The 5 Myths of Selling Hosted Services to SME Customers

www.flickr.com/photos/squeakywheel/252715820

Myth = unproven or false collective belief www.flickr.com/photos/1suisse/3504595493

Myth = unrecognised barrier to success3

Change your thinking www.flickr.com/photos/oriol_gascon/2172565951

Change your view point www.flickr.com/photos/miikka_skaffari/4632166297

The 5 Myths:Myth 1. They will find us, if our offer is "good" enoughMyth 2. They know what they want and they want it for freeMyth 3. They understand and will love our offerMyth 4. They will make a rational purchase decision - in our favorMyth 5. We sell to Business, not Consumers

Myth 1. They will find us, if our offer is "good" enough

The past 10

The presentwww.flickr.com/photos/nnova/3950714672

The future

> Be Findable / ‘Bingable’

> Stand out from the crowd

Put your customer at thecentre of everything you do www.flickr.com/photos/nnova/2841741385

Be findable / bingable’What is your bing strategy?1. Great Content2. Get talked about3. Build community

Myth 2. They know what they want and they want it for free www.flickr.com/photos/katerha/4765332898

Example of Low Price Provider

Question: Where do they go for help? www.flickr.com/photos/darkpatator/395215642

Educate your customers:Become a trusted resource for your customers1. Use clear and simple customer language2. Describe the problem being solved3. Tell Client stories www.flickr.com/photos/katerha/4765332898

Myth 3. They understand and love our offer www.flickr.com/photos/myklroventine/480909595

Self-diagnosis

Prescribe the solution

Make it simple to take

Simple enough for a 7 year old child to understand www.flickr.com/photos/toekneesan/3847444842

Triplicate of choice www.flickr.com/photos/xrrr/2321685873

SPAM: (R = 0) Persona-Based Website 29

Persona-Based Website

Lead your customers:Help them to self-qualify1. Guide them through the self- qualification process2. Make it easy for them to find, try and buy3. Triplicate of Choice www.flickr.com/photos/myklroventine/480909595

Myth 4. They will make a rational purchase decision - in our favor www.flickr.com/photos/purplemattfish/2896731898

No, No, No, they won’t!

What is rational for them? www.flickr.com/photos/coreytempleton/3935005227

Understand their needs (and wants)

Sell to the right brain

…and provide evidence www.flickr.com/photos/presta/3532993072

…. for the left brain www.flickr.com/photos/stevenfettig/1390275600

Justify and rationalise their decision

You/Your company +Your Hosted Services +Together we can do more

Master your message:Business buyers buy on PainTechnical buyers buy on Features1. Sell to the emotional brain2. Make it relevant and credible3. People buy because they feel understood www.flickr.com/photos/purplemattfish/2896731898

Myth 5. We sell to Business, not Consumers www.flickr.com/photos/katerha/4953529831

WoM -> Virtual WoM

“Victory in marketing doesn’t happenwhen you sell something, but when youcultivate advocates for yourbrand.” - Steve Knox, CEO of Tremors, P&G’s Word of Mouth Business Unit www.flickr.com/photos/hyku/4837236187

Advocates are your best influencers

Influence is spreadthrough social media

Let them choose

Create an insanely greatCustomer Experience:1. Cultivate brand advocates2. Multi-channel touch points3. End 2 End CE thinking www.flickr.com/photos/katerha/4953529831

The 5 Myths:Myth 1. They will find us, if our offer is ‘good’ enoughTruth 1. Be findable / ‘bingable’Myth 2. They know what they want and they want it for freeTruth 2. Educate your communityMyth 3. They understand and will love our offerTruth 3. Lead your customersMyth 4. They will make a rational purchase decision - in our favorTruth 4. Master your messageMyth 5. We sell to Business, not ConsumersTruth 5. Create an insanely great Customer Experience

Your future is bright "I am the worlds worst salesman, therefore I must make it easy for customers to buy.” - F. W. Woolworth

David Ednie President & CEO SalesChannel Europe Ph: +33 676 60 09 25 (FRA) Ph: +61 415 94 51 57 (AUS)Email: david@saleschannel-europe.comWebsite: www.saleschannel-europe.com

