Why great solutions never make the shortlist in Germany

Anyone putting a new vendor on the shortlist needs a clear answer to one question: What do we stand to gain by taking a closer look?

Every additional vendor takes time to evaluate. The team has to arrange demos, work through technical questions and figure out what implementation would involve. There has to be a good reason to make that effort.

➜ The solution tackles an important problem that existing vendors haven’t solved.
➜ It measurably reduces costs or the work needed to keep things running.
➜ It fits more easily into the buyer’s existing IT environment.

That gives someone inside the company a reason to bring the new vendor into the conversation. A reference from a customer in a similar situation, a recommendation from someone they trust or a realistic implementation plan gives that person something concrete to point to.

Before your product gets the chance to show what it does better, someone at the table has to be able to say, “This one is worth our time.”

A company wants to replace a business-critical software system. 

The first meeting starts with a simple question: “Who should we take a look at?”

Someone suggests an existing supplier. A colleague remembers a vendor from a previous project. The implementation partner has a recommendation, too.

That’s how the first names make it onto the list.

Your software could be an excellent fit. But someone in that room has to bring up your name and explain why your solution is worth a closer look.

If no one does, the first demo invitation goes to another vendor. Your software may never get the chance to show how it stacks up.

Who are we bringing on board? That’s the question the team faces when a new vendor makes the list. Choosing the software also means choosing the company that will guide the rollout and support the team once the system is live.

With a familiar vendor, the team already has something to go on. Maybe they’ve worked with the vendor before. Maybe someone in their network knows of a similar project and can tell them how it went.

With a new vendor, the team first has to find out what it can count on.

➜ Does the vendor understand our industry and our specific requirements?
➜ Can we count on them during implementation and once the system is live?
➜ Who’s already using the software successfully under similar conditions?
➜ What makes this vendor worth a closer look?

Your software may have a technical edge. Whether the team takes a closer look also depends on how well they can assess you as a vendor.

When you enter the German market, a customer reference from another country can help. Show what the customer needed to achieve, how you supported the rollout and what improved once the system went live. That gives the team a way to judge what your experience means for their own project.

“More features. Better technology. Lower costs.”

Those are strong arguments once the buyer starts comparing options. Before that, they’re asking a different question.

“Why change anything at all?”

If the current approach works well enough, the buyer can find your software interesting and still carry on as before. Things start to move when they see what sticking with the status quo costs them in downtime, manual rework or projects that keep slipping.

To put your solution on the shortlist, the buyer needs to answer three questions.

➜ Why do we need to solve this problem?
➜ Where is our current approach falling short?
➜ Why should we consider this particular vendor?

Clear positioning gives the buyer those answers. It spells out who your solution is for, what problem it solves and why you’re the right partner to solve it. That gives the buyer something they can say to their colleagues.

“That’s exactly the problem we’re dealing with. Let’s talk to them.”

A shortlist is built through relevance and credibility. Software vendors can strengthen both in several ways:

Focusing on a specific customer situation.
Clearly defined industries, organisations and use cases show where the solution offers a compelling advantage. Broad claims make it harder for buyers to recognise its relevance to their own situation.

Making evidence easy to relate to.
References and results are particularly persuasive when they reflect the buyer’s challenges. The starting situation, the use of the solution and the outcome matter. A list of customer logos alone does not explain that connection.

Explaining the relationship behind the product.
Clarity about implementation, support, responsibilities and long-term service makes the provider easier to assess. Buyers are also evaluating what it will mean to work with the company.

Reaching the people who influence the initial selection.
Successful market entry requires an understanding of who identifies potential vendors, whose recommendations carry weight and what information those people need to consider a company a credible candidate.

Marketing and sales become more effective when they communicate these answers consistently.

By the time the demo invitations go out, the first decision has already been made.

Vendors on the shortlist get to show what their software can do, what it costs and where it outperforms the competition. Everyone else may never get the chance to show any of that.

That’s where we come in at APILANi. We work with you to pin down which companies to target in Germany, what problem your solution solves for them and which customer references or results back up your claims. That gives someone on the buying team a concrete reason to put your name on the list.

Who would put you on their shortlist today? And what would they say to get their colleagues to consider you?