Ever find yourself facing a tough question from a prospect very early in your discussion? Or maybe you’ve been rushed through the beginning stages of your pitch, so they can readjust the starting point to something they haven’t already researched on their own?
There’s no doubt the amount of savvy technology buyers has increased dramatically over recent years. If you sell SaaS, you’re likely aware of this. So, what are you going to do in order to keep your prospects moving through your sales funnel?
This would, of course, be a great opportunity to give you a tabloid-style list of “100 Tips for Selling SaaS to the Savvy.” Instead, we’ll give you 3 main points of action:
1. Be consultative
It goes without saying that you need to understand each prospect’s initiatives, decision-making process, budgets, timeline and basic needs. Set yourself ahead of the curve by plainly asking what you can do to make their jobs easier. Find out what is really important to them — and don’t let them off the hook easily with superficial answers like: “We want to get more qualified leads.” Drill down from there. Ask the “how” and “why” questions without fear. Your prospects will thank you in the end.
2. Be methodical between steps
This is once again about giving yourself an edge. Most salespeople I’ve interacted with in the past say they are great at setting clear guidelines for a next step, but how many are really doing so in the right way? Always have a clear plan of action — something each of you will bring to your next discussion — before letting a prospect off the phone. And for crying out loud, don’t send them a follow-up email saying you are simply emailing “to follow up!” Instead, send content relevant to the discussion, and tell them you thought they might like reading about ___.” This will elicit much more positive responses and earn you their trust.
3. Use team members available to you
Even those of us who are the veterans of our organizations don’t know all the answers. Always be ready to pull someone who might be more knowledgeable into the discussion. It sounds obvious or plain, but this can go a long way in making your prospect feel secure and taken care of. It is also an opportunity for you to hear answers to tough questions and learn from the experience.
In the end, especially in SaaS sales, you really want your buyers to be tech-savvy: They’ll be able to grasp on to the concept of your solution quickly. And when you use these three tips as you sell to them, they’ll quickly realize your value.
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