15 B2B SaaS Sales Strategies That Will Pay Off in 2022
As we start to gradually crawl out of the clasps of the COVID pandemic, you might be wondering how to keep your SaaS sales steady.
Lucky for you, 78% of organizations think SaaS technology is important to their goals, according to research from Harvey Nash.
So, the ball's in your court.
Your product is already highly in demand.
Knowing that, you also need to brush up on your sales strategies as B2B consumer behavior evolves.
Because if you don't stay up to date with latest and greatest strategies that win over SaaS prospects, you'll get left behind and go the way of the dinosaurs.
So, in this article, you'll come away with:
- What the research and data says about selling your SaaS services in a post-COVID environment.
- The major difference between selling to customers vs businesses.
- 15 detailed strategies to sell more SaaS products in 2022 (insert quippy pun about SaaS).
I'm sure you're dying to dive into all the SaaS selling goodies but first, let's go over how the SaaS industry is looking in the post-COVID world.
Are Companies Buying SaaS Products in the Wake of the Corona Age?
They sure are.
Companies are spending more than ever in the Corona Age season to fill the gaps they need for online communication.
So even though the coronavirus has impacted most businesses worldwide, SaaS buying in 2022 will actually be up by over $26 billion according to Statista.
And SaaS spending also increased by $25.5 billion between 2020, when the pandemic started, and 2021.
On top of that, the average organization wound the world uses 110 SaaS apps,
It’s painful to even admit it, but COVID-19 actually has brought some positive repercussions to businesses in the SaaS industry.
Sounds weird, huh?
But the truth is COVID has heightened the effectiveness of digital selling.
And when you consider that, according to McKinsey, nearly 80% of B2B decision makers prefer digital self service and human interactions, it all makes sense.
Even more, over ¾ of B2B customers say that remote selling is more effective than selling in person even after the pandemic has ended.
In turn, you realize the major impact the Corona Age has brought to business and consumers.
So no questions asked.
Companies are buying SaaS products in the wake of the Corona Age.
So what are companies looking for in your SaaS product though?
According to BetterCloud's survey report, B2B buyers care most about:
- Security
- Integrations
- Ease of use
- Customer support
- User training
SourceNow I know what you're waiting for ...
You want to hear about those killer B2B SaaS sales strategies that will pay off in 2022…
But before I dive into those strategies, let me ask you this question...
How Do B2B Sales & Marketing Differ From B2C?
This may surprise you but…
A car isn’t the same as an airplane.
Sounds dumb, right?
Because obviously cars and airplanes are 2 different things.
Well, the same thing goes with B2B sales and B2C.
They’re different things.
But what’s really weird is a lot of people actually treat them the same. And that’s a huge mistake.
See, B2B sales (business selling to businesses) are very different from B2C sales (businesses selling to consumers)—even if the product or service sold is the same.
While consumers tend to be more about entertainment, emotional value, social trends, and all that jazz, businesses are all about business.
But how exactly can your product help a business make more money? How does it solve a specific problem that they can’t solve themselves? And how will it affect their budgets and bottom lines?
These are the pain points to hit with your content marketing or your B2B sales funnel as a whole.
But when it comes to B2C, the pain points are more along the lines of “I want to feel like I’m 20 years younger” or “how do I get people to like me?”
Here’s a pretty neat visual breakdown of the different marketing techniques each audience tends to respond to.
So there’s a different psychology, different markets, and a completely different way of selling.
A B2B sales funnel’s buying cycle takes way more time.
However, according to a research from Gartner, B2B buyers only spend 5% of their buying journey with sales reps.
So, you gotta really make an impression.
Because B2B sales funnels are simply more value-focused—and less emotionally focused—on how decisions are (theoretically) made.
B2B sales have more decision makers to go through.
In fact, a typical buying group for a complex B2B solution involves 6-10 decision makers.
And there are also 6 B2B buying “jobs” that customers must complete in order to finalize a purchase.
On top of that, B2B buying doesn’t happen in a linear order. Take a look at the B2B buying process below...
