How to unlock more deals

Hi!

Welcome to Sparksense's Newsletter! Every month, I personally bring you insights to fuel your sales strategies, drive business growth, and succeed on your entrepreneurial journey. My focus is clear: to equip you with actionable takeaways. Anticipate valuable advice on prospecting, smart selling, and sealing deals that matter for Deep Tech Entrepreneurs.

This month, let's talk about a problem every founder recognizes: when Lead Generation stalls.

You had the meetings. You got face-to-face at the fair. The prospect was qualified. Then you were ghosted, and the opportunity sat in your pipeline until you stopped counting on it. According toq, 86% of B2B purchases stall at some point. In Deep Tech, where sales cycles are long and buying decisions involve multiple stakeholders, that number feels even higher.

The good news is that most stalls are predictable. And if they are predictable, they are preventable. So what does it take to close a deal before it turns cold? 

Deals don't stall at the close

Deep Tech deals don’t turn cold at the proposal stage. They stall at discovery.

Founders move fast from Initial Contact to Qualification. The prospect asks great questions, and you book the demo. But did you secure a robust Sales Qualification (SQL)? Is there a real problem, a real budget, and a real decision-maker?  By the time you send your proposal, this deal is already at risk.

In our experience, the biggest pipeline leakage happens between Qualification and proposal, not between proposal and close won. Data shows that only 40% of deals that enter the discovery stage advance to the next one. That means that you should spend your energy earlier in the process rather than into perfecting your sales pitch.

Follow Sparksense LinkedIn for weekly updates on Deep Tech trends.

What can you learn from a stalled deal?

A deal that goes quiet is not a negotiation tactic. It is information.

The biggest reason prospects back out of a deal is simply that the process is taking too long. In Deep Tech, that usually means one of three things: there is no urgent need on their side, you are speaking to the wrong decision maker, or there is no available budget. Or all of them?

Each of these has a fix. First, end every meeting with a specific, agreed action with deadlines, not a vague commitment to follow up. Request access to the true decision-maker directly. Confirm budget availability early, not after the proposal.

Check out our Startup Sales Guide for more detail on how to structure qualification conversations that keep deals moving.

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5 steps to get your deal moving again

Here is how you can reactivate a deal that has turned cold.

1. Requalify the need. Go back to your contact and reopen the conversation around their priorities, not your product. Simple questions work best:

• "What specific challenge have you been facing in this area lately?"

• "Has anything changed since we last spoke?"

2. Confirm the timing. A real problem without urgency will not close. Ask directly:

• "How does your product roadmap look for this upgrade? Any milestones?"

• "When will your design freeze for this new product?"

3. Involve the right people. If the deal is taking too long, find out who else needs to be part of the decision. Ask your contact:

• "As we move forward, should anyone else be part of this conversation?"

Then meet jointly or reach out to that person directly. A deal supported by two or more stakeholders has a significantly higher chance of closing.

4. Understand the budget early. Do not leave this for the proposal stage. Be direct:

• "How do you currently address this problem? What solutions are you using today?"

• "How do you typically allocate investment for a solution like this?"

5. Propose a mutual action plan. Share a simple document outlining the remaining steps to a decision, with owners and dates on both sides. A serious prospect will engage with it. One who is not will go quiet. Either answer is useful.

Establish clear pipeline stages and ownership

One of the most common reasons deals stall is that founders do not know they have stalled until it is too late. The pipeline looks full. Activity looks healthy. But no one has flagged that a deal has been sitting in the same stage for six weeks.

HubSpot's Deal Stages is the tool Sparksense uses to keep its own pipeline honest, and it is what we recommend to the founders we work with. Here is how to use it specifically for the problem this issue is about:

• Create a stage for every step of your process. If a deal has not moved in 14 days, you know it before it costs you.

• Log the next step on every deal after every interaction. No next step, no open deal.

• Check where deals are dying. If most losses happen before you send a proposal, you have a qualification problem, not a closing one.

