Transparency Between Buyer & Seller

7 replies
I've been in a sales role for many years, and I'm interested to hear your thoughts on how the buying and selling process of SaaS and other technologies can be much more transparent and efficient.

Pain Point: Buyers are constantly being bombarded by sellers with spam-like emails and calls, which leads to a negative outlook. Sellers are struggling to generate qualified leads, as they don't have exposure to appropriate timing for outreach and the specific needs of the buyer.
#buyer #seller #transparency
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  • Profile picture of the author 7amoudymh
    Transparency is key. And I think the focus shift is towards understanding the buyers pain points and timing as opposed to just pushing cold leads. But instead of a more consultative approach with clear helpful communications, we have a situation.
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    • Profile picture of the author LookingToGrow
      7amoudymh, are there certain areas that you think a buyer would really appreciate in the overall experience?
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    I've talked about this in my blog articles for many years. The problems the SaaS field had with sales & marketing in 2007 still persisted in 2019! ...and guess what, they're still present today.


    Check 'em out--any of these familiar to you?

    * I don't have enough leads
    * My customers want to customize my application
    * Getting new customers up and running is too long and hard
    * My prospects aren't Internet savvy
    * My sales cycle is too slow and takes too much effort
    * My prospects always seems to want that one thing we don't have
    * My prospects don't have enough time or interest to talk to my sales staff.

    These apply to ERP, accounting software and CRM tools as well, many of which are sold as SaaS solutions.

    The problem typically is that the SaaS was invented in isolation by some programmers who thought it would be cool. It is not clear how it connects to the potential buyer's world.

    The SaaS firm relies on demos to show off how awesome the thing is. But since there is no connection with a problem or a solution in the buyer's mind, demos are ineffective.

    Here's what I wrote in one of my posts:

    "Cranking Up the Number of Demos Is NOT the Right Solution for SaaS Vendors
    Occasionally, if you run enough of them, a demo is going to accidentally match up a problem with your solution.

    But this is an accident.

    You won't really know why they buy.

    And it's obviously incredibly inefficient.

    SaaS vendors run into a couple business-killing issues when this happens:

    1 - Not Invented Here syndrome, which makes them believe the only possible solution is to do more demos

    2 - Burnout of tech staff forced to do unending demos and becoming increasingly frustrated with the results."

    My advice is to go back to your target market. Do information interviews. Ask them why they would or wouldn't buy this thing. Take note of the words they use, the language, the industry terminology. What problem do they talk about? Would they pay for this solution?

    Once you have this information, and it is positive, then you can go back and start doing marketing and having sales conversations that filter for real pain points in the jargon of your ideal customer.
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    • Profile picture of the author LookingToGrow
      Jason, in your opinion, what would be some key determining factors that buyers would want to know ahead of time before getting into a demo? I.e. Does your solution integrate within my tech stack? Security and compliance, vendor lock-in, etc. Details that can be provided to the seller before the initial engagement.
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  • Profile picture of the author Amycharles
    to ensure transparency you can initiate setting up the technology for the client it will not only build trust and good reviews
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  • Profile picture of the author hanryfayol366
    Transparency between buyer and seller means clear, honest communication and fair transactions.
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  • Profile picture of the author SawyerBell
    To improve SaaS sales, sellers should focus on personalized, targeted outreach rather than spam. Utilizing data insights to understand buyer needs and timing can enhance lead quality. Buyers benefit from relevant communication, and sellers can generate qualified leads, creating a more efficient and transparent sales process for both parties. During my college years, I needed help with writing my academic essays. After some research, I came across OxEssays, which had many positive reviews. I decided to check out oxessays.com for assistance, and it turned out to be a great experience. OxEssays has a team of experts who help students with their writing projects like essays, assignments and many more things. Now, I rely on their services to complete all of my academic assignments.
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