How do you discover sales opportunities for complex products?

In my extensive experience, intricate new product offerings often originate from emerging B2B technology sectors. Navigating the landscape of identifying optimal sales opportunities and strategies can prove challenging due to limited access to company, competitor, and client data for generating innovative conversion ideas. Leveraging indispensable tools like LinkedIn for comprehensive marketing and sales research is important. View as many closely associated products for competitive and create ideas before a product launch.

I've found that simplifying a complex product is all about trying to think about how I would explain it to my Grandma. We all make the incorrect assumption that our customers will have some kind of base understanding of what we're talking about. If we all try to explain our products as if we're speaking to an elderly relative, we'll discover it's a much easier process.

The natural selection of a good seller is indeed realized during the ICP definition stage, especially when "sales engineering" is employed effectively. This ensures that the sales effort is focused on the most qualified prospects who are more likely to become loyal customers.

Ideal Customer Profile and Ideal Company Profile are two things that don't always get differentiated. Making sure that you have them both defined is important otherwise you will be wasting a lot of precious time talking to the wrong people at the organizations you reach out to.

Networking is a great way to meet and talk with potential customers. DO NOT go networking and try to sell something. That is the worst. DO go networking to listen and learn about someone’s business. Following up or connecting later to show you listened and may be able to help with your service is a great way to already have the ice broken.

It's so important not to get lost in research. While research is super important, it's more important to make sure that the majority of your time is spent actually talking and connecting with people. So many sales professionals use research as a way to avoid reaching out or picking up the phone.

We attach a picture of the sales team member to the appointment reminder email so the customers knows who is coming. Also recommend a pre-call to the customer the afternoon before or the morning of. This breaks down walls instantly and provides a friendly voice to accompany the picture they received. Great time to double check information, ask a few preliminary questions and get a better idea of what the sales team member is walking into.

Personalizing your message can go a long way. Consider attaching a personalized video to your email or LinkedIn dm to maximize personalization.

While I believe open-ended questions are useful, you better come prepared with more than a list of good questions. If you have taken the time to research your prospect, their industry, and the specific challenges facing their business, you should make some intelligent assumptions to focus your questioning. You don't have to hit the bullseye; you just need to put arrows on the target to demonstrate your expertise and experience working with similar companies with similar challenges.

Open-ended questions should be designed especially for each prospect. Please do not ask general questions to every customer.

The trap many salespeople fall into is the eagerness to talk rather than listen. They may have a fantastic product or service to offer, but if they don't take the time to understand the prospect's perspective, they risk missing the mark and losing valuable opportunities. Remember, effective selling is not just about convincing someone to buy; it's about helping them make a decision that benefits them. And that starts with listening and empathizing.

Here's where a lot of folks mess up. Listening isn't just about hearing words; it's about understanding what's between the lines. So, perk up those ears and put yourself in their shoes. Only then can you offer a solution that hits home.

All the prior steps are leading to this finale, and if any of the previous steps have been rushed or skipped, the outcome will not be optimal. Hopefully by this point in the relationship, the prospect feels comfortable enough to be transparent and share their real objections and concerns and also see how the potential solutions can add value to their current situation.

It's always important to be honest and credible; present how you will address the prospects highest priorities with your product. Don't be afraid of competition, be more worried about under-delivering on expectations you have set. Most importantly be responsive, reliable and deliver any follow-up within the timescales you agree.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS EVEN WHEN THERE ISN'T AN IMMEDIATE SALE. Complex sales take a lot of discovery, and it can be difficult to uncover the problem you are helping your customers solve without deeply understanding their business. Often your best opportunities will come from building relationships and becoming a go-to resource when problems arise. Through building authentic relationships, you can become the first call to see if you can help.

After reading through the perspective of all the other contributors, I just would like to add here that Sales is about Problem-finding, as a sales person always be eager to find the problems of your prospects either through research, ICPs or even while having a conversation. People like to talk and if you probe correctly, they will tell you the problems/challenges they might be having. So as a rule of thumb for me, I never talk about my product until I have discovered the problems/challenges the prospect is having with their current provider or in their business generally. So ask the right questions and listen attentively to fully discover the problems or needs of your prospect and half the job is done already.

After presenting the solution, it's crucial to avoid aggressive selling tactics. The groundwork we've laid in the preceding steps, from creating a sense of urgency to aligning our product with the client's needs, sets the stage for a more client-centric approach. Instead of pushing hard for a sale, we should focus on building a lasting relationship. This involves follow-up calls to ensure their satisfaction and gathering valuable feedback through emails and forms. Notably, referrals form a substantial portion of the revenue stream. By delivering exceptional service we can encourage our clients to become referrals. Asking for referrals becomes easier when we have a solid feedback report in hand. This approach fosters a sense of partnership.