What's the right attitude, mindset, and energy to sell SaaS products? Many people get this wrong, particularly those whose first profession isn't sales.
They either:
- Go for the close like a sales assassin, sell like a shark, bring in deals like the Wolf of Wallstreet
- Or they sell like a gentle lamb, a caring consultant, simply offering a choice and letting prospects decide independently.
Both of these sales styles won't lead to sustainable success.
Let's examine both of them closely and then see what you can do to succeed in SaaS sales.
The Wolf
A wolf is effective at closing deals. He operates with strength, free from inhibition, and doesn’t hesitate to apply pressure to make the sale happen. The archetypical pushy salesperson utilizes hostile strength to get what they want.
The problem is, particularly in SaaS, this is a subscription business! If you bring a customer on board who won’t renew their contract after 30 days, you’ve gained nothing. Your cost of selling to them, onboarding them, and supporting them during the setup phase is probably higher than what they paid you.
More importantly, the sales modus operandi is just unhealthy. Don’t be an asshole—it’s not worth it. You might be the number one closer (you get a coffee and a Cadillac), but that doesn’t count much if it makes you miserable.
The Lamb
The lamb is on the other end of the spectrum. Instead of hostile strength, the lamb operates with friendly weakness.
It's a “soft” sales approach, lacking influence and leverage, power over the prospect, and confidence.
The problem is that prospects don’t want to invest their money into companies that employ “weak” people. And those prospects who do will often be the kinds of customers you shouldn’t take on in the first place: abusive customers who exploit you and treat you like a doormat. They attract "wolf customers."
Consultative Sales?
Many self-proclaimed sales experts advise you to take a consultative sales approach. They say selling has changed.
This is all fine, but in the real world, too many people use this explanation as an excuse to avoid doing uncomfortable things.
If you’re a consultant, your job is not just to dispense advice. Your job is to
- Figure out what needs to be done
- Find a way to get it done
- And make sure it gets done
Your "consultation" has no value if you're not doing that.
The Good Parent
Rather than a consultant, I think you should act like a good parent.
Good parents have the best interest of their child at heart, but they also communicate from a place of strength:
- They give clear directions
- They confidently take charge of the conversation
- They lead with clarity
Imagine seeing your son do this:
What would you tell him? “Well, I think there might be other alternatives you could consider to have some fun. I’d happily inform you about the choices available if you could spare five minutes.”
No. That's not what you'd say. You'd communicate with strength and authority.
A good parent will communicate in whatever way necessary to get the right behavior from the child.
I can already hear some people taking offense to this: “Prospects aren’t kids! They’re adults, they’re equals.”
Of course, they are, but if you’re an excellent salesperson, you know more about your product and marketplace than your prospects. You've dealt with the challenges and problems your prospects are facing many times already, but for them, it's probably the first time.
You should have deeper domain expertise and be able to see some of the “juvenile” mistakes your prospects might commit caused by their lack of insights and experiences.
A good salesperson will respectfully exert influence—and even put the screws to a prospect—if that’s what’s required to get them to make a good decision.
Sell with friendly strength.