Action Plan: Start building your SaaS future today www.flickr.com/photos/myklroventine/4143699557

It not a game of chance! www.flickr.com/photos/kubina/185489325

Unique Value Proposition

Create a Value Innovation Curve

Target key influencersand customer groups www.flickr.com/photos/superzelle/4608034587

Messaging and positioning

SaaS Sales Acceleration 2.0 Program Search Refer Find Support Qualify GTM and Sales & Marketing Innovation Workshops Up-sell Try Manage Buy Activate SalesChannel Europe Accelerating Time to Revenue

8 Key Success Factors

8 KSF’s in Actions Murals SaaS Key Success Factors © 11. SaaS Business Acceleration 2.0 Competitive Online Customer Direct/Indirect Sales Organizational Level Differentiation Messaging & Positioning Packaging & Pricing Web-Driven Demand Generation Experience Process Effectiveness Focus & Behavior Provider has created true Blue Vertical (e.g. Real Estate), Micro-market specific Micro-market sales sites for Micro-market specific demand Integrated up-sell and cross-sell Vertical or micro-market focused Organization is designed and Ocean (aka uncontested market Horizontal specialization (e.g. packaging/bundling of service specific vertical markets (e.g. real- generation campaigns with activities into customer "control channel partners with lead flow internally aligned for change. space) by differentiating along a Finance), or other micro-market with vertically focused add-ons. estate). Fully integrated PPC/SEO integration across all forms of panel". Pro-active and ongoing integrated into micro-marketing Specific processes for continuous Target Market 5 unique axis that reaches beyond specific positioning. User focus Market research used to and pro-active analysis of web- demand generation (e.g. PPC, customer feedback management campaigns. Channel partner improvement. Healthy balance of Focused w/ (Optimized) current market boundaries and groups or surveys are pro-actively understand customer price-point analytics Banner Ads, email, direct mail, (surveys of customer panels by branded sales sites. Integration of management (stability) and Continuous existing demand used to incorporate customer sensitivities. print) segment to assess overall channel partner into knowledge leadership (fostering change). Improvement Workshop self-scoring snap shot of feedback into product life-cycle. customer experience, satisfaction, base, live chat, etc. and future needs). Today Provider has differentiated with a Best Practice positioning based Some type of unique Differentiated sub-sites and/or Demand generation campaigns Integrated online knowledge-base Integrated lead/opportunity flow Strong executive sponsorship for vertical market focus with vertical on a well-defined messaging & differentiation of packaging or landing pages aligned with best- drive to a specific sub-site or and live-chat for both sales for channel partners. Mature improving existing offerings and Transition Phase - (or micro-market) specific add-on position framework (see pricing that sets the provider apart practice positioning of value landing page. All campaign support and post-sales support. process for lead qualification and adding new value-added service Focused on 4 capabilities/features. template). Customer centric of the reset of the pack. proposition according to activities are well coordinated and Pro-active email communication routing of leads. Customer offerings. Proven organizational Competitive (Competitive) positioning that blends customer- messaging & positioning integrated. Pro-active PPC/SEO during first 30-60 days provides segmentation and qualification agility and rapid time-to-market in Differentiation & benefit as the solution for the framework campaign management with training, tips, tricks, etc. "drives" the opportunity response to competitive threats. Discrete customer pain point/problem. periodic (e.g. bi-weekly) management. Willing to "walk your business today refinement. away" from bad opportunities. Improvements Provider has differentiated from Customer centric positioning with Small number (2-3) of different Best-practice site that allows Makes use of pro-active Self-guided sales experience, self- Pro-active management of direct Organizational alignment around the competition by bundling Benefits (e.g. Anytime, Anywhere customer/user "plans" that align customers to 1) Search; 2) Find; PPC/SEO campaigns. All demand admin capabilities, no barriers to sales, inside sales, and channel business objectives and customer additional services or capabilities access), then supporting benefits correctly with end-user or 3) Self Qualify; 4) Try (Free Trial generation activities lead to one sale via web, or phone. Easy partners. Focus on customer needs. Organizational ability to End-Customer 3 not offered by the competition. points, then features as customer personas. Value where possible); 5) Make the place -- the web-site. signup and activation. segmentation and lead repeatedly follow a relatively short Focused & Service- (Predictable) appropriate. Consistent differentiation between different buying decision; 6) Buy; 7) qualification. Pro-active training. and defined life-cycle for the application of messaging price plans is clear and Activate. Web-site is the focal Overlay sales team with deep successful introduction of new or Driven throughout ALL collateral. significant. point of the business. solution expertise supports all revised product offerings. channels. Providers offering is functionaly Still product and feature centric Competitive pricing and correct Customers can search, find, and PPC/SEO and other demand Self-guided signup, support, Direct Sales, indirect channels, Good executive leadership in equivalent to that of other positioning with progress towards packaging, but actively working to buy. Provider is actively working generation capabilities are and/or self-administration but telesales, but with ineffective place and committed to drive providers, resulting in a "my customer-centric benefits eliminate other inhibitors (e.g. to ensure that all of the leveraged, but with some inhibited in some way -- e.g. processes for lead qualification change and improve business2. Identify key actions / improvements feature X beats your feature X" positioning. Typically a lack of contract minimums). information required to make a inhibiting factors that limit their overly complex registration and routing of leads to "best performance by driving Transition Phase - 2 competitive differentiation tactic, consistent application of successful buying decision is on effectiveness (e.g. mismatch process, complex activation. qualified" channel. Provider is improvements in accordance with Focused on Initial (Inhibited) but ultimately resulting in a price- messaging across all channels the site and correctly presented, between PPC terms and landing Active progress is being made to actively working to train sales and the "key success factors". Change competitive sale. and collateral. eliminating any final inhibitors to page positioning). Active progress eliminate remaining inhibitors. revise processes to improve selling. is being made to eliminate effectiveness. remaining inhibitors Provider is offering the exact Positioning is completely product Typically characterized by Customers are unable to find No PPC/SEO campaigns. Other No self-signup capability, direct Direct sales only. No pro-active Ad-hoc organizational and same service offering as other and feature centric. Positioning is uncompetitive pricing, minimum offering, presentation is demand generation activities (e.g. sales interaction required. No lead qualification. No customer departmental behaviors with a providers (perhaps based on third- effective only for customers who contract terms, minimum # of confusing, no online self- Print ads, direct mail, etc) do not offering self-administration. segmentation by size or industry. lack of internal alignment towards you can undertake for each KSF party technologies) with no already know what they need and users, confusing pricing, too many subscription is available. leverage the web-site. Characterized by tendancy to achieving a common vision or Product-Dependent 1 opportunity for true differentiation, are already familiar with the tiers of service, multiple tiers focus too far up-market. Long business objectives. Focus & Ad-Hoc (Ineffective) resulting in a Red Ocean in which specific application domain. instead of "add-on" options. sales cycles. Lack of "solution Behavior the only remaining competetive specialist" capability results in differentiator is price. inability to overcome common ob area Murals SaaS Key Success Factors © 2 Level Competitive Differentiation Messaging & Positioning Packaging & Pricing Web-Driven Demand Generation Online Customer Experience Direct/Indirect Sales Process Organizational Effectiveness Focus & Behavior3. Implement actions / improvements Provider has created true Blue Vertical (e.g. Real Estate), Micro-market specific Micro-market sales sites for Micro-market specific demand Integrated up-sell and cross-sell Vertical or micro-market focused Organization is designed and Ocean (aka uncontested market Horizontal specialization (e.g. packaging/bundling of service specific vertical markets (e.g. real- generation campaigns with activities into customer "control channel partners with lead flow internally aligned for change. space) by differentiating along a Finance), or other micro-market with vertically focused add-ons. estate). Fully integrated PPC/SEO integration across all forms of panel". Pro-active and ongoing integrated into micro-marketing Specific processes for continuous Target Market 5 unique axis that reaches beyond specific positioning. User focus Market research used to and pro-active analysis of web- demand generation (e.g. PPC, customer feedback management campaigns. Channel partner improvement. Healthy balance of Focused w/ (Optimized) current market boundaries and groups or surveys are pro-actively understand customer price-point