The B2B sales funnel is actually a lot longer and you don’t have as many upsell opportunities.
There are actually some high-quality B2B sales funnel examples worth studying like the one below…
Alright then.
Now that you know how B2B sales and marketing differs from B2C and the major difference between selling to customers vs businesses, let’s jump in (finally) to each of the 7 B2B SaaS sales strategies...
#1 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Focus On Value
Focusing on value is one of the best sales strategies a SaaS company can use, according to 10+ year SaaS veteran Mercer Smith-Looper.
Because a software product obviously isn’t something that you can instantly see the benefits of since it's not tangible and business solutions take time to solve.
And your leads don’t want to hear so much about what your SaaS product can do, but rather how it can help solve their problems.
According to Accenture's B2B sales research, value is the 4th most common reason cited for switching providers.
At the heart of demonstrating value is research.
When you know your lead’s company inside and out, you can better understand how to provide value that’s catered to their unique needs.
Some places where to research information on your leads are:
- Company website
- LinkedIn profiles of company employees/decision makers
- Review websites
- Third party partners like Zoominfo
Between research and listening to your lead’s pain points, you can follow up in a way that speaks to them in a profound way and conveys value.
Focusing on value is all about differentiating your SaaS company with competitors.
And some examples to do just that include focusing on how your product can:
- Save money
- Save time
- Mitigate risk
- Generate more revenue
#2 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Track Your Performance
Let me ask you, how can you improve your sales process without consistently tracking the most useful metrics?
And you thought metrics tracking was reserved for your marketing team.
Oh no.
You see, implementing this sales strategy will inform you on what works and what doesn't. From there, you can focus on the techniques that drive the best results.
To get an idea for which metrics/KPIs your team should track, check out this graph from Databox.
#3 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Go In-depth With "Next Steps"
You can have the best sales call known to man where you make a great case for your SaaS product.
But if you make the common blunder of not dedicating enough time to discussing next steps, you're doing yourself a disservice.
Listen to this: Gong Intelligence Platform analyzed 1,000,000 sales conversations using AI and they found a common theme among top earners ... that is, top earners spend 13% more time talking to prosects about next steps at the end of demos than average performers.
All the best salespeople own the conversation.
Although they spend more time listening than speaking, when they do speak, it's on point.
And they say all the right things to make the prospect trust them.
It's up to you to take action and talk to your prospects about what they can expect going forward.
No one likes to be left in the dark.
Believe me, most prospects aren't going to ask you because they expect you to walk them through with everything.
#4 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Utilize Training
A big challenge in SaaS sales is showing off how great your product is.
After all, there's over 15,000 SaaS companies in the United States alone, according to Statista.
So, to a B2B buyer, you're just a dime a dozen.
To be truthful, you can expect to only close 27% of your qualified leads, as per Capterra.
You see, selling software solutions isn't the same as selling something like a video game to some teenager or health insurance to a couple.
Far from it.
Those things are more personal and easy for consumers to get emotionally attached to.
However, with a B2B customer, you’re looking at someone that’s much less enthused about doing business with you. As a result, you’ll need to be a little more convincing.
With that, a lot of people lack the proper training to sell to a business professional. Inexperienced salespeople treat the process like they would with B2C sales.
So, investing in some industry-specific training a great strategy for overcoming common pitfalls and keeping up with best practices.
And it's also a great way to build on your persuasion skills.
In fact, top-performing sales teams provide ongoing sales training at a rate twice as much as low-performing sales teams, as reported by SiriusDecisions.
#5 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Use a CRM Platform
A customer relationship management (CRM) platform stores all your important marketing and sales data in one place.
From there, you can easily keep tabs on your leads and reach out to them in personalized ways.
According to SuperOffice, contact management is a desired CRM feature from 88% of businesses that use them.
With a CRM platform, your SaaS sales team will see the following benefits:
- Data organization
- Shorter sales cycles
- Accurate forecasts
- Automated follow ups
- Audience segmentation
- Team collaboration
- Set reminders for contacting leads
Ironically, something like 8 out of 9 CRM platforms are in the form of a B2B SaaS product, according to Gartner's research.
