Zain Jaffer’s Bold Sales Journey to $400M Success

Selling as a founder is wild. It’s scary. But for Zain Jaffer, it became the secret sauce for building a $400M business.
This is the fun, simple guide to the sales tricks he learned when no one wanted to answer his calls.
Zain Jaffer’s First Lesson: Sell Before You’re Ready
Zain Jaffer didn’t wait for a sales team. He didn’t have one! No fancy leads. No big brand. Just him and courage.
He knew if Vungle were to live, he had to sell fast. Hard and messy as it was, this made him sharper.
His messy sales lessons built the solid ground that made the $400M dream a reality. No selling, no success
Show Up Where Your Buyers Play
Cold emails? Boring. Deleted fast. Zain’s team played mobile games instead. Why? That’s where the buyers were!
They topped game charts and dropped funny names like “FromVungle_Please_Call_Us.” Weird? Yes. But it worked!
Founders, your crowd is hanging out somewhere. Stop chasing them with emails. Go where they are.
Zain Jaffer Knew: Stop Talking About Your Product
Zain Jaffer understood one thing early: people don’t care about your product at first. They care about their problems.
He ditched the tech jargon and led with what they wanted: more cash, no extra effort.
Founders should never brag first. Solve a pain point first. That’s the real hook.
Build Your Sales Machine Before You Hire
Want to hire salespeople fast? Don’t. Build your playbook first. Zain knew this.
He made scripts, cheat sheets, and quick answers for every doubt. Sales grew like magic after that.
If you skip this step, you’ll waste time and money on clueless hires. Make the system first!
Zain Jaffer Treated Selling Like a Product Work
Zain Jaffer didn’t see sales as a side hustle. To him, it was like building Vungle itself.
His early chats with customers showed what they really cared about: crash risks, not speed. So he changed his pitch!
Your customers will tell you what matters. But you must listen well. That’s where the gold hides.
Do the Reps, Then Watch the Magic Happen
You can’t read your way into great selling. Zain didn’t. He did the calls. Again and again.
He got better. Braver. That’s how Vungle grew, by showing up, not by theory.
Selling is hard, but it unlocks everything: money, partners, investors, even new ideas. Start now.