Disruptive Products Require a Different Sales Process

When you're selling something truly new, you're not just fighting for market share – you're fighting to create a market that doesn't exist yet. A big part of that battle is figuring out your sales process. Chris Morrison from ViaVerus and Brian Jamieson from Diagnostic Biochips shared their experience on this week’s episode.

Chris Morrison introduced the "innovation death spiral." It goes like this: A startup gets early validation from one big customer. They get excited (who wouldn’t?) and build their entire go-to-market strategy around that single success. Then... silence. The market doesn't respond as expected, so they double down on their approach, burning through resources until there's nothing left.

This pattern is particularly dangerous because that first success feels so validating. As Chris put it, finding one customer isn't a repeatable process, which is what is needed for long-term success.

Diagnostic Biochips provides an example of navigating these treacherous waters. They've developed technology that can read the "ones and zeros" of brain activity. If you want to learn more about the science, make sure you listen to the full recording. It's cool stuff that could revolutionize how we understand and treat conditions like Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, and epilepsy.

If you aren’t subscribed, now might be a good time…

But here's the catch: When you're that innovative, your biggest challenge isn't competition – it's teaching the market what's even possible.

The Discovery-Based Sales Process

Traditional sales processes are execution-based: You have historical data, known customer needs, and established patterns to follow. But what do you do when none of that exists?

Morrison and Jamieson's approach reveals a framework that any tech startup can learn from:

Instead of assuming they knew their market, they tested their initial assumption about big pharma being their primary customer. When that didn't pan out, they pivoted quickly rather than forcing a fit.

They discovered their sweet spot wasn't with big pharma or pure academic research, but with translational research organizations – the groups that bridge the gap between basic science and practical applications.

Rather than trying to educate the market about their technology's potential, they focused on identifying existing problems their technology could solve today.

One customer isn't validation – it's an anomaly. And two customers are just two different cases. According to Morrison, for complex B2B sales like Diagnostic Biochips, you need 10-20 customers before you can start seeing genuine patterns emerge in your sales process.

Developing a repeatable sales process isn't a single task – it's a series of staged discoveries:

* Market Entry Point: Identifying where your technology connects with immediate, funded problems

* Messaging: Finding the language that resonates with early adopters

* Lead Generation: Developing tactics that consistently bring qualified prospects

* Sales Process: Building the steps that convert interest into purchase

* Customer Success: Creating the bridge from purchase to satisfied customer

You can't skip steps. You need to complete each stage before moving to the next.

Perhaps the most interesting tension revealed in our conversation was what Brian Jamieson called "the funny combination between urgency and patience." Revolutionary technology creates natural urgency – you're sitting on something that could change the world. But rushing the process of finding your market fit can kill even the most promising innovation.

I actually thought there was an opportunity to educate the market on the gap between patch-clamp studies and animal behavior. Chris emphasized that startups don't have the luxury of educating markets. Instead, find where your innovation solves an existing, recognized problem.

The goal is to find messaging that makes customers pull you toward their problems rather than pushing your solution onto them.

As Chris noted, what typically takes three years can be compressed to 18 months with the right approach – but it can't be compressed to three months, no matter how hard you push.

Diagnostic Biochips' technology could fundamentally change how we understand and treat brain disorders. But that potential can only be realized if they successfully navigate the path to market. I often wonder how many amazing technologies end up on the scrap heap, not because of science but because of poor timing or strategy.

Launching truly disruptive technology is "probably one of, if not the hardest thing to do in business." But with a disciplined approach to discovering your repeatable sales process, it's not impossible. It's a matter of having the wisdom to be patient and the drive to stay urgent while you figure it out.

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