If you still haven't invested in a CRM platform (and you'd be in the minority), then it's seriously time to do it.
#6 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Be Prepared for Objections
Imagine if you already knew what your prospect was going to say before they even said it?
That would be like sales on God-mode.
But you don't have to be God to at least come close to that.
You see, part of being a good salesperson is knowing your target audience inside and out.
You'll know what their pain points are and you'll already be ready to tell them how your SaaS product will help them.
However, you need to do it in a unique way that speaks to the individual.
Remember, not every prospect is going to have the exact same problems as one another.
Now, one way to become more prepared for sales objections is by just taking note of some common points that prospects tell you.
Write it down somewhere or even add it to the notes on your mobile device.
As you pick up on recurring talking points, you'll know what topics to focus on.
And using that information, you should start rehearsing your scripts so you'll be locked and loaded for your prospect's objections.
Another way to help you out with overcoming sales objections is by sending a survey funnel to your current clients and free trial users.
With a survey, you'll gather valuable feedback on what business challenges they've had and how they perceive your SaaS product in relation to their previous provider(s).
By the way, ProfitWell finds that SaaS customers are more likely to complete your surveys if they only take 2 minutes or less of their time.
#7 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Team Selling
Do you still get the butterflies when you go in for a big sales call or a demo presentation?
You know, like the ones where it's just you and you have to put on a big performance for several high-level executives at another company you're trying to sell to?
Yes, those can be intimidating.
But you shouldn't always be going in solo.
Even if you're fearless, you should seek out some of your co-workers on the big sales calls.
Not only does it reduce the pressure on you, it shows your prospects that you hold them in high regard.
According to Gong's research on B2B sales, you could have a 258% better chance of closing a sale when you have multiple stakeholders on the call.
Pretty crazy finding there.
#8 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Invest in Content Marketing
Investing in content marketing for selling a B2B SaaS sales product is an opportunity to demystify the product and make it more approachable to businesses that may be intimidated by new software.
Because content marketing as a Google search term remains at an all-time high as more businesses adopt it as part of their marketing mix.
Just look at the growing volume of search traffic for the term “content marketing.”
Even in 2022 after Covid-19 has taken the world, the trend continues to increase (“But I thought content marketing was, like, so 2013?…” — Nope!).
Want proof of its power?
According to the Content Marketing Institute, B2B buyers consume 13 pieces of content on average. And 43% of B2B organizations measure content marketing’s ROI.
Content marketing is a growing trend. And that’s why this B2B SaaS sales strategy is all about that.
There are B2B content marketing examples you can copy for killer results.
Content marketing has more to do with educating your audience on the problems your brand solves than selling people on why your company is great.
It should address direct needs of your ideal customers and it should align with your sales team's efforts.
Just stick with content that services your customers in a meaningful way, and you’ll start to see a return.
Position yourself as an expert on your content. Add third party research showing your product’s effectiveness.
Add testimonials from influential people/businesses that have used your products or any form of social proof.
B2B sellers get most of their traffic from online communities like Quora, Reddit, Twitter, Medium etc. So explore those platforms when promoting your B2B SaaS products.
And don’t forget to tap into the power of video.
Using video for your content is an opportunity to connect with customers that don’t have the time to read a blog post.
And in fact, 86% of people want to see more video from brands according to Weidert. 95% of marketers using video said it has helped to increase user understanding of their product or service. And 80% of marketers say video directly helped increase sales.
Using video in your content marketing strategy helps.
It’s why we always promote our content with videos too.
#9 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Offer Free Trials
Offering free trials for your B2B SaaS customers gives them an opportunity to decide if your software is a fit for them or not.
In fact, Invesp’s research indicates that 65.5% of SaaS companies use trial offers in their overall sales strategy.
It’s exactly why we offer our clients a 7-Day for $7 trial to test AutoGrow’s service.
In this time, clients get to log in to our web app and delegate any creative and digital marketing projects they want.
They try our web app, they try our full-stack team ready to work on their accounts, and they try delegating the work to us.
