Steps for SaaS sales reps to think like consultants
Crucial takeaway. . .
The traditional sales reps were running around, looking for prospects, pitching their products and services to random people who may or may not have wanted it.
Their conversation was awkward, confrontational and at times, cringe-worthy, not to mention the level at which they were struggling to convince the prospects about buying from them.
Today, things have changed, people are aware, maybe more informed than the sales reps. The sales reps require a certain edge over the modern prospects to pitch, convince and close their SaaS sales deals.
What is SaaS sales?
Never mention the price first!
Technology has reshaped every industry today, and with that significant changes have come to the sales front too. SaaS sales involve the concerned sales reps selling web-based software to the prospects.
Their task regularly includes new customer acquisition, up-selling and cross-selling, and retaining their most valued clients.
SaaS sales reps, like every modern sales rep, must approach their prospects by first mentioning the benefits and features of their solution.
For that, reps must be well-versed about their solution and should quickly respond to customer queries!
Listening to the prospects and understanding their problems is the most crucial step that no SaaS sales rep should forget.
Treating the prospects as an individual rather than a name in their sales list is the best approach.
How is SaaS sales different?
With free trials, consulted purchasing and monthly subscriptions customers can quickly stop, switch their SaaS services. Customers can easily check information about what they are buying and whom they are buying it from.
Consultant: a person who provides expert advice professionally.
Steps for SaaS sales reps to think like consultants
SaaS sales is high risk – high reward!
Sales is crucial for every organization, and we do not need to put too much effort in making you understand that your entire ROI depends on it. Exemplify our customer-first values with the following tips:
1. Understand your prospects business model
Customers feel more comfortable speaking to experts who want to listen to them about their business process and help them with their problems. Consultants act as partners who help prospects improve the way they carry out their business processes.
In consultative selling, sales rep must understand the prospect’s business and know how things work for or against them. This task must be carried out by the SaaS sales reps before providing a product-fit assessment of the prospect.
If you are a SaaS sales rep who works under the “Job-to-be-Done” norm, you won’t be able to conduct consultative selling with adequate precision.
Try finding the uses of your product that the prospect might be unaware of!
Factors to consider for gaining a deeper understanding of your prospects’ business:
Their business model – what are their goals, revenue model, competitive advantage and market opportunity?
Their customer’s purchasing behavior – how their customers acquire a product or service?
Their pricing structure – how does their pricing structure work?
Ways of enabling the SaaS solution – Are they interested in a Freemium, tiered, subscription-based cycle, etc.?
Their customer base – What’s the customer base? What’s common between them? Are they B2B SaaS, e-commerce, etc.?)
Many prospects will approach you with issues that they see or have noticed, unaware of other problems that might be prevailing beneath the surface.
There are endless reasons for which the prospects reach out to the sales representatives.
Many of them will be reaching out to you because they just scaled their organization and wanted a SaaS solution that can meet their team size or they want to get more support because of the upcoming product launch.
Using consultative selling ascertain and advise which of your features are apt for them today and which one will help them in the future.
You can do this only when you truly understand how their business process works.
If prospects achieve better results with your consultative selling, they will recommend others too!
2. Don’t sell, provide data-based perspective
Don’t suggest something that is generalized!
Your prospects have reached out to you or have shown interest in your solution because they did not find what they were looking for! Then you popped up on their research radar.
And just like a confused shopper at the mall who approaches the store guide with their requirement inside an overcrowded mall, your prospects approached you.
Yes, providing the prospect with the all-in-one-package is an essential part of your job, but that is to be done under the regular sales rep regime. When you adopt consultative selling, you must concentrate on providing a tailored solution to your prospects.
Many times, prospects will try to hide the challenges they are facing while using their current solutions. In such cases, you must give them use cases, or use storytelling and positioning statements.
Doing so allows them to feel relieved that they are not alone and many more are riding the same bandwagon.
Prospect: I would like to know how your solution can help me with my manual labor!
Salesperson: I would like you to elaborate on the extent of manual labor you are going through at present and which department has reported excessive manual labor to you. Prospect: I am into selling and renting out real estate. I have a receptionist, a few sales representatives and myself! We are a small unit and are trying to understand how this CRM software is better than using an excel sheet.
