Navy Showell hero with a line passing through three steps to one result

Leigh PerezNov 202619 min read

How to Make Complex Products Easier to Sell with Showell Flow Apps

A customer asks a simple question: "Which model should I choose?"

Your seller opens the product catalogue, then the price list, then a spec sheet. If they're still unsure, they message a product manager and promise to come back with an answer. The buyer waits. The meeting loses its momentum.

Complex products get easier to sell when the seller no longer has to carry the whole portfolio in their head. Showell Flow Apps do that by building your product knowledge and selection logic into the conversation itself, on top of the content you already have.

Key takeaways

1	The information usually exists. The hard part is finding, understanding and applying it during the customer conversation.
2	A seller of technical products carries three loads into every meeting: the sales process, the buyer's needs and the whole product range.
3	Flow Apps take those loads off the seller by guiding the conversation step by step, so the seller can focus on the buyer.
4	The best first Flow App comes from one sales moment that's frequent, commercially relevant and painful today.

What you will find in this blog:

What Flow Apps Are

Why Complex Products Are Hard to Sell

What It Costs When Sellers Rely on Memory

What Good Looks Like: Flow Apps Across the Sales Process

4 Examples of Flow Apps in a Sales Process

What Flow Apps Change for Each Role

How to Find Your First Flow App

Find the Sales Moment Worth Fixing First

Frequently Asked Questions

What Flow Apps Are

Flow Apps are custom-built interactive tools inside Showell that guide the sales conversation. Each one is designed around a specific part of how your team sells and built on the content you already have, such as catalogues, spec sheets and price lists.

Every company has its own way of selling, so Flow Apps aren't limited to a predefined set of tools. They can be built around your specific sales process and needs.

For example, a Flow App can:

Guide sellers through a sales process, step by step
Help buyers explore and compare products or solutions
Calculate outcomes, potential savings, return on investment (ROI) or recommended system size
Capture customer information, needs and preferences during sales conversations
Integrate with existing systems, such as your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, to share information and support follow-up activities. Sending data to the CRM and using real-time data need a connection

Sellers open Flow Apps in Showell next to the rest of their sales content, and they also work offline. They can also share them with the buyer after the meeting. The Showell team builds each one with you.

See the four Flow Apps in action in 90 seconds.

In the video: a sales playbook that structures every stage, an interactive product brochure for comparing products with the buyer, a system configurator that builds the complete system, and a needs assessment form that syncs answers to the CRM.

Why Complex Products Are Hard to Sell

Complex products aren't hard to sell because the information is missing. They're hard to sell because the seller has to find and apply all of it in one meeting.

Think about what a seller needs to know to recommend the right solution from a wide technical range:

Many products and variants
Different applications and use cases
Configuration and compatibility rules
Accessories and add-ons
Technical requirements and product limitations

That knowledge is usually spread across catalogues, spreadsheets, technical documentation and the people who've been in the company longest. Each source does its job. None of them is built to be used live, in front of a buyer who wants an answer now.

In the Showell Flow Apps webinar Making Complex Products Easier to Sell, Leigh Perez, Product Marketing Manager at Showell, described this as three loads the seller carries at once:

The three loads a seller of technical products carries into every meeting
Load	What the seller has to hold	What goes wrong
The sales process	Which stage they're in and what to do next	Every seller runs the meeting differently
The buyer's needs	Which questions to ask and what the answers mean	Key information isn’t asked for or doesn’t reach the CRM
The product range	Specifications, compatibility and options	The seller recommends what they know best, not what fits best

Even an experienced seller struggles to carry all three. A new seller knows less of each, and so does a dealer who represents several manufacturers.

What It Costs When Sellers Rely on Memory

When selling depends on memory, the outcome depends on who is in the meeting. That shows up in places a sales leader can see:

Onboarding takes months. New sellers need time before they're confident across the portfolio. Training also takes time from sales managers and product experts.
Product experts become a help desk. Sellers depend on them for recurring questions. Every new product or portfolio change means retraining.
Recommendations vary. Two sellers facing the same buyer can propose different solutions.
The full solution goes unsold. Accessories, add-ons and related products are easy to forget when nobody prompts for them.
Configurations go wrong. The more combinations a range allows, the bigger the risk of a mistake that surfaces after the order.
Customer time goes to searching. Minutes spent paging through documents are minutes not spent understanding the buyer.

For dealer and distributor networks the effect is bigger. A dealer who sells products from several manufacturers will default to the range that's easiest to explain, which is why dealer sales enablement starts with making your range the easy one.

What Good Looks Like: Flow Apps Across the Sales Process

In a guided conversation, the seller focuses on the buyer and the Flow App carries the complexity at each stage of the deal. The principle is simple: your sellers shouldn't need to memorize your entire product portfolio to sell it well. This is the idea behind guided selling.