If they decide they like us, then they just continue with our service. And if they don’t like us (which is improbable) then they just cancel their trial risk-free.
And the same thing happens with your SaaS products. If you’re looking to sell them, then tone of the most effective B2B SaaS sales strategies is to offer customers a free trial.
But the key here is to keep your trials short.
Although a lot of SaaS companies offer 30-day and even 60-day trials, that’s likely much too long.
As quoted by Close.io CEO Steli Efti … “In our experience, 99% of B2B SaaS products should limit the trial to 14 days, max.”
Just ask SaaS accounting software company Kashflow. When they reduced their trial period from 60 days to 14 days, they increased their trial-to-paying-customer conversion rate by 25%.
Think about it … most trial users never use the full trial period anyhow, so you mine as well cut back on your sales cycle time. And when you cut back on your sales cycle time, you rescue client acquisition costs.
Plus, by offering a shorter trial period, say 7 to 14 days, your users face a time constraint and are going to be more engaged with your product.
Besides, you could always extend the trial period for users that request it.
The fact that it’s free gives them peace of mind. Because if they don’t end up liking your product or service or end up deciding it’s not a fit, then they feel like they didn’t “waste” any money there.
And that works even if you charge a small price like we do.
Here’s a tip though; when you offer your free trial, don’t give 100% of your product or service away.
What does that mean?
Well, try to tease them and show a part of your offer—not the full offer so they can come back for more.
For example, have features, time, or usage limitations, or require a credit card after when they sign up.
Because requiring credit card information from your customers can actually boost conversions.
Another thing to consider is whether or not to ask for credit card information up front.
The thing is, it depends on your unique situation.
For example, are you still in the testing phase and want to get as much user feedback as possible? Then. don't ask for credit card information.
But if you're established and offer a high-ticket SaaS product, then your focus will be on high-quality leads. In other words, people that are willing to share their credit card info with you.
#10 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Nurture Your Trial Users
Your trial users are your bread and butter.
And it’s important to nurture your users since they’re clearly the most interested prospects you have.
For best results, use this easy 3-step process:
Step 1: send an initial email that briefly lists the benefits of your SaaS product and answer any FAQs.
Step 2: follow up by offering a live demo session and take the opportunity to really show prospects how your product can improve their business.
Step 3: set up a follow-up call or email so you can book a call with potential clients and answer any lingering questions.
One little tip … don’t give up with a prospect too quickly. Instead you need to continue following up with the individual, even if they ignore your emails or phone calls. According to Brevet, 80% of sales require 5 follow-ups.
#11 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Include Human Interaction & Let Prospects Easily Contact You
Give prospects more options to contact you.
Whether it’s via email, a contact form, on the phone, or via live chat, prospects will learn more about your business. And this, in turn, will translate into converting them into paying customers.
In fact, according to McKinsey, digital interaction with sales reps via video conference and online chat has increased from 38% to 53% and from 40% to 49% respectively.
So don’t be afraid to add a live chat widget on your website or some sort of video interaction between your company and prospects.
It’s exactly what we do and I can tell you as a fact that we’re constantly seeing results from offering live chat support, our free demo webinar, and scheduling a consultation call.
And when you apply this B2B SaaS sales strategy, keep in mind both the Law of Visibility and the Law of Friction—2 of the Laws of Sales Funnel Physics.
The Law of Visibility says that offers must be seen in order for sales and conversions to occur. And the Law of Friction says that the easier you can make the experience for an interested buyer, the more likely he/she will buy!
So the more visible you make your “contact” options on your site, the easier you’re going to make it for prospects to contact you.
#12 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Make Sure Your Product Fits Your Market
Did you know that 42% of startups fail because there is no market need for the product/service businesses sell?
Yep, according to CB Insights, that’s a fact.
So when you plan on selling your B2B SaaS products/service, make sure your audience actually needs it.
Make sure it’s really solving a problem for your audience, because if it’s not valuable and it doesn’t solve a problem, then people won’t buy it.
So make sure to truly understand your audience’s needs and craft a product that is tailored to those needs.