analytics Banner Ads, email, direct mail, (surveys of customer panels by branded sales sites. Integration of management (stability) and Continuous existing demand used to incorporate customer sensitivities. print) segment to assess overall channel partner into knowledge leadership (fostering change). Improvement + 6 m. feedback into product life-cycle. customer experience, satisfaction, base, live chat, etc. and future needs). giving priority to the Top 3 KSF Provider has differentiated with a Best Practice positioning based Some type of unique Differentiated sub-sites and/or Demand generation campaigns Integrated online knowledge-base Integrated lead/opportunity flow Strong executive sponsorship for vertical market focus with vertical on a well-defined messaging & differentiation of packaging or landing pages aligned with best- drive to a specific sub-site or and live-chat for both sales for channel partners. Mature improving existing offerings and Transition Phase - (or micro-market) specific add-on position framework (see pricing that sets the provider apart practice positioning of value landing page. All campaign support and post-sales support. process for lead qualification and adding new value-added service Focused on 4 capabilities/features. template). Customer centric of the reset of the pack. proposition according to activities are well coordinated and Pro-active email communication routing of leads. Customer offerings. Proven organizational Competitive (Competitive) positioning that blends customer- messaging & positioning integrated. Pro-active PPC/SEO during first 30-60 days provides segmentation and qualification agility and rapid time-to-market in Differentiation & benefit as the solution for the framework campaign management with training, tips, tricks, etc. "drives" the opportunity response to competitive threats. Discrete customer pain point/problem. periodic (e.g. bi-weekly) management. Willing to "walk refinement. away" from bad opportunities. Improvements areas for your business Provider has differentiated from Customer centric positioning with Small number (2-3) of different Best-practice site that allows Makes use of pro-active Self-guided sales experience, self- Pro-active management of direct Organizational alignment around the competition by bundling Benefits (e.g. Anytime, Anywhere customer/user "plans" that align customers to 1) Search; 2) Find; PPC/SEO campaigns. All demand admin capabilities, no barriers to sales, inside sales, and channel business objectives and customer additional services or capabilities access), then supporting benefits correctly with end-user or 3) Self Qualify; 4) Try (Free Trial generation activities lead to one sale via web, or phone. Easy partners. Focus on customer needs. Organizational ability to End-Customer 3 not offered by the competition. points, then features as customer personas. Value where possible); 5) Make the place -- the web-site. signup and activation. segmentation and lead repeatedly follow a relatively short Focused & Service- (Predictable) appropriate. Consistent differentiation between different buying decision; 6) Buy; 7) qualification. Pro-active training. and defined life-cycle for the application of messaging price plans is clear and Activate. Web-site is the focal Overlay sales team with deep successful introduction of new or Driven throughout ALL collateral. significant. point of the business. solution expertise supports all revised product offerings. channels. Providers offering is functionaly Still product and feature centric Competitive pricing and correct Customers can search, find, and PPC/SEO and other demand Self-guided signup, support, Direct Sales, indirect channels, Good executive leadership in equivalent to that of other positioning with progress towards packaging, but actively working to buy. Provider is actively working generation capabilities are and/or self-administration but telesales, but with ineffective place and committed to drive providers, resulting in a "my customer-centric benefits eliminate other inhibitors (e.g. to ensure that all of the leveraged, but with some inhibited in some way -- e.g. processes for lead qualification change and improve business feature X beats your feature X" positioning. Typically a lack of contract minimums). information required to make a inhibiting factors that limit their overly complex registration and routing of leads to "best performance by driving Transition Phase - 2 competitive differentiation tactic, consistent application of successful buying decision is on effectiveness (e.g. mismatch process, complex activation. qualified" channel. Provider is improvements in accordance with Focused on Initial (Inhibited)4. Evaluate results based on changes but ultimately resulting in a price- messaging across all channels the site and correctly presented, between PPC terms and landing Active progress is being made to actively working to train sales and the "key success factors". Change competitive sale. and