3 Ways Start-Up AEs Close Deals With an Incomplete Product (Part 2 of 3)

Market Segment: The Missing Invoice Solution

Challenge: As Metronome moved down market, one of our challenges was not having invoicing solution. This meant prospects had to integrate with Stripe, adding cost to their tech stack.

Approach (MVP Qualification): Where did we have the “right to win?”  ~1-Yr ago, I lost regularly on this point, but after developing a strong qualification methodology, I’ve never lost since on this gap.  If a prospect uses Quickbooks (not Stripe), their invoicing cost is marginal, so this becomes a moot point - Qualified In.  Alternatively, say a prospect does use Stripe, but their business model is better aligned to our product’s data model, I can position the premium offering on the data model, and haircut price slightly to align value - Qualified In. It’s tempting to chase deals at a start-up - don’t do it, you’ll waste hours and mental bandwidth.

Competitor Challenge: The UI Gap

Challenge: Metronome started as an API-first product, with minimal focus on UI/UX. One common objection I received: “You don't have in-console reporting.”  Our competitor would plant this as a trap repeatedly in deals and this was particularly challenging when selling to start-ups who didn’t have BI/Reporting tools for tasks like Board Reporting.

Approach (BYO): After losing several deals, instead of waiting for the objection, we decided to get proactive and Build Your Own (BYO).  During discovery calls, we dug deep into reporting requirements. Before demos, we prepared custom report samples in spreadsheets (example below) to show the flexibility of our exports and address the reporting needs.  By proactively addressing, we flipped the topic into a position of power, rather than being on the defensive. 

Buyer Immaturity: The Feature Frenzy

Challenge: When building a new market category, you’ll inevitably run into immature buyers who have unrealistic expectations or do not know the right questions to ask.  For example, a prospect recently presented us with an extensive RFP, requesting features like continuous event tracking instead of our standard heartbeat events.

Solution (“Why Test”): We have enough experience with top companies in our ICP to understand industry best practices and when a prospect is deviating from the norm.  Rather than immediately promising roadmap, my Solutions Architect and I forced a feature prioritization exercise.  Second, we pushed on the “why” behind each feature. 

One caveat, as Chris Voss teaches, never start with the word “Why” as it’s a trigger word.

Some questions we asked:

• Which company/north star are you modeling your pricing after? How does this feature tie to that company's strategy?

• Can you walk us through your analysis of the trade-offs of this approach?

• What is an acceptable latency & how did you arrive at this number?  What is the consequence of higher latency?

Once you realize that some of the requirements do not have a strong “why”, you can suggest alternatives based on what you know from your existing customer base. 

• Our current customers approach {INSERT OBJECTION} this way.  They typically do not take the approach you’re suggesting because {INSERT REBUTTAL}.

Conclusion

Whether you're dealing with market segment challenges, competitor comparisons, or buyer education, navigating feature gap objections comes down to:

1. Proactively addressing gaps before they become objections

2. Finding creative ways to deliver value with existing capabilities

3. Helping buyers distinguish between must-haves and nice-to-haves

Stay tuned for Part 3, where we'll explore how to effectively quarterback product builds when selling around isn't an option.