#13 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Be Always Customer-Focused
Did you know that if you can demonstrate and promise superior customer service, B2B buyers are willing to spend up to 30% more on your SaaS offering? It's true, according to Avanade.
There’s a reason why businesses say “always put the customer first.”
It’s not a random quote. It’s a real truth.
And those businesses that put their customers first are the ones that truly improve client retention.
Because as all sales processes go, you first need to build rapport with your prospects with sales rapport building tactics.
Then, you must establish authority with prospects in sales.
And then, you can finally ask for the sale.
But throughout your entire B2B SaaS sales process, you need to focus on providing excellent customer service.
You need to understand what your customers want and need and show them you care.
And you can even also ask them for feedback—how they feel using your product or service, what suggestions they’d make. Anything.
Because this will help your customers feel valued, appreciated, and important.
And user feedback can actually grow your sales by 70%. So it’s really a win-win.
#14 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Utilize Co-Marketing
Try working with other businesses to build your brand and utilize each other’s audience.
As a matter of fact, 54% of companies say partnerships drive more than 20% of company revenue according to Partnerize.
So you can utilize co-marketing if, for example, there’s a company with a very similar audience to yours and you can ask them to work with you.
But how would you work with a company with an audience similar to yours?
Well, it could be working on a simple blog article (like guest writing) and promote the article to both audiences.
Or if you create a lead magnet together, then you’d be sharing the downloads’ contact information.
That way both companies will be co-working on getting twice the leads they’d normally would.
#15 B2B SaaS Sales Strategy: Offer Yearly & Monthly Contracts
Offering both yearly and monthly-based contracts makes purchasing more flexible for your customers.
Why?
Because of the Law of Range.
This law says that audiences respond better to having the freedom to choose from a variety of products and services.
This means that people love choices. They like having options to choose from.
Who wouldn’t, right?
Can you imagine being offered just a Tootsie Roll vs being offered to choose between a Twix, Kit Kat, and Milky Way?
People simply like being able to choose which kind of product they’re getting, even if those choices are the same price.
For example, take a look at our pricing page.
We not only have 4 different packages with different prices and features for clients to choose from, but we also give the option to clients to choose how they want to pay—monthly, quarterly, or annually.
Because don’t you think that more clients would actually sign up for our service if they have more options to choose from?
The same thing happens with your SaaS products or service.
And the truth is, not enough SaaS pricing models are flexible for the consumer.
According to ProfitWell, only 1 in 5 SaaS companies offer both an annual and monthly subscription option.
But, as I foreshadowed, this is a mistake.
As found by Recur, SaaS companies with annual contracts can have up to 37% less churn compared to SaaS companies that don’t.
And it makes sense.
Think about it … when you lock your clients into an annual subscription, they have less opportunities to opt out.
With a monthly subscription, they have 12 chances to say “hey, I’m out”.
But with an annual subscription, there’s just one chance to back out of the subscription.
So, the point is, make the process as easy as possible for customers to buy.
Only then you’ll increase customer loyalty and make your revenue and expenses predictable.
Conclusion
When you’re developing a software as a service, you want to make sure you're maximizing the time and funds investment you’ve put in.
A popular quote circling the internet is “B2B is marketing to people at work, B2C is marketing to people at home.”
Remember that when you are selling as a B2B company, the decision making process will be longer and involve more people.
These decision makers need to prove to their team that the investment in your service will help them accomplish their goals.
So always start with your prospect in mind, from research to development of your product, to marketing, and content creation.
Establishing a deep relationship with your prospects will lead to loyal customers, repeat business, and customers that market for you.
And if you need help with your B2B SaaS sales strategy because you don’t even know how to create a SaaS sales funnel from top to bottom, AutoGrow is here for you.
We can take any work related to your SaaS business off your plate—from email marketing to designing your B2B SaaS sales funnel strategy.
Now tell me one thing, what’s your favorite B2B SaaS sales strategy from this article?
As usual, let me know in the comments below.
Keep AutoGrowin’, stay focused.
Mark
