Q&A with Leaders: Master Door Openers & Landing Spots for 2X B2B Conversions
Expert Panel Discussion from Growth Sutra's August 2025 LinkedIn Live Session
Host: Vishwendra Verma, Founder & CEO, Growth Sutra
Expert Panelists: Dean Nolley (Sales Growth Imagination), Atul Kulshreshtha (GroByz), Nelson Fernandes (BigLeaps Consulting)
Format: 60-minute interactive LinkedIn Live session with audience Q&A
Opening Context: Research suggests companies have a 60-70% chance of selling more to an existing customer versus just a 5-20% chance with a new one. How does a business strategically identify and design a landing spot offer that maximizes this 'land-and-expand' potential?
Vishwendra Verma: "I hear constantly from B2B startup and SMB founders: 'We have won deals through our connections. We have got proof points but we are not able to scale. What we really need is someone who can open doors for us.' The fastest way to 2X your conversions isn't more hustle, but sharper landing spots and smarter door openers.
What Sales Advice is Now Outdated?
Q: What's one common piece of sales advice about opening doors or finding landing spots that you believe is now outdated?
Nelson Fernandes: "The biggest outdated advice is that a rockstar salesperson can just walk into any customer's place and pick up the conversation in real time without preparation. Today, people will push you back if they notice you're at the table without substance or understanding of their challenges. You'll get prematurely ejected from the room."
Dean Nolley: "I'd call BS on the idea that relationship selling is dead. It's been redefined, not eliminated. Today's relationship selling is about relationship economics and intentional strategy. Status quo is the killer of revenue growth - you need to understand the different dynamics between existing customers versus new logos, and hunter versus farmer approaches."
Atul Kulshreshtha: "The outdated cliche is 'you're selling services.' Today, you're not selling services - you're selling capabilities and value propositions. This is especially critical for startups and young organizations to understand early in their sales messaging."
Segment 1: The Strategic Lens on Landing Spots
Question 1: Why Landing Spot Choice is Critical
Q: Atul, from a strategic and financial viewpoint, why is the choice of a 'landing spot' so critical for a performing sales champion?
Atul Kulshreshtha: "First, establish if you're talking to the right person - someone who can give you insights into the organization's status, buying requirements, and decision-makers. The key is identifying a 'fox' in the organization - someone who's smart, well-connected, and can show you how to navigate the corridors of power."
"This fox becomes like an insider coach. In large organizations dealing with multi-million dollar deals, you're dealing with hierarchy at every level. You need relationships at every level, and at each point, you must sell your capabilities and value proposition."
Question 2: Hunter Approach - New vs. Existing Markets
Q: Dean, how does a sales leader approach finding a landing spot differently in a brand new market like the US versus an existing one like India? How does that change when targeting new accounts versus expanding within existing ones?
Dean Nolley: "Don't make assumptions - that's the biggest mistake. In your comfort zone, you know your competitors, relationships, testimonials, and where your products fit best. In a new market, competitors are different, rules are different, and partners may not exist."
"For example, I worked with a company expanding from Germany and Lebanon to the US. Just two US states like South Carolina and Georgia are bigger than their entire existing markets. We had to look at what would resemble their footprint."
"Gen Y and Gen Z decision-makers have already researched you and your competitors. They're looking for two things: Will you tell them the truth when they ask tough questions, and they already know where your product fits versus competitors."
Question 3: Navigating Complex Buying Committees
Q: Nelson, today's B2B deals involve 7-8 decision-makers on average. How do you coach a salesperson to navigate this complex buying committee and build a 'Consensus Zone' that satisfies everyone from IT to finance to end-users?
Nelson Fernandes: "I coach reps to manufacture consensus, not hope for it. Here's the process:"
Step 1: Map the Committee
Diagram the economic buyer, approvers, influencers, and likely blockers
No champion, no deal
Step 2: Build Compelling Reasons for Each Persona
IT cares about risk, integration, and control
Finance focuses on payback, cash flow, and TCO
End users want fewer steps and time savings
Translate each reason into money saved, risk reduced, or time saved
Step 3: Co-create a Success Scorecard
3-5 shared metrics everyone signs up to
Example: Security controls met, less than 30-day integration, less than 9-month payback, 20% cycle time reduction
Step 4: Run a Mutual Action Plan
Sequence security review, data privacy, legal, procurement around the scorecard
Each task has an owner and date
Use conditional closes: "If we prove X by Y, are you prepared to approve?"
Step 5: Prove and De-risk
Pilot or simulate value where it matters most
Keep a risk ledger to preempt objections
The TARGET Framework for Landing Spots
Vishwendra Verma introduced the TARGET Framework:
T - Terrain: Understanding industry rules, tech stack, lay of the land
A - Acute Pain: Visible impact: delays, risks, customer friction, vendor dissatisfaction
R - Rules of Engagement: Approvals, constraints, compliance requirements
G - Ground Champion: Your fox, sponsor, or internal advocate
E - Entry Lane: Cleanest path via references, partners, alliances, associations
T - Timing & Triggers: Business cycles: audits, renewals, migrations, incidents
Segment 2: The Strategic Lens on Door Openers
Context: With buyers completing nearly 70% of their journey before talking to sales, opening that door is harder and more important than ever.
Modern Door Opener Cadence
Q: Dean, in multistakeholder buying, what does a modern, effective 'door opener' cadence look like in practice? How do hunters create door openers that bypass gatekeepers and connect with economic buyers?