• Weight each stage by probability. A first meeting is not the same as a sent proposal. Your forecast should reflect that if you think it makes sense for your business.

Keep your CRM setup simple to get value from it. Start with five stages, one task rule, and one inactivity alert. Set up a weekly or bi-weekly dealflow review. That alone will change how you manage your pipeline.

Are you expanding your sales in the EU or North America?

Request your FREE industry client list here! We want to help you identify your clients and ICP before venturing into an unknown market.

Technobis: from lab recognition to qualified pipeline

With instruments installed in research labs worldwide, Technobis had strong product validation and a recognised name in the scientific community. The challenge many Deep Tech companies at this stage face is the same: converting technical reputation into a structured commercial pipeline. Reaching the right decision-makers consistently, across new verticals and geographies, requires more than a great product.

Technobis built with Sparksense a targeted outreach approach to connect with qualified buyers in their core markets and beyond.

Are you ready to take your sales beyond your existing network? Talk to us about building a pipeline that works at scale

Hidden market opportunities in ... electronics behind mobile phone touchscreens

Are you struggling to gain traction or compete with industry giants? We help startups find hidden market opportunities by connecting them with second-tier players that hold untapped potential.

Merck Electronics is dedicated to advanced materials for the semiconductor, display, and surface solutions industries. Their portfolio includes liquid crystals, OLED materials, and photoresist., Merck Electronics works directly with panel makers and device manufacturers to push display performance forward across mobile, automotive, and emerging AR/VR applications.

Relevant Technologies: Liquid crystals, OLED materials, semiconductor process chemicals, photoresists, reactive mesogens, display patterning materials.

Do you want to have access to more decision makers? Let’s work together to identify the Hidden Champions that need YOUR STARTUP’s solution.

Ignite your network: Let’s meet at upcoming industry gatherings

EPFL Startup Seed Night | Lausanne, Switzerland | May 7th, 2026

We are back at this lighthouse event from Switzerland Deep Tech Cluster at EPFL. We will meet our current and former clients. We are eager to connect with emerging Entrepreneurs, growth Investors and more! See you there.

HTGF Family Day 2026 | Berlin, Germany | May 11–12, 2026

Some of our clients are part of the HTGF network. We will follow up with them and connect with more founders in one of Europe’s biggest Startup Hubs. If you’re thinking about how to structure your sales, let's meet in Berlin. 

Chip Chair Master's Programme | Valencia, Spain | May 18, 2026

I will be delivering a dedicated sales workshop as part of the UPV programme's seminar series, bringing commercial thinking into a deeply technical environment. Now in its fourth edition, the Master's programme trains the next generation of engineers working at the intersection of microelectronics and industry.

SPS Italia 2025 | Parma, Italy | May 26–28, 2026

Italy's leading trade fair for industrial automation, digital manufacturing, and smart production technologies. For us it’s an opportunity to meet Deep Tech founders selling into manufacturing, process control, and automation. Through this event we intend to meet founders specializing in a different industry such as advanced manufacturing..

Mark your calendar and let's connect at these game-changing events! If you are thinking of going - contact us here or email me directly.

Follow Sparksense LinkedIn for insights from industry events we attend!

Want to know more about Sparksense? Let’s talk to find out how we can help take your sales to the next level. Book a call with me today!

Thank you for reading! Let me know how you come along as you identify and execute the right sales technique for your Startup! And if you have any questions please feel free to email me directly.

Ride your Wave!

Hervé Flutto,

Managing Director & Founder of Sparksense LLC.

About Sparksense LLC.

With 200 global clients supported over the last 8 years, Sparksense is the trusted Sales Team for B2B Tech Startups. With a smarter outreach, Sparksense’s team of over 30+ advisors has ignited sales for hardware and software solutions across Europe, North America and Asia – thanks to its robust, proven business development skills and relevant market access to decision makers across key industries.

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