Sean Doherty’s Post

"Don't communicate your product as a software. Communicate it as a solution." This is the biggest takeaway I garnered from a great discussion I had with founder Francis Thumpasery from PermitFlow who recently raised a $31M Series A. We discussed a lot about sales, growth, user acquisition and GTM strategies, and it was all-in-all a very productive conversation. It's important to rememeber that people don't wake up in the morning and seek out new softwares (at least I don't), but they DO seek solutions to problems that are negatively affecting them. As someone with a technology company, it can be easy to get caught up in the trap of selling the software and what it does (features) instead of what problems it is actually solving (benefits) for a potential customer. For example, let's say you are trying to sell a B2B payments platform. You have a potential customer that tells you that cashflow is very important to their business. Don't sell that customer "Autopay" (the software). Sell them that your platform gets them paid faster each month with less effort and headaches (the solution). When the customer asks, "How?", that is when you can demonstrate how easy it is for customers to toggle Autopay on/off, receive funds, and get paid out. Show, don't tell your customers why your product solves their problems. The above scenario is a simple example taken from one of our product lines here at SpecCheck. I would be curious to hear more about what simple sales strategies and techniques have worked well for YOUR business. Congrats again to Francis and PermitFlow on their Series A! 😎

When you're building new products the emphasis is on finding product-market fit. What this means is that you seek evidence that your prospects will be willing to exchange time or money to access your product. The problem I see with almost all product-market fit work is that they don't test the manner in which customers will buy the product. Just because the prospect/customer loves your product (and is willing to pay for it), does not mean they know how to buy your product. This is especially true of enterprise products. The vast majority of people buying enterprise solutions have no idea how to buy them. For example, a head of engineering may have very little experience in buying and implementing enterprise platforms for 1,000's of employees. That leader is an expert at engineering, not buying software. While you're testing product-market fit, invest time in understanding how the product is acquired, implemented and supported. Ask questions about how legal, security and finance will evaluate the product. Testing how your product is bought is often as, or more important, than how it is used.

Something I learned after owning a software business for the past year: Most people don’t actually know what type of business they’re *really* in (including me) I thought software was about sales. “Let’s build a big sales team and sell the hell out of this thing!!” Then I realized software had *almost* nothing to do about sales. And 99% about product. This is because the LTV of 1 month vs 39 or 20 is *a ton more*. So many times more important is if/how/when the customer uses it, not selling it. Sales is the easy part. Anyone can sell a 99 to 500 per month subscription But who can keep the customer for 50 months. That’s how a billion dollar company is built. Probably obvious to some people, but after selling 11,000 jobs door to door and having a few other companies in other industries (wholesaling, education, and home services) it became clear that in different industries, the problems and what *actually* matters in the business *isnt* what you thought it was originally at all. What has been YOUR biggest lesson in business so far?

Enterprise software sucks!!! That's why going PLG can actually help you win at top-down sales: Bigger companies typically go through a top-down sales process to buy Causal, but surprisingly, the fact that we're a PLG company actually helps us in enterprise sales: 1️⃣ Try-before-you-buy: enterprise prospects can sign up and try the product just like anyone else can. This lets them know exactly what they're getting into before buying. 2️⃣ Easier to implement: knowing that 100s of our customers use us self-serve gives enterprise buyers the confidence that Causal won't require months of implementation and weeks of training 3️⃣ Enjoyable to use day-to-day: sales reps can make any product look slick and usable, but since we're PLG, buyers know that we're not just hiding behind a polished demo, and that we'll always invest in user experience Buyers' expectations are changing, and building a product that can be used self-serve might be the best thing you can do for your enterprise customers ✅

𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗽: 💡 Don’t make prospects feel bad about their decisions. Here’s an example in the software industry: “I see your team is still using outdated software. Why haven’t you upgraded yet?” The problem? 🤔 Using “why” can make the prospect feel like they’re being criticized for their decisions, putting them on the defensive. It’s like when someone says: “Why didn’t you prepare for that meeting?” The solution? ✅ Make the prospect feel comfortable and respected. How? Offer a considerate suggestion: “I noticed your team is still using the older software version. I know it can be tough to make changes, but would you like to explore how an upgrade could improve efficiency?” Empathy is crucial. Putting yourself humble helps create a connection and opens up the conversation. 🤝 #B2BSales #CustomerCentric #SalesStrategy #SalesCommunication #AggressiveROI

Selling software product is like selling a t-shirt. It needs to be a perfect fit. A solution that’s too large, covering more than what your client needs, isn’t a good selling point. Customers feel they are paying extra for unnecessary features. Conversely, a solution that offers less than required pushes customers to consider alternatives. Your solution must be just right, and any extras hase to be shown as extra add ons Simple as Identify the problem Solve the problem

Enterprise customers don't know how to buy software. Most have never done it before and don't know where to start. Here's my 5-step playbook for making it easy for your customers to buy: First off, it's not their fault it's so difficult... It's OURS! So owe it to our customers to make it EASY for them to buy. My preferred method is to use a Mutual Action plan delivered verbally and/or in writing that walks them through the process in detail. Then I get their commitment to move forward with next steps and confirm timing. Here's the playbook: 1. At the end of your first meeting, leave time to discuss next steps. Then walk them through whatever comes next in detail. 2. Outline your deep discovery process, letting them know what information you need to collect and why. For large deals, typical next steps include understanding their current processes and systems in detail, delivering a custom demo, and developing a business case. Detail how much time it will take on their end and yours. The key is that YOU and YOUR TEAM is doing most of the heavy lifting, not the customer. 3. Ask and confirm who else you will need to meet with on their side to collect this info. Then ghost write an introductory e-mail which they can send to their colleagues or team outlining why they need to meet with you. 4. Get agreement to come back to them with your findings and be clear on how long the process usually takes. 5. Before leaving, ask the best phone number to reach them at. When they give you their mobile phone, send a quick text message after the meeting thanking them for the time today and letting them know that this is your cell in case they ever need to get hold of you. Now you have their phone and can reach them as needed in the future via text, since a text thread is already started. Communicating clearly and outlining the process will put the customer at ease, deliver a better customer experience, and prevent the deal from stalling out. P.S. Want to make $500k/year in tech sales? Free training here: https://lnkd.in/eWD8mTqH

I just launched a new sales tool I’d love it if you would check it out…. I get this DM or something like it at least twice a week from a new founder. It’s an instant turn off for me and it’s not their fault. New = more. More admin More logins More management More maintenance More governance More configuring I actually don’t want any new software. I want to: - get time back in my day - get rid of redundant admin - remove sh** I have to remember - make more money with less hours - limit the amount of apps I have log into Speak to what you can help me REMOVE, not add onto me and I’d be much more inclined to at take notice.

A customer is for life, not just the initial sale and implementation. Many software companies don’t get this, they want that quick buck then leave those important little follow up activities, ongoing support to fall be the wayside. If the customer isn’t going to spend further big bucks they aren’t interested. We are different, the initial sale is just the start of our relationship with our customers. We support you every step of the way, all customer questions are worthy of our attention, we’ll do everything to help you get the best from you system. If you want a supplier who genuinely cares that their engagement will contribute to the success of your business, talk to us.