Step 21 · Build & grow
Public chapterSales
Position
SwiftBite’s founder owns merchant acquisition, contracting, and launch activation; no sales hire is budgeted before the process demonstrates repeatable conversion. Recruitment stays inside the launch zone and prioritises existing relationships with independent owners already paying aggregator commissions. Signed agreements count as pipeline progress, not acquired merchants: acquisition requires a completed, paid delivery.
Sales stages
Founder’s pipeline
Use HubSpot Free for stages, tasks, and contact history; Google Sheets for merchant economics; and Dropbox Sign for agreements. Record owner, address, delivery volume, commission evidence, preparation times, objections, next action, and expected activation date.
| Stage | Required evidence before advancing | Founder’s next action |
|---|---|---|
| Named prospect | Independent restaurant inside the launch zone; owner identified | Request an off-peak visit through an existing relationship or direct introduction |
| Owner discovery | Decision-maker present; revenue fits target band; current delivery statement available | Complete the economics sheet |
| Qualified | Commission pain confirmed; kitchen can accept orders, maintain menus, package reliably, and meet agreed preparation times | Book an on-site workflow demonstration |
| Demonstrated | Owner or shift lead accepts a test order and handles an unavailable item | Present written economics and agreement |
| Proposal issued | Owner confirms assumptions, payout terms, and operational responsibilities | Set a decision date; log unresolved objections |
| Signed | Executed agreement, verified payout details, menu permissions, and named shift lead | Configure merchant and reserve courier coverage |
| Ready to trade | Menu, prices, hours, allergens, packaging, notifications, and refund workflow checked | Complete a clearly labelled test delivery |
| Activated | Genuine paid order delivered; receipt and settlement reconcile | Review preparation, delivery, and merchant feedback |
Reject out-of-zone locations and owners demanding hidden charges or uncapped courier availability. Park otherwise suitable merchants until they supply statements, nominate a shift lead, or resolve kitchen-capacity problems. Do not substitute total restaurant revenue for delivery sales.
On-site discovery script
“Thanks for making time outside service. Which delivery channels are you using, and can we look at the latest statement together?”
“Show me food sales, commission, promotions, refunds, and the amount actually paid into your account. Which deductions did you choose, and which were compulsory?”
“When delivery orders arrive during your busiest service, who accepts them? What causes missed orders or late handoffs? Who updates sold-out items?”
“Would you trial SwiftBite alongside your current channels? Who signs the agreement, and what must you see before agreeing?”
Close: “I’ll use your statement—not an assumed order volume—to prepare the comparison. We will only propose trading hours we can support with courier coverage.”
On-site demo script
“Here is your draft menu. Please check prices and availability, then accept this labelled test order yourself.”
“Mark this item unavailable. Now update the preparation estimate and show your shift lead where the courier handoff happens.”
“Here is the customer’s full checkout price before payment. Here is your settlement view. Let’s trace a cancellation and refund so responsibility is explicit.”
Close: “If the workflow works for your team, let’s review the agreement and choose supported launch hours. SwiftBite is not promising replacement aggregator demand.”
Owner’s proposal and economics sheet
The proposal carries the restaurant’s legal name, launch address, statement period, owner-approved assumptions, menu scope, supported hours, payout schedule, and activation conditions. Replace the illustration below with verified merchant figures before signature.
| Monthly comparison | Existing aggregator | SwiftBite |
|---|---|---|
| Illustrative restaurant revenue | $40,000 (estimate) | Same restaurant |
| Illustrative delivered food sales | $10,000 (estimate) | $10,000 (estimate) |
| Commission | 30% | Capped at 12% |
| Commission expense | $3,000 (estimate) | $1,200 (estimate) |
| Sales less commission | $7,000 (estimate) | $8,800 (estimate) |
| Commission-only difference | — | $1,800 (estimate) |
| Consumer delivery fee | Verify actual checkout | $3.99 |
The comparison excludes tax, tips, food costs, refunds, promotions, and demand changes. Savings apply only to equivalent sales actually routed through SwiftBite.
Agreement terms: non-exclusive participation; no minimum-volume promise; no compulsory merchant charges outside the commission cap; owner-approved promotions only; written allocation of restaurant-error versus delivery-error refunds; documented payout and termination terms. Founder signs only after the licensed software and payment provider support every promised term.
Objections library
| Owner objection | Founder response |
|---|---|
| “You have no customers.” | “Correct: we cannot promise volume. Keep your existing channels and judge actual paid orders.” |
| “Another tablet will slow us down.” | “Your shift lead must pass the workflow test. Otherwise we postpone activation.” |
| “Your fee will rise later.” | “The advertised cap is contractual, including compulsory merchant charges.” |
| “Who pays when delivery fails?” | “The agreement separates kitchen errors from delivery failures; review that allocation before signing.” |
| “Match their discount campaign.” | “Only with your written approval and a funded, contribution-positive offer.” |
The numbers
| Item | Figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Merchant revenue qualification | $25,000–$60,000 monthly | Grounding file |
| Geographic limit | 4-mile radius | Grounding file |
| Prospect-to-discovery | 250 → 150; 60% (estimate) | Founder-led funnel assumption |
| Discovery-to-qualified | 150 → 100; 66.7% (estimate) | Statement and operational screening |
| Qualified-to-proposal | 100 → 80; 80% (estimate) | Demonstration acceptance |
| Proposal-to-signed | 80 → 60; 75% (estimate) | Warm-relationship assumption |
| Signed-to-first-order | 60 → 54; 90% (estimate) | Activation allowance |
| First-order-to-retained | 54 → 50; 92.6% (estimate) | Attrition allowance |
| Weekly prospect additions | 5.3 across 48 selling weeks (estimate) | Rounded upward from annual requirement |
| Month-end demand target | 300 orders/day by month 12 | Grounding file |
| Average orders per target merchant | 6/day (estimate) | Demand target divided by 50 merchants |
Decisions and trade-offs
| Decision | Trade-off |
|---|---|
| Founder sells; shift lead validates operations | Slower signatures, fewer unusable activations |
| Recruit geographically clustered kitchens | Less merchant choice, denser delivery routes |
| No exclusivity or volume guarantees | Lower contractual lock-in, credible owner proposition |
Do this next
| Action | By when | What proves it worked |
|---|---|---|
| Configure CRM and statement template | Before outreach | Every prospect has an owner and next action |
| Validate agreement and payout promises | Before proposals | Counsel and provider confirm support |
| Review conversion, stage age, losses, activation lag, and retained merchants | Every Friday | Cohort report reconciles to signed documents and paid orders |
| Review merchant-level contribution | Before activation and weekly thereafter | Receipts cover courier pay, wage-equivalent top-ups, processing, software usage, refunds, and promotions |
Risks in your situation
Signatures may outpace courier capacity; pause activations rather than dilute service or driver pay. Strong relationships may inflate verbal interest; count only documented stage exits. A thin delivery basket can erase commission savings for SwiftBite; restrict unsupported hours or decline activation rather than add hidden fees.
Evidence gate
- ☐ Statement-backed economics replace illustrative figures.
- ☐ Merchant agreement preserves the advertised cap.
- ☐ Shift lead completes the operational test.
- ☐ Courier pay satisfies the local minimum-wage equivalent.
- ☐ Genuine first order reconciles through settlement.
- ☐ Weekly funnel and contribution records support continued recruitment.