Gate 9: Sales and Marketing
Share Your Story and Get Customers
Gate 9 - Sales and Marketing
Turn Strangers into Fans
You’ve shaped your idea, defined your user, and built your product – now it’s time to take it public! Gate 9 is about spreading the word and getting people excited about what you’ve built. We’ll show you how to communicate your startup’s value in a clear, engaging way that grabs attention and inspires action. From creating your first brand identity and landing page to running marketing experiments and making your first sales, this gate turns you into your startup’s best storyteller and salesperson (even if you’ve never sold a thing in your life). By the end, you’ll know how to attract your first real users or customers – and do it in a genuine, non-pushy way that feels right for you
This is not about “launching” perfectly — it’s about learning quickly what works and adapting based on data and responses from the field.
Gate Structure
The Gate is divided into several Keys ( Themes), each focusing on a specific aspect of entrepreneurship. Each Key includes readings, discussions, practical assignments, and business-related deliverables.
Themes you will cover
To achieve this, you’ll explore the following three essential keys:
Key 1: Brand and visual Identity
Key 2 : Devise Marketing Plan
Key 3: Craft a Sales plan
Key 4 : Validate Product-Market Fit
What is Required of You
The Gate is divided into several sections, each focusing on a specific aspect of entrepreneurship. Each module includes readings, discussions, practical assignments, and assessments.
Delivery Platform
The Gate is delivered through our online platform, Entreprenerds Space. Delegates can access the platform online or via their mobile app, allowing them to participate in the programme on the go, even offline.
Real-World Applications
The skills from Gate 9 prepare learners to:
Generate real leads and customers — even before having a finished product
Build a brand presence and marketing funnel from scratch
Design and present a data-driven narrative around early traction
Join teams as sales, marketing, or growth interns
Present investor-credible signs of market validation
What you will get from the Gate
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this Gate, you will:
Build a simple brand for your startup – logo, style, and vibe – that reflects who you are and attracts your target audience.
Create your startup’s first landing page or website without coding – a home on the internet to share what you’re doing and collect signups or feedback.
Learn scrappy marketing tactics to get the word out – for example, using social media challenges, community shoutouts, or campus events to find your early adopters.
Generate your first leads and even make initial sales before your product is fully finished, by testing the waters and building hype responsibly.
Develop confidence in selling: you’ll practice talking to customers, handling their questions, and showing how your product helps them, all without feeling like a pushy salesperson.
Delivery System
Concept Notes
Applications Exercises of each Theme
Videos Explaining Each Concept by Experts and Entrepreneurs
Webinars to discuss the themes with students
Thematic Interactive Discussion with the Learners
Peer Evaluation
Mentorship Session
Virtual Class
Assessments
How we support you
We will provide support throughout your learning experience. Your learning Success manager will be available to support you if you have any questions or need any help. You can also schedule one session with a mentor to discuss entrepreneurship questions related to this gate.
Your New Venture After This Gate
You will have made your venture visible to the outside world — through a brand identity, online presence, or direct outreach. You’ll have begun experimenting with marketing messages and sales tactics to see what attracts and converts users. You will have early data on what is resonating with your audience, and possibly even your first paying customers. You’ll start to build confidence, not just in the idea — but in your ability to reach and serve real user
Badge 1: Brand Builder
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Skills
1. Defining brand personality and tone
2. Creating a visual identity
3. Building a landing page or social profile
4. Producing visual and video content
5. Testing brand perception
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User Case
1. Shaping how your startup is seen and remembered
2. Making your venture look credible through logo, colour, and font choices
3. Launching your online presence with minimal tools
4. Communicating value using Canva, Invideo, RunwayML, etc.
5. Using feedback to refine design and messaging
Badge 2: Growth Experimenter
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Skills
1. Designing a marketing hypothesis
2. Launching low-budget campaigns
3. Creating "mousetrap" landing pages
4. Interpreting campaign metrics
5. Pivoting based on campaign data
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User Case
1. Running focused A/B tests on message, audience, or visuals
2. Using Meta, LinkedIn, or TikTok with $20–100 to test ideas
3. Measuring real interest before full development
4. Using CTR, CPC, COCA, and conversion rates to refine approach
5. Updating messaging, offer, or audience when tests fail
Badge 3: Sales Explorer
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Skills
1. Building a lead list
2. Writing outbound emails and scripts
3. Managing a multi-touch cadence
4. Tracking sales pipeline metrics
5. A/B testing sales messages
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User Case
1. Using tools like Clearbit or LinkedIn to target actual decision-makers
2. Communicating value clearly and personally
3. Sequencing outreach across email, LinkedIn, calls
4. Measuring open rates, call bookings, deal conversions
5. Finding which versions resonate with each persona
Badge 4: PMF Seeker (Product-Market Fit)
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Skills
1. Identifying signs of PMF
2. Using sales and marketing data for validation
3. Running pricing and conversion experiments
4. Building feedback loops
5. Presenting traction milestones
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User Case
1. Knowing when you’re getting pull, not push
2. Showing real-world proof of demand and repeatability
3. Learning what customers are truly willing to pay for
4. Adapting product, pitch, and targeting based on traction
5. Preparing for pitch, fundraising, or growth phase