collateral. eliminating any final inhibitors to page positioning). Active progress eliminate remaining inhibitors. revise processes to improve selling. is being made to eliminate effectiveness. remaining inhibitors Provider is offering the exact Positioning is completely product Typically characterized by Customers are unable to find No PPC/SEO campaigns. Other No self-signup capability, direct Direct sales only. No pro-active Ad-hoc organizational and same service offering as other and feature centric. Positioning is uncompetitive pricing, minimum offering, presentation is demand generation activities (e.g. sales interaction required. No lead qualification. No customer departmental behaviors with a providers (perhaps based on third- effective only for customers who contract terms, minimum # of confusing, no online self- Print ads, direct mail, etc) do not offering self-administration. segmentation by size or industry. lack of internal alignment towards party technologies) with no already know what they need and users, confusing pricing, too many subscription is available. leverage the web-site. Characterized by tendancy to achieving a common vision or Product-Dependent 1 opportunity for true differentiation, are already familiar with the tiers of service, multiple tiers focus too far up-market. Long business objectives. Focus & Ad-Hoc made and update scoring on each (Ineffective) resulting in a Red Ocean in which specific application domain. instead of "add-on" options. sales cycles. Lack of "solution Behavior the only remaining competetive specialist" capability results in differentiator is price. inability to overcome common ob KSF Murals SaaS Key Success Factors © 3 Level Competitive Differentiation Provider has created true Blue Messaging & Positioning Vertical (e.g. Real Estate), Packaging & Pricing Micro-market specific Web-Driven Micro-market sales sites for Demand Generation Micro-market specific demand Online Customer Experience Integrated up-sell and cross-sell Direct/Indirect Sales Process Vertical or micro-market focused Organizational Effectiveness Organization is designed and Focus & Behavior5. Translate lessons-learned from one Ocean (aka uncontested market Horizontal specialization (e.g. packaging/bundling of service specific vertical markets (e.g. real- generation campaigns with activities into customer "control channel partners with lead flow internally aligned for change. space) by differentiating along a Finance), or other micro-market with vertically focused add-ons. estate). Fully integrated PPC/SEO integration across all forms of panel". Pro-active and ongoing integrated into micro-marketing Specific processes for continuous Target Market 5 unique axis that reaches beyond specific positioning. User focus Market research used to and pro-active analysis of web- demand generation (e.g. PPC, customer feedback management campaigns. Channel partner improvement. Healthy balance of Focused w/ (Optimized) current market boundaries and groups or surveys are pro-actively understand customer price-point analytics Banner Ads, email, direct mail, (surveys of customer panels by branded sales sites. Integration of management (stability) and Continuous existing demand used to incorporate customer sensitivities. print) segment to assess overall channel partner into knowledge leadership (fostering change). + 12 m. Improvement feedback into product life-cycle. customer experience, satisfaction, base, live chat, etc. and future needs). Provider has differentiated with a Best Practice positioning based Some type of unique Differentiated sub-sites and/or Demand generation campaigns Integrated online knowledge-base Integrated lead/opportunity flow Strong executive sponsorship for vertical market focus with vertical on a well-defined messaging & differentiation of packaging or landing pages aligned with best- drive to a specific sub-site or and live-chat for both sales for channel partners. Mature improving existing offerings and Transition Phase - KSF area to another, share across (or micro-market) specific add-on position framework (see pricing that sets the provider apart practice positioning of value landing page. All campaign support and post-sales support. process for lead qualification and adding new value-added service Focused on 4 capabilities/features. template). Customer centric of the reset of the pack. proposition according to activities are well coordinated and Pro-active email communication routing of leads. Customer offerings. Proven organizational Competitive (Competitive) positioning that blends customer- messaging & positioning integrated. Pro-active PPC/SEO during first 30-60 days provides segmentation and qualification agility and rapid time-to-market in Differentiation & benefit as the solution for the framework campaign management with training, tips, tricks, etc. "drives" the opportunity response to competitive threats. Discrete customer pain point/problem. periodic (e.g. bi-weekly) management. Willing to "walk refinement. away" from