Salesperson: In that case, I would like to resolve the issue for you. Tell me, Mr. Brian, how frequently are you on the phone, or for the matter of fact, are you always traveling!
Prospect: I don’t travel, as a majority of our activities get taken care of over the phone. However, when its house or office space hunting season, we all are running around a lot to meet the client, show them available spaces. You can say we measure every inch of the city while the season is on!
Salesperson: That sounds like a hectic schedule. So, I am guessing you maintain a physical phonebook, an excel sheet and other such ledgers for various processes.
Prospect: Yes! Moreover, that increases our labor 100 times. Salesperson: Mr. Brian, based on our conversation and my assessment of your current situation, you need a CRM. If you have some more free time, I would like to explain further.
Prospect: Well, go ahead, I hope this time is well spent. Salesperson: We have had clients who approached us with similar scenarios. One of them runs a resort! You know how their situation is when the season starts. The actual solution is in the off-season, Mr. Brian!
To have a successful sale in the real season, you need to reach out to your potential customers via various portals!
CRM can be linked to these portals using simple integrations. So, whenever a visitor generates an inquiry, with the help of workflow automation, the CRM system will fetch their necessary information and create a contact! Apart from that, an email is sent out to the prospects letting them know their inquiry has been registered. With customized templates, you can send out a company brochure with these welcome emails too.
The system will also allocate this contact to a sales rep! An email and an in-app notification will be sent out to the rep for following up with the prospect. Not just that, using workflow automation, you can create follow-up activities against this contact too.
Our product comes with built-in telephony which will allow you to make calls from your desktop, laptop or even your smartphone device. Not just that, you can record these calls, take notes inside our mobile app, and save these notes against the follow-up activity. All these calls and notes will be available inside the CRM for your reference.
If you want to have a hands-on experience of our CRM system and see the various benefits we have in store for you, do opt for a 15-day free trial, no credit card required!
Share a real-life experience with your prospect! It allows them to feel confident about you!
3. Build your credibility
People believe what they see or experience first-hand!
Modern prospects are well-informed, or they research thoroughly before contacting you. There are chances they will not believe the information you provide to them until that information is backed up by your company’s historical data!
Prove expertise with your solution so that the prospect will believe your credibility. However, it is not just about the expertise with your product; it is majorly about how well you understand their situation and provide a connection between your solution and their current shortcomings.
4. Be confident about your offering!
If you think pointing out your product’s weakness is counter-intuitive read below!
Prospect: I read about the features your solution is offering! I am interested in buying but, my issue is, I want an in-house system! I do not trust the SaaS cloud security, and my documents are a high priority for me.
Sales Person: I understand your situation sir. I want to inform you that our software is cloud-based and cannot be installed on-site! However, let me explain why you must opt for our solution! We provide 256 Bit SSL encryption security for all our clients, and the best part is you do not have to be confined to your office to access certain valuable information, which we are aware is a necessity in today’s on-the-go business scenario!
The above situation has two outcomes; the customer will either say ‘Yes’ for your cloud-based offering or will decline the offer. The benefit that derives from your prospect rejecting your proposal is that you can easily find out which prospect fits your target base.
If you can clearly define your product’s strength, i.e., its benefits to the prospects, then you can be sure that they will make the purchase.
Not every prospect understands you or listens to your pitch thoroughly, especially when they have had a bad experience with other sales reps. Having transparency about your offering builds the trust that is required to create customer loyalty!
Crucial takeaway. . .
Go for the value and the money will follow!
Prospects in this modern world are more ruthless due to the bad experience they have with the incompetent salesperson! They are harsh when it comes to sharing stories on the various social media platforms about how the sales reps of XYZ company treated them.
If you adopt consultative sales for your SaaS business, you will be able to
clearly define your call objectives
sort out the whole business scenario of your prospects
define a solution for them based on the success stories your brand has created
convince the prospect that your solution is the best choice for them based on your complete assessment
Create an environment in your business where your SaaS salespeople view themselves as sales consultants and that way you will have more happy customers than lost prospects!
