How to Find Buyers Who Actually Need Your Custom Solution

Stop Chasing. Start Attracting. Way easier written than done.

One of the most helpful tools for any salesperson is prospect profiling. Most Sellers Chase the Wrong Buyers. They get plenty of pitch practice since they talk to anyone who will listen.

Custom solutions require custom targeting. More, they cannot productize their service, so they need to find a way to identify the pain. Buyers need to be aware. Pain-aware. Budget-aware. Change-aware.

No pain? No deal.

🔻 Deal Killer Alert:

“Everyone could use my product/service/solution.”
That mindset leads to bloated pipelines—poor fit. No urgency. No close.

Step 1: Identify the Trigger Events

Custom work does not solve one specific problem. Regardless, the issues they do solve have a trigger point. Learning to spot them is key to identifying a suitable starting point.

Common triggers:

• M&A event

• New funding

• IT Department turnover

• Leadership change

• Public failure or market shift

Example:
A newly merged company with two tech stacks and two databases full of helpful information. That may be a potential buyer.

A startup's MVP has been proven, and now they have raised Series B funding and must scale.

Trigger = Timing + Relevance.

Step 2: Build an Ideal Buyer Profile (Not Just an Ideal Customer Profile)

ICP defines industry, size, and title. IBP adds emotional context.

Ideal Buyer Profile asks:

• What are they under pressure to solve?

• What project just hit a wall?

• What keeps their team off track?

Custom solutions require motivation. Not just qualification.

Step 3: Use Clarity Pitches to Test Fit Fast

Since you do not have a demo, you need to use your pitch to clarify the fit.

Example:
“We help post-acquisition IT teams integrate —without prejudice.”
Then ask:
“People are normally married to their work, so having a neutral third party sometimes helps clear the way for the best fit. You have people digging in?”

Clarify the problem, solution, and context last.

Step 4: Tap Warmer Channels First

Cold outreach can work. But warm always works faster.

Start here:

• Past clients in new roles

• Shared investors or advisors

• Event lists

• Your LinkedIn content viewers

• Strategic partners

When asking for a referral, come with an ask, "do you know anyone currently navigating [trigger event]?”

Step 5: Package the Problem, Not the Product

Custom buyers rarely search for your exact solution. But they recognize their own pain.

Lead with that.

Say this:
“We help companies fix [problem] that shows up as [symptom].”

You become relevant. Not random.

Find-Your-Buyer Checklist

✅ Know your buyer’s trigger event
✅ Build a real Ideal Buyer Profile
✅ Pitch clarity, not capability
✅ Prioritize warm over wide
✅ Package the pain—not the product

Final Thought

Selling custom solutions starts with finding custom-fit buyers.

Not everyone qualifies. Not everyone’s ready. But the right buyers feel it immediately.

Right moment. Right message. Right outcome.

Let others chase. You attract.