With a growing need for more flexible, cloud-based solutions and services, SaaS companies have significant opportunities to improve their market share. However, the downside to this increased demand is that competition in SaaS spaces has also intensified, making it more difficult for brands to stand out.

While buyers certainly appreciate the large amount of options to choose from, businesses need to get more creative when showcasing their products and services. To achieve this, having an effective marketing and sales strategy in place is crucial.

Know the Fundamental Elements of More SaaS Sales

Prior to implementing new SaaS marketing techniques, it’s first important to understand some of the fundamental concepts of SaaS selling.

Pinpoint Your Target Audience

The first thing you need to do is gain a deep understanding of your target audience. This is where the concept of creating customer personas comes into play.

A customer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer. It makes up their demographics, professional backgrounds, the challenges they face, and how your product can provide them with the solutions they’re looking for.

Develop a Compelling SaaS Offering

Every successful sales interaction is a result of proper messaging. This means focusing on more than just just a simple sales pitch. Instead, you should establish a clear link between your software’s capabilities and the impact they have on the customer.

Effective core messages often start by acknowledging the customer’s pain points and their effects on daily operations. This sets the stage to demonstrate how your SaaS solution provides relief.

For instance, if marketing public safety software similar to those used in computer-aided dispatch, it’s important to explain how existing infrastructure formats are deficient and why adaptation is crucial. This highlights the problem first and makes the solutions far more attractive.

Establish a Winning Price Point

SaaS pricing models vary widely, from tiered plans with distinct features to usage-based models that link costs directly to consumption. Some companies even offer hybrid options that blend elements from different models.

The key is to choose a pricing strategy that aligns with your ideal customer profile and budget. Offering free trials or “freemium” versions can be great tools for overcoming initial hesitations and making it easier to showcase your product’s value.

Maximizing Your Lead Generation Efforts

While a great-looking website can be important for marketing, it only provides you with a good foundation on which to build. To really succeed, you need a dedicated lead generation strategy.

Leverage Inbound Marketing Techniques

To reach the full revenue-generating potential of your products and services, having a regular influx of website traffic is essential. While there are different ways to achieve this, content marketing is one of the most impactful.

Creating valuable content like blog posts or whitepapers allows you to offer something highly useful to your customers. This gradually improves your search engine rankings and helps strengthen the credibility of your brand.

Optimize Your Outbound Sales Process

While cold calling can still be effective, it’s important to be aware of regulations on solicitation and commercial advertising in your area. Make sure your business is regularly evaluating its approach and adjusting as needed to stay compliant.

However, there are also many other outbound tactics that can help improve your inbound marketing efforts and expand your reach. Using targeted email campaigns and engaging with individuals on social media platforms can also be a great way to improve your lead-generation efforts.

Turning Prospects Into Paying Customers

All companies want to shorten their sales cycle. However, before reaching that stage, there are important things to consider.

Mastering Longer Sales Cycles

Software as a Service (SaaS) presents unique challenges for sales teams due to their subscription-based nature. This means the focus shifts from a single transaction to building longer-term relationships.

Prospective buyers will often thoroughly evaluate multiple solutions before committing to a long-term partnership. This assessment phase can fluctuate significantly based on the specific industry and span days, weeks, or even months. It’s important to recognize how this cycle works and not to abandon follow-up procedures prematurely. 

Addressing Buyer Concerns

Longer sales cycles also create more opportunities for buyer objections to come up. These frequently center around budgetary limitations or shifts in the perceived value of a product. 

Rather than viewing objections as a roadblock, consider them as opportunities to better understand the potential client’s needs. By offering a custom product demo, you can effectively clarify any confusion and directly tackle buyer’s concerns.

Mastering the Art of Negotiation

While many companies, especially those dealing with higher volumes, have established pricing structures in place, there’s often room for flexibility.

Negotiations are all about finding mutually beneficial situations. Whether it involves fine-tuning pricing, adjusting contract terms, or incorporating supplementary services, businesses should maintain flexibility and a willingness to explore options that incentivize the customer to move forward with a purchase.

It’s essential to remember that the long-term value of a customer generally outweighs short-term losses, assuming the right deal is struck. Successful negotiators know how to emphasize a product’s full value proposition and highlight their tangible benefits, which can make all the difference when trying to reach a profitable agreement.

Scale Your SaaS Company Effectively

In crowded SaaS markets, helping your brand stand out requires more than just a great product. By adopting the strategies discussed, you can start to see fast improvements in your lead generation efforts and drive more sustainable business growth.

Author: Kevin Ruef

Kevin Ruef co-founded 10-8 Systems after exceeding multiple companies’ sales records (both domestically and internationally). With more than a decade in sales, his experience ranges from B2B, B2G, and B2C. Since the company’s start in 2019, Kevin has been responsible for business development, strategic partnerships, and business operations.