Once you convince your prospects about your solution, the primary task is to maintain constant communication with them. Communication, as you all know, is a crucial part of creating a lasting relationship with your customers.
CRM built for SaaS businesses allows you to map the journey of your customer from being a prospect to being closed! With the various features like workflows, a quick email, CRM telephony, etc., you can build and nourish significant client relationships, without breaking much sweat!
Salesmate CRM is one such SaaS platform that allows you to take your contact, company and other crucial details anywhere you go. Salesmate will enable you to manage your sales pipeline, deals, customers, and other sales-related activities with much ease and charm.
You can try Salesmate completely free for 15 days and check out the CRM without any payments.
Let's explore what relationship selling means and its best techniques. It refers to prioritizing trust and a personal connection to establish a mutually beneficial relationship that drives success.
Key TakeawaysSales apps are indispensable tools for modern sales teams, offering efficiency and productivity enhancements.Key sales apps include Salesmate, HubSpot, Close, and UpLead among others.The
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March 2020
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The traditional sales reps were running around, looking for prospects, pitching their products and services to random people who may or may not have wanted it.
Their conversation was awkward, confrontational and at times, cringe-worthy, not to mention the level at which they were struggling to convince the prospects about buying from them.
Today, things have changed, people are aware, maybe more informed than the sales reps. The sales reps require a certain edge over the modern prospects to pitch, convince and close their SaaS sales deals.
What is SaaS sales?
Technology has reshaped every industry today, and with that significant changes have come to the sales front too. SaaS sales involve the concerned sales reps selling web-based software to the prospects.
Their task regularly includes new customer acquisition, up-selling and cross-selling, and retaining their most valued clients.
How is SaaS sales different?
With free trials, consulted purchasing and monthly subscriptions customers can quickly stop, switch their SaaS services. Customers can easily check information about what they are buying and whom they are buying it from.
Steps for SaaS sales reps to think like consultants
Sales is crucial for every organization, and we do not need to put too much effort in making you understand that your entire ROI depends on it. Exemplify our customer-first values with the following tips:
1. Understand your prospects business model
Customers feel more comfortable speaking to experts who want to listen to them about their business process and help them with their problems. Consultants act as partners who help prospects improve the way they carry out their business processes.
In consultative selling, sales rep must understand the prospect’s business and know how things work for or against them. This task must be carried out by the SaaS sales reps before providing a product-fit assessment of the prospect.
If you are a SaaS sales rep who works under the “Job-to-be-Done” norm, you won’t be able to conduct consultative selling with adequate precision.
Factors to consider for gaining a deeper understanding of your prospects’ business:
Many prospects will approach you with issues that they see or have noticed, unaware of other problems that might be prevailing beneath the surface.
There are endless reasons for which the prospects reach out to the sales representatives.
2. Don’t sell, provide data-based perspective
Your prospects have reached out to you or have shown interest in your solution because they did not find what they were looking for! Then you popped up on their research radar.
And just like a confused shopper at the mall who approaches the store guide with their requirement inside an overcrowded mall, your prospects approached you.
Yes, providing the prospect with the all-in-one-package is an essential part of your job, but that is to be done under the regular sales rep regime. When you adopt consultative selling, you must concentrate on providing a tailored solution to your prospects.
Many times, prospects will try to hide the challenges they are facing while using their current solutions. In such cases, you must give them use cases, or use storytelling and positioning statements.
Doing so allows them to feel relieved that they are not alone and many more are riding the same bandwagon.
Prospect: I would like to know how your solution can help me with my manual labor!
Salesperson: I would like you to elaborate on the extent of manual labor you are going through at present and which department has reported excessive manual labor to you. Prospect: I am into selling and renting out real estate. I have a receptionist, a few sales representatives and myself! We are a small unit and are trying to understand how this CRM software is better than using an excel sheet.
Salesperson: In that case, I would like to resolve the issue for you. Tell me, Mr. Brian, how frequently are you on the phone, or for the matter of fact, are you always traveling!
