The SaaS explosion has affected organizations in multitudes of ways — from how software is purchased and implemented, to how it’s managed. Long gone are legacy systems in favor of those that can be accessed anywhere from the cloud. And with the ease of SaaS comes a new B2B buyer.
This buyer is educated, but they’re also fickle, acting in some ways more like a B2C buyer. That brings a new set of challenges to marketing and sales teams trying to inform and engage with them. Avoiding the sales and marketing disconnect within your organization in this situation is vital. That said, there are steps you can take to evolve and meet prospective buyer demands.
Individualize your approach
It’s easier than ever for consumers to take their business elsewhere. In fact, Salesforce found that 70% of buyers report that technology has made it easier than ever to take their business to another organization. Thus, sellers don’t have leeway for unproductive interactions with prospects. Each interaction must be informative and engaging, and leave the customer with a positive feeling.
With the right pieces of technology in SaaS stacks, sales reps have full visibility into each individual buyer’s journey. What kinds of resources have they downloaded? What kind of touchpoints did they have with the marketing team? Where was their entry point? With a new focus on a holistic view of the prospect, sellers can come prepared to conversations ready to convey the value of their company and its solutions. This results in completely unique conversations: no two buyers are the same, so no two selling conversations are the same. The ability to pivot the sales presentation at any time is vital in this type of selling. That way, the conversation is always geared toward the prospect and their needs.
Optimize your salesforce
The main function of your sales force is to sell, but many salespeople are bogged down with day-to-day administrative tasks. These salespeople are spending valuable time searching for materials, creating content and following up with prospects. Because they’re not directly tied to bringing in new business, these tasks reduce the time that sellers have to generate revenue, affecting your bottom line.
It’s not all doom and gloom for sales teams. Considering the above, it’s time for teams to evaluate current sales tech stacks and make software choices that will advance the team’s productivity and efficiency. A sales enablement solution or CMS can remove administrative work from the sales force, allowing more time for sales activities that engage prospects and drive revenue.
Make recommendations before they commit
It makes sense that organizations don’t want to give away their “secret sauce” to a non-paying customer. However, statistics refute this idea. In fact, 75 percent of business buyers expect that by 2020 companies will anticipate their needs and make relevant suggestions before they initiate contact. Prospects today expect more than a simple demo and walkthrough of features and functions. Sellers need to communicate the business value that their solution will bring to a prospect.
Tailored insights from third-party or CRM data that is applicable to the buyer can set a foundation for the conversation between the seller and the buyer. What will follow is a data-driven experience that positions the seller as an expert in their field.
Have a two-way conversation
Days in which buyers fully focused on sellers at the time of their interaction are gone. With email, cell phones, inter-office messaging and social media, complete engagement with a prospect is a tremendous feat. But, that doesn’t mean complete engagement can’t be achieved — especially with the seller’s proper preparation and attention to detail.
Because these interactions are more personal, sellers can’t simply talk to the buyer. They need to talk to the buyer and share information that isn’t readily available about their solutions. Remember: today’s B2B buyer is educated. They already have information about product features, pricing and have likely already read reviews on software review sites before even talking to a salesperson. This opens the door for sellers to have more productive discussions about how a solution will actually add to a prospect’s business: solving problems and helping to create efficiencies to increase revenue.