For the webinar, we built four Flow Apps for a sample manufacturer of solar products: modules, charge controllers, batteries and lighting, sold as single products and as complete systems. All four came from one existing product catalogue. The information didn't change. What changed was how the seller and the buyer used it together.

Here they are in the order a deal moves:

Flow Apps across the five stages of a B2B sales process: sales playbook, needs assessment, interactive product catalogue, product configurator and sharing in a digital sales room

Visual 1: The four example Flow Apps placed on the stages of one deal. Screens are from the webinar demo.

Your own process decides which stages need a Flow App and what it looks like.

4 Examples of Flow Apps in a Sales Process

Each example starts with a moment every seller of technical products knows. It shows how that moment goes today with PDFs and spreadsheets, then what a good Flow App for it looks like and why it works better. Together with the follow-up, they cover the whole deal from preparing the first meeting to the follow-up after it.

1. Learn and Run the Process: Sales Playbook

Sales playbook Flow App showing the process overview and the Discover stage

Visual 2: Example of a sales playbook built with Showell Flow Apps

The moment: a seller is preparing for a first meeting with a new account and wants to know what a good discovery meeting looks like in your company.

The old way: the sales process lives in a slide deck from the last sales kickoff and a PDF playbook in a shared folder. Finding the file and right page takes longer than the meeting prep itself, so most sellers don't. They run the meeting the way they always have. New sellers copy whoever they shadowed first.

What a good playbook contains: as Leigh puts it: "The aim isn't to document everything, because a good playbook shows the seller what matters in the situation they are in at that moment." In practice, that means six things per stage. Here they are for a typical Discover stage, the first real meeting with a new account:

What a good sales playbook stage contains, with examples from a Discover stage
A good playbook stage has	Example from the Discover stage
A clear goal	Understand the buyer's problem, what it costs them today and who decides, well enough to propose the right solution.
Real questions, not topics	"What happens when your current setup fails? What does that cost you?" instead of "discuss requirements".
One rule that changes behaviour	Ask before you show: keep the product presentation closed for the first half of the meeting.
The mistake to avoid	Accepting "we need a bigger machine" without asking what the current one fails to do.
A clear finish line	The stage is done when the problem, its cost, the requirements, the decision makers, the timing and the next step are known.
One real example	A buyer asks for "a faster machine". Discovery shows the real problem is unplanned stoppages, so reliability and service matter more than speed.

For example, the playbook can guide sellers through clear, actionable sales stages, from “Identify the opportunity” to “Handover and expansion”, making the entire sales process easier to understand, follow and put into practice. Every stage follows the same structure, so sellers always know where to look.

Why a sales playbook works better as an interactive tool than a static document:

A static sales playbook compared with an interactive playbook in Showell
	Static playbook (PDF or slides)	Interactive playbook
Finding it	A file somewhere in a shared folder	In Showell, next to the sales content sellers use every day
Reading it	Read once at onboarding, then forgotten	One stage at a time, opened before each meeting
Preparing a meeting	Questions retyped by hand, if at all	Questions copied into Showell Notes with one click, required actions ticked off
Using the right tools	Separate links to catalogues and forms	The needs assessment and catalogue open from the stage that needs them
Keeping it current	Old versions live on in inboxes	One version, updated for every seller at once
Learning it	A separate training session	A knowledge check in the Showell Learning Management System (LMS) on the same content

Easier for the seller: they prepare in minutes and walk into the meeting with the right questions already in their notes.

Better for the sales leader: the process you designed at kickoff is the one sellers actually prepare with. New sellers learn it in the same place they sell.

2. Discover: Needs Assessment

Needs assessment Flow App showing the customer and situation steps

Visual 3: Example of a Needs Assessment Built with Showell Flow Apps

The moment: in the first meeting, a production manager mentions in passing that their current machines stand still a few times a month and that every stoppage costs them a shift.

The old way: whether that remark becomes part of the deal depends on the seller. One writes it down and asks what a lost shift costs. Another nods and moves on to the product demo. The notes live in a notebook or an email draft. Half of what was learned never reaches the CRM. Three weeks later, the proposal talks about features, the buyer's real cost is nowhere in it and a colleague who joins the deal starts from zero.

What a good needs assessment contains: the same short set of questions, asked in every meeting, covering the five things every proposal depends on:

What a good needs assessment asks about, with example questions
A good needs assessment asks about	Example question
The customer and their application	"What will the equipment be used for and where?"
Today's situation and what it costs	"How often does the current setup stop, and what does a stoppage cost?"
Requirements and constraints	"What has to be true for a new solution to work on your site?"
Timing and the reason to act now	"What's driving the timing? When do you need it running?"
The decision	"Who else needs to agree and who pays?"

