Selling to B2B mid-market and enterprise can be a daunting task for startup founders. However, a strategic sales approach can transform challenges into opportunities. In our latest Startup Essentials article we hear from Charles Talbot, Co- Founder of Closing Foundry, on five key benefits of a disciplined sales process and some actionable tips to help founders tackle winning new business with confidence.
Sales can often feel like a daunting mountain to climb, especially for founders with no prior sales training or experience. However, mastering the art of strategic sales execution is essential for any startup founder selling into B2B mid market or enterprise prospects.
Without it, even the most innovative products or services can fail to reach their potential buyers, and start-ups can struggle to get momentum effectively at this critical juncture. A strategic sales process offers founders invaluable insights into managing complex sales, accelerating growth, and reduces the risk of stalled deals and extended runways. A simple minimum viable sales process is all that’s required to de-risk sales interactions.
Here are five key benefits founders can achieve by focusing on a more structured and disciplined approach to strategic sales execution.
1) Building Trust with Potential Buyers
One of the fundamental principles of sales is trust. B2B buyers are often risk-averse, and building rapport early is crucial to gaining their confidence. Trust is not built through product features but by understanding the buyer’s problems, aligning your solution with their needs and this problem space, and communicating your value proposition effectively in context of this. Way too often founders jump into pitch mode because it’s a safe area and forget it’s not about you it’s about them. Taking this “me first” approach means deals often stall or lose momentum.
Remember that trust begins with understanding your buyer. Research your prospect and the account thoroughly and ensure you can demonstrate not just what your product does (they don’t really care), but how it will solve their specific problems.
You’re likely able to find their goals but not problems, so consider how your solution helps challenges that impede goal achievement. This is where your value lies, not in feature X or Y.
2) Effective Discovery & Qualifying Leads
Discovery is the backbone of any sales process. It’s about asking the right questions to uncover the buyer’s challenges and needs. Founders often skip over this step, eager to showcase their product, but effective discovery ensures that you’re aligning your solution with the buyer’s objectives. Without a clear understanding of the buyer’s problems, your offering risks becoming irrelevant.
Startups should create a set of strategic discovery questions that help them identify whether a prospect is a good fit for your solution. This process will save them from wasting time on leads that won’t convert. Look at high gain questions from Challenger for an elite level sales approach.
3) Managing Long Sales Cycles
Enterprise and mid-market sales are rarely quick wins. Founders without sales experience can become impatient or discouraged during longer sales cycles, leading to poor deal management. Founders need to understand that these complex sales can take months, requiring persistence and follow-up to keep the deal alive.
The focus should be on keeping deals moving by establishing next steps after every conversation. These should be followed up consistently, and it is important to always keep the prospect engaged with new insights or relevant case studies that reinforce the solution’s value. Never “check-in”.
4) Handling Multiple Stakeholders
Selling to enterprises means you’re not just selling to one person, you’re dealing with a buying committee that includes decision-makers, influencers, and gatekeepers. Founders often make the mistake of building rapport with only one contact, but to close the deal, you need buy-in from multiple stakeholders.
It is vital to map out the stakeholders early in the process and develop a plan to build consensus across the team. This means engaging executives, managers, and end-users to ensure everyone is aligned on the value of the solution.
5) Creating Urgency and Overcoming Indecision
A common issue in B2B sales is buyer indecision towards the end of the process. Even when a need is identified, deals often stall because there’s no clear urgency to make a purchase. It is crucial for founders to quantify the cost of inaction and build a compelling business case that prompts decision-makers to act sooner rather than later. This is what it takes to get a prospect to change thinking and buy.
During discovery, founders should ask questions that highlight the risks of maintaining the status quo. They can help their prospect understand how delaying the decision will negatively impact their business and how the solution offers a timely fix.
Strategic Sales Execution is a Must-Have Skill
For founders without formal sales training, learning how to execute a strategic sales process is crucial. It’s not just about selling, it’s about building trust, effectively managing deals, and guiding buyers through a complex decision-making process.
Essentially, selling is “helping” not pitching or convincing. By dedicating time and effort to improving sales execution, founders can increase their chances of winning deals, building scalable growth, and attracting investor interest. Investors may pay more attention if founders have the MVP of a sales process in place or at least a rough idea of how to execute across the process.
Taking the time to develop a sales process early in the life of a business will pay dividends in the long term, helping founders navigate the complexities of B2B sales with greater confidence and precision.
Closing Foundry helps founders develop practical, battle-tested sales strategies to close more deals and scale their businesses. Our bootcamps offer hands-on training in strategic sales execution, from prospecting to closing. Learn more about our upcoming sessions here. A unique discount will be available to AIN members.
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