Dean Nolley: "Email demand generation has a 0.5% open rate when recipients don't know the sender. You need intentional cadences focused on introductions. The best approach is: 'Hey Vish, could you introduce me to Nelson? I'd really appreciate it because you can vouch that he's someone worth having a conversation with.'"
"I was doing an AI workshop for a $2 billion company, and they challenged me to find connection paths to a PE executive in Chicago who wouldn't let them in. Through Knowledge Net, we found three connection paths, including someone from my college fraternity. It's not just who you know - it's who the people you know know."
Most Effective Door Openers in Saturated Markets
Q: Nelson, what are the most effective door openers you've seen work in saturated markets? Can you share examples of both non-digital and digital door openers?
Nelson Fernandes:
Non-Digital Door Opener: Onsite Micro Diagnostics
60-90 minute whiteboard session at prospect's office
Benchmark one critical workflow against peer data
Quantify 2-3 leakages (time, risk, cost)
End with one-page leakage map plus CFO-friendly payback sketch
No slides, no pitch - pure discovery
Digital Door Opener: Personalized Value Teardown
90-second screen recording using prospect's public signals
Annual reports, job postings, app flows to show costly friction
Interactive ROI mini-calculator pre-filled with their assumptions
Conditional close: "If we can prove X payback in Y months, will you sponsor a pilot?"
"Why these convert: Specificity, context, and endowment effect. They tweak the calculator themselves, building fast credibility because assumptions are explicit and testable."
Cold Market vs. Existing Account Strategies
Q: Atul, how does door opener strategy differ when approaching a cold market versus an existing account where trust already exists?
Atul Kulshreshtha: "In new territories, you either need to be there in person or find the right people as your eyes and ears on the ground. One strategy that worked for me was going through open positions in target organizations and getting our people deployed in those roles - essentially doing an 'implant' with the right person."
"The second approach is finding domain experts who are already well-networked in that territory. Engage them properly and leverage their networks through tools like LinkedIn and Knowledge Net."
Most Overrated Door-Opening Tactic
Q: What's the most overrated door-opening tactic that teams should stop wasting time on right now?
Nelson Fernandes: "Generic email campaigns across thousands of contacts, shooting in the dark. This hurts your brand more than generates good leads. We need specific research about the person we're writing to and identify pain they're discussing in public domains."
The WARHEAD Framework for Door Openers
Vishwendra Verma introduced the WARHEAD Framework:
W - Wedge Business Model: Commercial construct that lowers risk and breaks resistance
A - Allies & Advisors: Network leverage and relationship economics
R - Reputation & Reference: Brand credibility and social proof
H - Hero Product/Service: Your flagship offering that stands out
E - Executive-to-Executive Channel: C-level orchestrated connections
A - Anchor Content/IP: Thought leadership and intellectual property
D - Delivery Value: Pilots, audits, diagnostics that prove worth
Startup Challenges: Winning Enterprise Clients
Q: What are the best ways for a bootstrapped startup to win enterprise clients - specifically how to reach out, engage and build trust?
Dean Nolley: "Look at the relationship connection path. I use tools like Knowledge Net AI to map relationship connections. I had a client trying to reach a Fortune 100's Chief Data Officer and CISO. Through relationship mapping, we discovered his best customer contact was connected first-round to both executives."
Nelson Fernandes: "If you're not on the ground yourself and the customer doesn't know you, you must have someone on your side who has relationships with your target clients. In the startup ecosystem, there's no luxury of time - you need someone who knows the customer stakeholders."
Working with Sales Partners
Q: We're working with a sales firm but haven't seen results. What terms should we set in such engagements given our limited runway?
Dean Nolley: "You need someone willing to dive in and be a builder, an architect - not just a consultant who hands you a roadmap. You need someone who'll be part of your team, company, and family as they work with you."
Atul Kulshreshtha: "Do sufficient due diligence - ask for customer lists, look for right fitment. What works for others may not work for your organization. You need at least 3-6 months just for setup, knowledge transfer, and process establishment."
Nelson Fernandes: "The biggest mistake startup founders make is looking at glossy presentations full of promises. Find someone with expertise rather than falling prey to fancy slideware."
Key Takeaways & Wrap-Up
Vishwendra Verma's Final Insights:
"The fastest way to 2X your conversions isn't more hustle or effort - it's sharper landing spots and smarter door openers using proven frameworks."
Framework Application Guide:
Use TARGET Framework when:
Identifying potential landing spots in new accounts
Evaluating whether a landing spot is worth pursuing
Planning your beachhead strategy in complex organizations
Use WARHEAD Framework when:
Designing your door opener strategy
Creating multi-touch sequences for prospects
Building systematic approaches to break into accounts
Critical Success Principles:
Landing spots are where momentum starts; door openers are how trust begins
Avoid discounting - ask for premium because of value
Relationship selling is redefined, not dead - focus on relationship economics
Research and preparation are non-negotiable in today's market
Orchestration and governance are key to complex B2B sales success
"Your competitive edge isn't about faster pitches, more content, or discounts. It's about sharpening your landing spots and building smart door openers. Both frameworks work together - TARGET helps you identify where to land, WARHEAD helps you figure out how to get there."
This article follows the exact session flow from GrowthSutra's August 2025 202X Vision LinkedIn Live session. For the complete discussion and framework deep-dives, watch the full recording on GrowthSutra's youtube page