bad opportunities. Improvements Provider has differentiated from Customer centric positioning with Small number (2-3) of different Best-practice site that allows Makes use of pro-active Self-guided sales experience, self- Pro-active management of direct Organizational alignment around the competition by bundling Benefits (e.g. Anytime, Anywhere customer/user "plans" that align customers to 1) Search; 2) Find; PPC/SEO campaigns. All demand admin capabilities, no barriers to sales, inside sales, and channel business objectives and customer the organisation additional services or capabilities access), then supporting benefits correctly with end-user or 3) Self Qualify; 4) Try (Free Trial generation activities lead to one sale via web, or phone. Easy partners. Focus on customer needs. Organizational ability to End-Customer 3 not offered by the competition. points, then features as customer personas. Value where possible); 5) Make the place -- the web-site. signup and activation. segmentation and lead repeatedly follow a relatively short Focused & Service- (Predictable) appropriate. Consistent differentiation between different buying decision; 6) Buy; 7) qualification. Pro-active training. and defined life-cycle for the application of messaging price plans is clear and Activate. Web-site is the focal Overlay sales team with deep successful introduction of new or Driven throughout ALL collateral. significant. point of the business. solution expertise supports all revised product offerings. channels. Providers offering is functionaly Still product and feature centric Competitive pricing and correct Customers can search, find, and PPC/SEO and other demand Self-guided signup, support, Direct Sales, indirect channels, Good executive leadership in equivalent to that of other positioning with progress towards packaging, but actively working to buy. Provider is actively working generation capabilities are and/or self-administration but telesales, but with ineffective place and committed to drive providers, resulting in a "my customer-centric benefits eliminate other inhibitors (e.g. to ensure that all of the leveraged, but with some inhibited in some way -- e.g. processes for lead qualification change and improve business feature X beats your feature X" positioning. Typically a lack of contract minimums). information required to make a inhibiting factors that limit their overly complex registration and routing of leads to "best performance by driving Transition Phase - 2 competitive differentiation tactic, consistent application of successful buying decision is on effectiveness (e.g. mismatch process, complex activation. qualified" channel. Provider is improvements in accordance with Focused on Initial (Inhibited) but ultimately resulting in a price- messaging across all channels the site and correctly presented, between PPC terms and landing Active progress is being made to actively working to train sales and the "key success factors". Change competitive sale. and collateral. eliminating any final inhibitors to page positioning). Active progress eliminate remaining inhibitors. revise processes to improve6. Repeat cycle, starting at 2 (above) selling. is being made to eliminate effectiveness. remaining inhibitors Provider is offering the exact Positioning is completely product Typically characterized by Customers are unable to find No PPC/SEO campaigns. Other No self-signup capability, direct Direct sales only. No pro-active Ad-hoc organizational and same service offering as other and feature centric. Positioning is uncompetitive pricing, minimum offering, presentation is demand generation activities (e.g. sales interaction required. No lead qualification. No customer departmental behaviors with a providers (perhaps based on third- effective only for customers who contract terms, minimum # of confusing, no online self- Print ads, direct mail, etc) do not offering self-administration. segmentation by size or industry. lack of internal alignment towards party technologies) with no already know what they need and users, confusing pricing, too many subscription is available. leverage the web-site. Characterized by tendancy to achieving a common vision or Product-Dependent 1 opportunity for true differentiation, are already familiar with the tiers of service, multiple tiers focus too far up-market. Long business objectives. Focus & Ad-Hoc (Ineffective) resulting in a Red Ocean in which specific application domain. instead of "add-on" options. sales cycles. Lack of "solution Behavior the only remaining competetive specialist" capability results in differentiator is price. inability to overcome common ob

David Ednie President & CEO SalesChannel Europe Ph: +33 676 60 09 25 (FRA) Ph: +61 415 94 51 57 (AUS)Email: david@saleschannel-europe.comWebsite: www.saleschannel-europe.com

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The 5 Myths of Selling Hosted Services to SME Customers

by David Ednie

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