Shifting to SaaS
Starting out, getting into, or pivoting to a career in SaaS sales
It’s something that I get asked all the time.
Like most of us, I kind of lucked into a career in SaaS. I started my sales career pedaling satellites door to door. Then moved into media sales with radio, TV, digital before finally landing squarely in SaaS.
Those early days taught me many things I still rely on today.
I’m a believer that you have to start somewhere, and that somewhere can be anywhere. But there are a few intangibles, traits, and requirements to successfully make the pivot into a career selling SaaS. That is what this week is all about.
In this week’s edition of Stretch Weekly:
A thorough guide from Cognism on How to Sell SaaS
Join Sam Jacobs as he talks with Lee Berkman on how to transition into tech (SaaS) sales from a non-SaaS background
Plus a smorgasbord of snippets specific to starting out, getting into, or pivoting into a SaaS sales career.
THANKS for reading!!
-Grant
And lastly - as always, if you find this newsletter valuable- subscribe or share it with someone who might as well 👊.
STRETCH SHARES
How to Sell SaaS
Highly recommend this quick guide from Cognism for anyone looking at jumping, or transitioning into a career in SaaS sales.
Besides the fact this guide references one of my favorite books (Differentiate or Die by Jack Trout), it provides a solid 3 pronged approach to successfully selling SaaS.
Decrease Time to Value. Help your prospects realize the value of your SaaaS product as soon as possible. Their ideal demo length is just 15 tailored minutes!
Use tribal social proof. Social proof is a powerful SaaS sales technique. Use customer case studies, referrals, ratings/reviews, awards, and more.
Sell the problem, not the product. The key to successful SaaS selling is to solve their business challenges instead of pitching your product.
How To Transition Into Tech Sales
Join Sam Jacobs as he talks with Lee Berkman on how to transition into tech (SaaS) sales from a non-SaaS background. And what we, as leaders should be aware of as we source new talent from different industries and professional backgrounds. Check out my highlights below:
Lee’s journey on how he got into tech sales without having a SAAS background.
Learning how to sell by not being a salesperson.
How his first role as a CSM helped him be a better seller.
Sam’s take on some of the best salespeople came from being bartenders.
STRETCH SNIPPETS
👏 Probably one of the best guides on getting into a Software Sales career by the good folks at Lucid Chart I’ve seen.
Check out the day-to-day requirements, and career paths for SDR, AE, CSM, and other SaaS sales roles. (Note: pay scales here need to be updated)
😏 Joshua Jordan gives us 3 secrets to breaking into SaaS Sales.
1. Know who you want to work for. 2. Prospect for jobs like a true sales pro. 3. Know the tools, skills, and workflows SaaS Sales Managers want.
📚 Books. One of the best ways to win over a hiring manager is to show you've put in the effort to improve your sales skills, mindset, and methodologies when it comes to sales and specifically SaaS sales.
Ryan Robinson with Close put together this list of 31 books for leveling up your sales activity. A good stack of these are specific to SaaS - so start here and you'll be ahead of the curve.
🐝 Starting out as a professional soccer player in Europe, to a DJ on the weekends, Brandon Fluharty has successfully made the move to SaaS selling superstar. Check out his post here detailing his PREP framework with tips and secrets to help SaaS Sellers maximize success.
🧐 Kyle Coleman gives some good advice for those interviewing for their first role in tech sales.
Keys: Stay confident in your skills, show that you know what you're getting yourself into, truly believe in your future success.
💪 Josh Roth posts regularly about making the move into SaaS Sales. This post here is one that I point others to when I'm asked what my thoughts are. Josh advises to stop spending your time being frustrated and instead:
Altering your LinkedIn page to reflect similar ICPs sold to and skills possessed (you also may want to take courses like Sandler training to understand a bit of a newer sales process).
Doing further due diligence to be able to speak the language and understand the process (like understanding how SaaS companies handle demos for example or understanding BANT or MEDICC)
Speaking and telling your story to answer the objection “you’re coming from outside of SaaS”
💥 Gong gives us a solid list of ways to help turn a field sales rep into an inside sales rep (and still make quota)
🧠 Mindset
Thanks for reading!
My hope is if you find this valuable, consider sharing it with friends (or signing up if you haven’t already).
— Grant 👋
About stretch vp: learnings, insights, and experiences from sales leaders in SaaS
Compiled and aggregated from a network of sales leaders in SaaS, Stretch VP showcases learnings, insights, and experiences as well as best practices to overcome common hurdles, obstacles, and setbacks in your quest for excellence as a sales leader in SaaS.
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