Each question has answer options for the common cases and room for the buyer's own words, so the seller can tap the answer during the conversation instead of writing it up afterwards.

Why it works better as an interactive tool than a static questionnaire:

A static questionnaire compared with an interactive needs assessment in Showell
	Static questionnaire	Interactive needs assessment
Asking the questions	Each seller picks the questions they remember	The same questions every time
Capturing answers	Typed up after the meeting, if at all	Tapped during the conversation
Getting it into the CRM	Copied by hand, often never	Synced to the CRM, which can also fill in what's already known
Picking up the deal later	The next seller starts from zero	The next meeting starts from what was already learned
Turning answers into a recommendation	The seller decides alone	The answers point to the best-fit solution options
Using it outside the meeting room	A separate form for events and calls	The same tool in person, remotely, on the phone or as a short version at a trade show

Easier for the seller: the right questions are on screen in the right order. Nothing has to be typed up after the meeting.

Better for the sales leader: every opportunity carries the same discovery data. You can see which deals are missing the answers that decide them. The proposal is built on the buyer's real cost, not on a feature list.

Interactive catalogue Flow App showing a filtered product list and a side-by-side comparison

Visual 4: Example of an Interactive Catalogue Built with Showell Flow Apps

The moment: the buyer has narrowed it down to two models and asks the question every seller hears: "What's the real difference? Which one should we choose?"

The old way: the answer is spread across two spec sheets, a product catalogue and maybe a price list, each with its own layout. The seller flips between files on a laptop while the buyer waits, then promises to send a comparison after the meeting. By the time it arrives, the buyer has asked a competitor the same question.

What a good interactive catalogue contains:

What a good interactive product catalogue contains
A good interactive catalogue	What it means in the meeting
Starts from the buyer's need	Filter by application or category, not by product code.
Shows only what fits	The buyer sees three relevant models, not the whole range.
Uses the same fields for every product	Every model is described the same way, so products can be compared at all.
Compares side by side	Two models in one view, with the rows that differ highlighted.
Keeps the detail one click away	Full specifications open only when the buyer asks for them.
Can be shared after the meeting	The buyer gets exactly the comparison they saw.

Why it works better as an interactive tool than a static catalogue:

A static product catalogue compared with an interactive catalogue in Showell
	Static catalogue (PDF)	Interactive catalogue
Finding the right product	Scroll through the whole range	Filter to the products that fit
Comparing two models	Flip between pages and files	Side by side in one view, differences highlighted
Answering a detail question	Search the document while the buyer waits	One click on the product
Keeping it current	A new PDF version every time something changes	Built on the same product data, updated in one place
After the meeting	"I'll send you a comparison"	The same view, shared with the buyer

Easier for the seller: they don't need to know every specification by heart.

Better for the sales leader: buyers get an answer while they're still engaged. The catalogue your product marketing team already produced finally works in the meeting, not only as a download.

4. Configure and Complete: Product Configurator

Product configurator Flow App showing requirements and the checked solution

Visual 5: Example of Product Configurator Built with Showell Flow Apps

The moment: the buyer doesn't need one product. They need a complete solution: a main unit, the right options for their site and the accessories that go with it.

The old way: the seller works it out from a compatibility spreadsheet, the option lists in the catalogue and a message to a product manager. If one option doesn't fit the main unit, the mistake shows up after the order. Accessories and add-ons are easy to forget, so the full solution goes unsold.

What a good configurator contains:

What a good product configurator contains
A good configurator	What it means in the meeting
Starts from the buyer's requirements	The seller enters what the buyer needs, not part numbers.
Recommends the best fit	Components are picked automatically. The seller can still override them.
Only allows what's compatible	Options that don't work together can't be selected.
Suggests what completes the solution	Accessories, add-ons and services come up as part of the flow.
Ends in a clear summary	Every component with its quantity, ready to discuss with the buyer.
Hands over cleanly	The result can be passed on to your Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) system for pricing.

Why it works better as an interactive tool than spreadsheets and option lists:

Spreadsheets and option lists compared with an interactive configurator in Showell
	Spreadsheets and option lists	Interactive configurator
Knowing what fits together	The seller checks a compatibility matrix or asks a colleague	The rules are built in
Building the solution with the buyer	Done after the meeting, by the seller alone	Done in the meeting, together with the buyer
Remembering accessories	Up to the seller's memory	Suggested every time
Avoiding mistakes	Found after the order	Blocked before they happen
Explaining the result	A spreadsheet only the seller understands	A clear summary the buyer can keep

If you already use a CPQ system, the configurator doesn't replace it. It works out the right solution with the buyer. The result then goes to your CPQ for pricing.

Easier for the seller: the compatibility rules are built in, so they can configure a complete solution in front of the buyer without calling a product specialist.

