry benchmarks. Examples below:
Project Based Outcomes
- Documented Ideal Customer Profile Matrix with Account Scoring.
- Documented sales funnel with entrance and exit criteria. Implementation into your CRM. Additional workflows for visibility and automation.
- Forecast methodology with subjective and objective criteria to triage opportunities, confirm timelines, and guide next steps.
- Sales methodolgy with clear milestones. Training resources and sales enablement materials. All mapped to your sales funnel and Customer journey.
Goal Based Outcomes
- Increase conversion rate from "Qualified Opportunity" to "Closed Won".
- Reduction average days to close.
- Increase average deal size (ACV).
- Increase coverage ratio of weighted pipeline to goal.
- Increase forecast accuracy and closed won revenue.
Who is a good fit for Otto?
Early Stage (Pre-Seed to Series A)
Founder-led sales, or small team. Traction but lack of consistency needed to fuel growth. I can help you define, build, and optimize your sales motion. My goal is to lay a strong foundation for repeatable and scalable sales success while minimizing burn.
Growth Stage (Series B and Beyond)
Real revenue but need to improve execution while maintaining capital efficiency. I can be your "Sixth Man"—a high-impact teammate who can come off the bench to address critical sales challenges and augment the current team. Providing specialized expertise where and when you need it, without the overhead of a full-time hire.