Igniting Your SaaS Cloud Sales
Training Program for SaaS B2B Inside Sales Teams
Revital Libfrand, Co-founder Ignite Cloudware
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It happens in every SaaS Company
Our marketing is doing a great job with generating leads…we need to build inside sales team to convert those leads into customers….
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So…if I hire today, when would I start and see results?
Average rump up time is 4.2 months (in 2012) comparing with 3 months measured in 2010* * Inside Sales for SaaS report, published by the bridge group
31%
39%
22%
8%
1-3 Months 3-5 Months 5-7 Months 7+ Months
Average Ramp Time
That long?
Maybe we should look for an ideal candidate to shorten learning curve
timing…?
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Define the ideal inside sales candidate
The ideal candidate would be probably the best inside sales REP that is being working for my direct competitor in the last 2 years…. Advantages:
Know the competitors Familiar with product capabilities Know how to address the value to the customer Experience in sales And ….we don’t need much to invest in training…
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Why don’t we all do that?
Well….everybody is trying… Looking at hundreds of inside sales job openings Ads, we see that many companies seeking for candidates with 2-3 years inside sales experience (must), a great advantage would be if the experience was gained in a vertical that is close to the seeking vendor’s business….
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Overwhelmed ? Check out this…
Forbes Magazine [March 2013] Inside Sales Jobs and Career Growth up 54% “the hiring landscape has certainly shifted. Between 2009 and 2011, demand for lead generation reps grew 54%. That is significant. With demand outstripping supply, companies are moving further down the experience food chain.” (by Trish Bertuzzi, President and Chief Strategist of The Bridge Group, Inc)
Let’s redefine our ideal inside sales candidate so it would
match reality ….
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Redefine the ideal inside sales candidate
Fluent English/ any other language that suit the targeted market
Great communication skills Fascinated about great products that can make a change in
business environment Love to speak with people Hunger to constantly learn Self learning skills Experience in sales- a great plus At the end of the recruitment process we will have various candidates with different knowledge level of our scope of business/product/sales.
In order to ensure sufficient level of knowledge, skills & competencies
among ALL our inside sales people, we need to build a training plan
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Building a training plan – step 1
Define the major areas of knowledge your sales REP must have:
Industry Overview
Company overview
Product Overview
Company Offering
Sales Skills & Process
Personal working plan
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Building a training plan – step 2
For each major area, prepare a detailed list of the topics :
• Cloud industry overview
• SaaS business model
• Vendor industry overview
• Competitors landscape (SaaS & Traditional)
Industry Overview
• Company history
• Goals and mission
• Company structure
• Company position in the market
Company overview
• Product modules
• Product demo
• Self use according to certain scenarios
Product Overview
• Focused market segment
• Packaged offering for each segment
• Customers challenges
• Sales kit
Company Offering
• Research skills
• Lead qualification techniques
• Sales process
• Supporting systems (CRM, phones, mail etc)
Sales Skills & Process
• Targets & KPIs
• Area of responsibilities definition
• Coaching plan
Personal working plan
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Building a training plan – step 3
For each topic define the training level within the topic, for example:
Professionals Advanced Starters
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Building a training plan – step 4
For each training topic define the following:
• Named
• Internal or External Owner
• Presentation
• Video
• Test & hands-on exercises
Training Material
• Make sure to make reservation to the needed meeting room
• Ensure you have the ability to record the sessions for future needs
Facilities
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Building a training plan – step 5
Prepare a survey for each session, so you (or the trainer) could get better next time.
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Building a training plan – step 6
Transform your “set-up” training plan into an ongoing coaching & training plan
Define periodic enhanced trainings for the team (bi-monthly, quarterly etc)
Encourage your team to come up with new training topics
Define periodic coaching sessions to review “real-life” experiences (i.e.
worst call of the week/ funniest demo with potential lead etc)
Major criteria for inside sales success is keeping high level of enthusiasm and
motivation…. Coaching & Training are critical elements
to make it happen
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Take out…
Are you struggling with inside sales resources set-up?
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Inside Sales Organization Service
HR Recruitment
- Define candidate pre-requisites : Academic Degree, Language, high communication skills
- Phone interview followed with Personal interview
Cloudware School
- General sales topics
- Vendor Tailored topics
Sales Assignment
- Optimization of Sales REP to job description
Sales kit preparation
- Detailed documented sales process script
Logistic & Support systems
- Phones, Station work
- Relevant SW : CRM, punch clock etc
Ignite Cloudware Provides wide Sales & Marketing services to SaaS vendors. Our inside sales team setup & ongoing management in a nutshell :
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Ask me how to build an optimized inside sales team for your SaaS business
www.ignitecloudware.com
+972-72-2116601