Better for the sales leader: sellers recommend the complete solution, including the add-ons. Fewer configuration mistakes reach the order.

The moment: the meeting went well. Now the buyer has to explain your solution to a finance director who wasn't there.

The old way: the seller sends a follow-up email with three PDF attachments and a summary written from memory. The buyer forwards it. Whatever they say internally is their own retelling.

With the Flow App: the seller shares the configuration and the comparison in a Digital Sales Room, exactly as they were in the meeting. The buyer can open the configurator again, change a quantity or an option and see the solution update.

Easier for the seller: no summary to write. The meeting is the summary.

Better for the sales leader: the buyer's internal pitch uses your numbers, not their memory. You can also see when the room is opened.

What Flow Apps Change for Each Role

Each role that owns part of the problem gets a different result from the same guided conversation.

What Flow Apps change for each role
Role	What changes
Sales Director or VP Sales	Every seller follows the same process and asks the same key questions. With a needs assessment connected to the CRM, you can see what information is still missing on each opportunity.
Product Manager	The questions sellers keep asking you are answered inside the tool. Selection and compatibility rules are applied the same way in every meeting, not only when you're in the room.
Product Marketing	The catalogue you already produced does more work in the meeting. Product changes reach sellers through the tool instead of another round of training.
Channel and Dealer Manager	Dealers get a guided way to recommend and configure your products, so your range is easier to sell than the one next to it.
Sales Enablement	Onboarding happens in the playbook new sellers already use, with a knowledge check to confirm the stages have landed.

How to Find Your First Flow App

Don't start by asking which Flow App to build. Start by asking where selling becomes unnecessarily difficult today.

Step 1: Bring the right people together

Involve the people who see the problem from different sides:

Sellers
Sales managers
Product experts
Dealer or channel salespeople
Your Showell Customer Success Manager (CSM), if you're already a customer

Watch real sales situations or run a short survey. Look for the moments where selling slows down or depends on one person's knowledge.

Step 2: Ask the questions that reveal the friction

Nine questions to ask your team

1	Where do sellers most often need help from product experts?
2	Which product choices are hardest to make?
3	What questions do customers ask again and again?
4	Where do sellers rely on PDFs, Excel files or cheat sheets?
5	Which products or configurations are easiest to get wrong?
6	Where does onboarding new sellers take the most time?
7	Which products or accessories are often forgotten?
8	What do experienced sellers know that newer sellers don't?
9	Where do dealers struggle to know what to recommend?

Step 3: Pick one recurring sales problem

Choose a moment that is:

Frequent
Commercially relevant
Painful today
Easy to understand and improve

A good first problem sounds like this: "Our sellers often struggle to choose between five similar product models."

Step 4: Match the problem to a type of Flow App

Which type of Flow App fits which sales problem
If the problem is...	A Flow App could be...
Sellers ask different questions or answers never reach the CRM	A needs assessment
Buyers need help choosing from many similar models	A product selector or guided recommendation
Specifications are hard to compare in the meeting	A product comparison
Solutions are built from compatible components	A product configurator
Accessories and add-ons are forgotten	An accessory selector
The process lives in a manual nobody opens in a meeting	An interactive sales playbook

Then work with Showell to turn that your content or knowledge base into a guided sales experience. Every Flow App is custom built around your own process, products and systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need new content to build a Flow App?

Usually not. The four example apps in the webinar were all built from one existing product catalogue. Your catalogues, spec sheets and price lists stay the foundation.

We already have a CPQ. Do we still need a configurator?

A Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) system handles pricing and the final quote. A Flow App configurator covers the earlier part: working out the right solution with the buyer. Its result can then be passed on to your CPQ.

Can our dealers use Flow Apps?

Yes. Flow Apps run inside Showell, so dealers and distributors who use Showell can use them in their own customer meetings.

Can buyers use the Flow App themselves?

Yes. A needs assessment, configurator or calculator can be shared with the buyer, for example in a digital sales room.

Which CRMs can a Flow App connect to?

The webinar demo connected to Salesforce. Flow Apps can also connect to other CRMs, such as Microsoft Dynamics, and to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Product Information Management (PIM) systems. See Showell integrations for what Showell connects to today.

Find the Sales Moment Worth Fixing First

Pick one recurring moment where your sellers struggle and talk with our experts. We’ll suggest you what a Flow App designed to solve that challenge could look like.

Leigh Perez

Content Marketing @ Showell | Storyteller | Avid Learner and Tennis Fan

How to Make Complex Products Easier to Sell with Showell Flow Apps

What Flow Apps Are

Why Complex Products Are Hard to Sell

What It Costs When Sellers Rely on Memory

What Good Looks Like: Flow Apps Across the Sales Process

4 Examples of Flow Apps in a Sales Process