CASE STUDY: How This AI Founder Closed 2 B2B Customers in 1 Day

INTRO

Oliver Brocato is the founder of Bustem, an AI startup that helps e-commerce brands detect and remove counterfeit product listings using machine learning and human IP enforcement. After building a viral DTC brand, he found himself in unfamiliar territory—handling all B2B sales himself, getting strong inbound interest, but struggling to close. Two weeks after working with Higher Levels, he rebuilt his sales motion and onboarded two customers in a single day. If you're a SaaS or AI founder learning how to sell, this case study is for you.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• What most early-stage founders get wrong about B2B sales
  
• How to lead with discovery instead of relying on a pitch
  
• What actually moves deals forward in founder-led sales
  
• The mindset shift that helped Bustem convert interest into revenue
  

CONTEXT: WHY EARLY-STAGE FOUNDERS STRUGGLE TO CLOSE

If you're building an AI or SaaS product, selling it is a different beast. The product can be amazing. The leads can be warm. But without a process that builds urgency and handles objections, warm interest dies on the vine.

That’s where Oliver was. He had plenty of traction, attention, and booked calls. But no one was converting.

I went from struggling to close deals to onboarding two customers in a day—within 2 weeks of working together.

THE CHALLENGE: INTEREST WAS HIGH, BUT NOTHING WAS CLOSING

Bustem was getting inbound demand from the right buyers. But those calls kept ending in maybes. Nobody was saying no. But nobody was moving forward either.

Here’s what was holding him back:

• Relying on slides instead of real discovery
  
• Assuming pre-call form data was enough to qualify the prospect
  
• Not creating urgency during the call
  
• Letting deals stall after “This looks great, I’ll talk to my team”
  

Oliver was doing what most technical founders do—talking about the product instead of solving for the buyer.

“Everybody liked the product. Everybody liked the presentation. But deals would fall off right after the call.”

THE SOLUTION: A NEW APPROACH TO FOUNDER-LED SALES

Higher Levels helped Oliver build a founder-led process that actually closed.

In just two weeks of live coaching, we focused on:

• Leading with questions, not slides
  
• Going deeper in discovery—even with pre-qualified leads
  
• Identifying real pain before offering a solution
  
• Rehearsing close strategies through live roleplay
  
• Creating follow-up plans that kept deals alive after the call
  

“Eric helped me double down on discovery, dig into pain points, and build real urgency.”

Instead of winging the call and hoping the product sold itself, Oliver learned how to control the sales process from first question to final close.

THE RESULTS: TWO CUSTOMERS ONBOARDED IN A SINGLE DAY

What changed in two weeks:

• Oliver’s confidence on calls skyrocketed
  
• He stopped losing warm leads after the first call
  
• He closed and onboarded two new customers in one day
  
• Instead of just hearing “sounds good,” he got buyers into Slack and live accounts
  

“We didn’t just get a yes. We got two customers fully onboarded—not just saying yes, but actually paid and in the Slack.”

WHY TECH, AI, AND SAAS FOUNDERS NEED THIS SYSTEM

If you're building an early-stage AI or SaaS product, you cannot afford to waste warm leads. The biggest mistake founders make? Thinking the product will sell itself.

You don’t need more demos. You need discovery that lands, closes that convert, and a system you can run as a team of one.

FOR FOUNDERS SELLING B2B:
You're probably winging more than you think. And you’re losing deals that should be wins.

“Getting live coaching from someone who has seen it all changed the way I sell.”
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→ Talk to our team

TL;DR

• Bustem’s founder went from DTC to founder-led B2B sales
  
• His calls had plenty of interest, but no follow-through
  
• After two weeks of coaching, he closed and onboarded two customers
  
• The key shift was asking better questions, not making better pitches
  
• Most founders are winging it—and losing revenue because of it