3 Indispensable Tips to Sell a SaaS Solution

SaaS has perpetually changed how software is built and delivered to the users. The shift is fully understood and frequently discussed. However, what’s often less discussed is how the software as a service model is sold and how Tips to Sell a SaaS Solution works. 

During our discussions with different SaaS providers, we have realized there is a growing need to define sales process and strategy while considering the full life cycle of the customer. Why? It’s more about making your customer successful rather than making a sale. 

It’s worthwhile to compare enterprise sales and SaaS to appreciate this:

Enterprise software sales require you to provide extra attention. The opportunities are not only identified but tracked and closed by resellers or sales force. Thanks to this cycle, an enterprise software company manages to make a name for itself. But practically, gaining customers and growing your SaaS business requires you to interact directly with the customers. 

We refer to this model as medium touch. The sale model puts more load on product self-service and marketing to move large quantities of prospects through the sales funnel, besides assuming a level of direct engagement of sales and support team. The trick here is to spot the right touchpoints and make the system work. 

Below are some valuable tips that we have picked up from leading SaaS vendors. These pointers will help you build a sales process that’s different from traditional enterprise sales. 

• Successful Customer Onboarding is Essential:

  In the SaaS business, the switching cost is relatively lower, so ‘closing the sale’ isn’t as important as it used to be. The vendors must make sure they do everything to aid customers in adopting the solution easily. Otherwise, users are pretty likely to churn shortly after subscribing to your service, leading to a loss of revenue and reputation. 

• Top-Down Selling Strategy isn’t Fruitful:

  When it comes to SaaS, product usage and its sales are often intermixed. Before your ideal customers take your software for a spin; they check out your website, after which they decided to buy or leave the service. But in enterprise sales, the user can commit to using a product without even trying it. For this reason, a top-down selling strategy isn’t deemed a viable way to sell SaaS. Instead, the investment should be made to reduce usage friction at all stages. 

• Try Focusing on Up-Selling:

  When traditional enterprise sales occur, it isn’t unusual for customers to pay upfront for what they will use or need in the near future. On the other hand, SaaS customers buy what they need, and if need be, they have the option to buy more. This means the initial sale and up-sell are equally crucial in SaaS. Hence, SaaS salespeople should invest more time and energy in cultivating existing customers and discerning up-sell opportunities.   

The truth is that enforcing these sorts of practices, unfortunately, isn’t as simple as it looks. It often stretches across organizations like customer support, sales, operations, and product development. Moreover, it requires you to align goals and pull in expertise from various disciplines. Above all else, you have to develop a sound understanding of what your customers are doing so you can simplify the process. 

More and more SaaS founders are now building ‘customer success’ teams that work to make the customer successful. And DFY SaaS is helping them streamline the process by developing in the right way from the very beginning. Let’s connect over a phone call!