How Presales Leaders Effectively Manage Product Feature Gaps to Fuel Growth

As presales leaders and individuals you play a key role in removing gaps to win business.

Prospects and customers fuel innovation by identifying gaps within existing products and solutions. These gaps can come in the form of new feature enhancements and/or certification requirements, like FedRamp, to meet compliance mandates. Presales leaders, sales engineering, solution architects, and technical sales professionals play one of the most critical roles in the company to manage these gaps that can either block or fuel growth. To effectively manage gaps, here is a simple three-step framework that helps you frame the request, advocate with data, and close the loop with both your prospect and product management.

Technical Sales: Managing Feature Gaps That Block Growth

Three simple steps you can take to help your company listen and respond to your prospects’ and customers’ needs.

Step 1: Frame the Request

As an individual contributor, contextualize the opportunities in your direct line of sight that are at risk from feature gaps. As a technical sales leader, you can aggregate gaps that your team identifies to help product management address gaps blocking growth.

Money: Quantify dollar amount at risk by gaps identified.

Time: Contextualize how quickly the gaps must be addressed.

Severity: Flag the level of risk the gaps put on your opportunity.

Step 2: Advocate with Data

Be self-aware if you feel, think, or know that the gaps you have identified will potentially bloc ka technical win with a prospect. Reliable data starts with you, so make sure you validate the need level.

“I Feel”: Make sure you are not emotionally reacting to a gap identified by the prospect that you can sell around.

“I Think”: Don’t make assumptions about the gap level of importance identified by your prospect.

“I Know”: Validate the severity, timing, and opportunity at stake of the gap with your prospect.

Step 3: Close the Loop

Actively listening to your prospect is important, but even more important is taking action and following through. You play a critical role in driving accountability with product management and closing the loop with your prospect.

Prospect: Probe and learn more when prospects raise the need for a new feature.

Presales: Recognize that you are the advocate for your prospect and your product manager.

Product: Help product management understands the importance of the gap that needs to be addressed.