Why earlystage founders struggle with B2B sales?

Published: 8/2/2025

I recently came across incredibly insightful research from Nora Khalili that I knew I had to share with you. Her findings perfectly capture why so many promising startups struggle to convert prospects into customers, despite having excellent products and clear product-market fit.

About the expert: Nora Khalili's B2B sales authority

Before diving into her research, it's worth understanding why Nora's insights carry such weight in the B2B sales world. With over 20 years of experience in B2B subscription sales and customer success across SaaS and professional services industries, she's helped multiple companies navigate critical growth phases from Series A and B funding all the way to IPO.

Currently, as an advisor and fractional leader, Nora supports early-stage companies including Cognitive Credit, DNSFilter, Evabot, Forecastr, Kleene.ai, Presta, Qualifi, Mosaic Smart Data, On The Goga, and Symba. Her experience spans both large enterprise and mid-market customers, making her uniquely qualified to understand the sales challenges facing growing businesses.

The problem: great products, stalled sales

Nora's research identifies a frustrating pattern she sees repeatedly: early-stage founders with ingenious products and solid product-market fit who can't sustain sales momentum. Sound familiar?

The scenario plays out like this: every prospect meeting reinforces that the product is a good idea, yet pipelines fill with disengaged prospects who stop responding to outreach. Meetings end with polite enthusiasm, "That was great, thank you for sharing!", followed by the dreaded "Let us think about it and come back to you."

Then... silence.

2 fatal sales mistakes founders make

According to Nora's research, founders typically fall into one of two traps that sabotage their sales efforts:

Mistake #1: the feature dump without discovery

The Problem: Founders speak 80% of the time during sales calls, conducting detailed product walkthroughs without understanding the prospect's specific needs.

While you might ask basic qualifying questions (current tools, team size), you quickly pivot to explaining why you built the solution and demonstrating every feature. What's missing? Understanding why this person personally wants this solution.

The Solution: Transform your approach into true discovery:

• Start with open-ended questions based on well-researched hypotheses about their business
• Listen actively and adjust your questioning path based on their responses
• Understand their compelling event: What's happening in their business that makes this solution not just relevant, but urgent?
• Confirm the pain is worth solving: Is this a "must-have" or just a "nice-to-have"?
• Customize your demo using what you've learned to show how specific features solve their particular problems

Key Insight: People buy outcomes, not features. Your initial demo should show just enough to prove the outcomes you promise are achievable. Save detailed feature tours for the second call when they're already bought into the concept.

Mistake #2: happy ears syndrome

The Problem: The meeting goes perfectly, the prospect seems enthusiastic, you're convinced they'll buy... then they ghost you.

This happens because an unaddressed objection existed that you didn't uncover. When prospects walk away with unresolved concerns, those concerns only grow larger in their minds.

The Solution: Run toward objections, don't avoid them:

1. Ask for the business directly: Don't just ask for thoughts, ask if they want to move forward with an evaluation
2. Use strategic silence: Pause after asking and let them fully answer
3. Probe deeper on hesitations: When they say "I need to think about it," ask "What are the key things you're thinking through?"
4. Address common smoke-screen objections:
   • Budget concerns: Explore other priorities and where your solution ranks
   • Timing issues: Understand competing priorities and offer tactical walkthroughs
   • Need approval: Ask directly if they'll recommend moving forward

Power of creating safe spaces for honest feedback

Nora emphasizes that people are naturally kind and hesitate to say anything negative, especially to the person who built the product. However, in sales, "no" is the second-best answer to "yes" because it saves everyone time.

Key Tactics:

• Use softer language like "hesitations" instead of "concerns"
• Position yourself as a team member helping them evaluate the best solution
• Always ask "any other hesitations?" after addressing initial objections
• Practice these conversations out loud, reading silently doesn't count

The bottom line

Nora's research reveals that successful B2B sales isn't about having the perfect product or the most impressive demo. It's about:

1. Understanding specific needs through thorough discovery
2. Connecting features to outcomes that matter to each prospect
3. Addressing hesitations before they become deal-killers
4. Creating momentum through honest, collaborative conversations

While no sales approach guarantees success, implementing these strategies will help you avoid the surprise disruptions that lead to stalled deals and ghosted prospects.

Key takeaways for B2B founders

• Flip the talk ratio: Aim to listen 60-70% of the time during discovery calls
• Qualify the pain: Ensure you're solving a must-have problem, not a nice-to-have
• Embrace objections: They're opportunities to build trust and address concerns
• Practice your approach: Become comfortable with these techniques through repetition
• Focus on outcomes: Show how your solution achieves their specific goals

The path from product-market fit to sales success requires mastering these fundamental sales skills. As Nora's extensive experience demonstrates, even the most innovative products need effective sales processes to reach their full market potential.