Prospect: I don’t travel, as a majority of our activities get taken care of over the phone. However, when its house or office space hunting season, we all are running around a lot to meet the client, show them available spaces. You can say we measure every inch of the city while the season is on!
Salesperson: That sounds like a hectic schedule. So, I am guessing you maintain a physical phonebook, an excel sheet and other such ledgers for various processes.
Prospect: Yes! Moreover, that increases our labor 100 times. Salesperson: Mr. Brian, based on our conversation and my assessment of your current situation, you need a CRM. If you have some more free time, I would like to explain further.
Prospect: Well, go ahead, I hope this time is well spent. Salesperson: We have had clients who approached us with similar scenarios. One of them runs a resort! You know how their situation is when the season starts. The actual solution is in the off-season, Mr. Brian!
To have a successful sale in the real season, you need to reach out to your potential customers via various portals!
CRM can be linked to these portals using simple integrations. So, whenever a visitor generates an inquiry, with the help of workflow automation, the CRM system will fetch their necessary information and create a contact! Apart from that, an email is sent out to the prospects letting them know their inquiry has been registered. With customized templates, you can send out a company brochure with these welcome emails too.
The system will also allocate this contact to a sales rep! An email and an in-app notification will be sent out to the rep for following up with the prospect. Not just that, using workflow automation, you can create follow-up activities against this contact too.
Our product comes with built-in telephony which will allow you to make calls from your desktop, laptop or even your smartphone device. Not just that, you can record these calls, take notes inside our mobile app, and save these notes against the follow-up activity. All these calls and notes will be available inside the CRM for your reference.
If you want to have a hands-on experience of our CRM system and see the various benefits we have in store for you, do opt for a 15-day free trial, no credit card required!
3. Build your credibility
Modern prospects are well-informed, or they research thoroughly before contacting you. There are chances they will not believe the information you provide to them until that information is backed up by your company’s historical data!
Prove expertise with your solution so that the prospect will believe your credibility. However, it is not just about the expertise with your product; it is majorly about how well you understand their situation and provide a connection between your solution and their current shortcomings.
4. Be confident about your offering!
If you think pointing out your product’s weakness is counter-intuitive read below!
Prospect: I read about the features your solution is offering! I am interested in buying but, my issue is, I want an in-house system! I do not trust the SaaS cloud security, and my documents are a high priority for me.
Sales Person: I understand your situation sir. I want to inform you that our software is cloud-based and cannot be installed on-site! However, let me explain why you must opt for our solution! We provide 256 Bit SSL encryption security for all our clients, and the best part is you do not have to be confined to your office to access certain valuable information, which we are aware is a necessity in today’s on-the-go business scenario!
The above situation has two outcomes; the customer will either say ‘Yes’ for your cloud-based offering or will decline the offer. The benefit that derives from your prospect rejecting your proposal is that you can easily find out which prospect fits your target base.
If you can clearly define your product’s strength, i.e., its benefits to the prospects, then you can be sure that they will make the purchase.
Not every prospect understands you or listens to your pitch thoroughly, especially when they have had a bad experience with other sales reps. Having transparency about your offering builds the trust that is required to create customer loyalty!
Crucial takeaway. . .
Prospects in this modern world are more ruthless due to the bad experience they have with the incompetent salesperson! They are harsh when it comes to sharing stories on the various social media platforms about how the sales reps of XYZ company treated them.
If you adopt consultative sales for your SaaS business, you will be able to
Once you convince your prospects about your solution, the primary task is to maintain constant communication with them. Communication, as you all know, is a crucial part of creating a lasting relationship with your customers.
CRM built for SaaS businesses allows you to map the journey of your customer from being a prospect to being closed! With the various features like workflows, a quick email, CRM telephony, etc., you can build and nourish significant client relationships, without breaking much sweat!
Salesmate CRM is one such SaaS platform that allows you to take your contact, company and other crucial details anywhere you go. Salesmate will enable you to manage your sales pipeline, deals, customers, and other sales-related activities with much ease and charm.
You can try Salesmate completely free for 15 days and check out the CRM without any payments.
Saptarshi Das
Saptarshi Das