How to scale your SaaS sales

How to scale your SaaS sales

Founded in 2005, LucidEra was a SaaS startup offering analysis of CRM and ERP data. The company went out of business in 2009, after running into problems with longer sales cycles and its go-to market strategy. The customer base they focused on was sales departments, and the company relied on Salesforce's CRM data, for the most part. However, they did not combine it with data from marketing and finance departments. Like LucidEra, several other SaaS companies have collapsed after inflows of VC funding and failed to scale as a result. Any SaaS startup needs to be confident of their services and pricing, and target the right audience. Once you have a killer product, all you need are a few clear cut sales strategies to aim high. 

​

 1. Sales and marketing go hand in hand. 

One common mistake most startups make is cold calling just about anybody on their lead list. This not only wastes a lot of time on the sales rep's part, but is also highly inefficient. Generating leads through marketing webinars, conferences, seminars, and social media can help drive sales drastically. Make sure to invest in your marketing strategy, as much as in sales and development.


 

 2. Choose your battles wisely. 

 

Not all deals necessarily generate a profit. Suppose a lead requires you to travel a lot or drags on for ages, taking up valuable time and resources of your sales representative, and it turns out it isn't really worth it. Don't just take any deal that comes your way. Define a set of guidelines for your organization's sales strategy, and stick to it.

 

  3. Customer retention is key.

 

While closing new deals is imperative to scale sales, it's second only to customer retention. Imagine you've closed a deal a couple of years ago worth 10 grand. You've been struggling to close a new deal with a similar amount for the past six months. But that customer from a couple of years back was not properly onboarded, doesn't really have in-depth knowledge of the product, and receives the same impersonal message from support every time. The customer is not satisfied and moves on to a new product. You on the other hand win your new deal, after having spent 6 months of resources. So how have you profited from this exchange?

Scale your support alongside your sales, and you might just hit that balance.

 

 

4. Scale up, don't shave off. 

 

What makes more sense: promoting a few of your experienced sales reps to sales managers, or sticking your rep in the same job for years and paying someone new a ton of money to do the same work? The former leads to greater employee satisfaction and more productivity because they are motivated to put forth their best effort. Instead of starting from scratch with a whole new team, fill the manager positions in-house with the most experienced sales reps.  Then hire one new rep to fill their shoes 

 


5. Give credit where credit is due. 

 

Now this happens in a lot of firms. The superstar of the sales team is the person who bagged a deal worth a hundred grand. Another rep who spends all week closing 10 deals of 10 grand each isn't given the same credit. Laud every employee to what they're due. 


 

6. Go freemium! 

 

Most companies boast stellar prices for their product first and hike it up after a while. Fix your product's price and stick to it. If you think your product is worth the price tag, don't worry that it's on the higher end. Offer a free subscription for the first 15-30 days, and, if it's worth it, your prospect will take the bait. Or you can offer a freemium model indefinitely, with basic features limiting the number of users. Once your user has gotten comfortable and hits their limit or sees the need for more features, they can pay for an upgraded version. A way to stave off users who unsubscribe after a few months is by offering a lower budgeted annual subscription, as opposed to the slightly pricier monthly subscription. 


 

7. Integrate with other products.

 

Let's face it. Your product might be great, but there's always a product out there that has a feature yours doesn't. Facilitating integrations and plugins can really boost your sales. Build a marketplace for your product before you pitch anything to your prospect. 


 

8. You can't do everything yourself. 

 

If you want to go international, you're going to need some help. If you're just starting your business, there's no way you'll be able to set up offices all over the globe. Instead, forge partnerships and get resellers for markets away from home. It's a win-win situation for both parties, and you'll be cutting costs phenomenally. 


 

9. Get listed and reviewed. 

You need a bit of publicity, if you want to climb up the ladder. Get yourself listed on sites such as producthunt.com and capterra.com for ratings and reviews of products, and leverage your product to customers. 

 

10. Network, network, network. 

 

Want valid prospects? Attend tradeshows, meetups, and seminars. Or even better, hold your own meetups, seminars, and workshops for your product, after due marketing research, of course, and gain prospects. This kind of networking allows you to give prosepcts a hands-on experience and interact with them one on one, improving your credibility and your chances of making a sale. 

 

Every Fortune 500 company out there will tell you that there's no simple shortcut to scale your sales. But perhaps with the right sales & marketing strategy, you could bypass roadblocks along the way and get there a few times bigger and stronger than you were before. Not because sales might be the backbone of SaaS businesses, but because it works hand in hand with every other aspect of your organization. 


    • Sticky Posts

    • As Sales Person, Here are my New Year Resolutions. What are Yours?

      Being a salesperson, I keep learning from my mistakes and have noted a few changes that I need to make in my approach. I take these resolutions going into 2021, hoping to keep it going for as long as possible :) 1. I will not say "Yes, our product has

    • Once Upon a Sales Meeting!

      It was an awkward silence in the meeting room "Uproar." John Kowalski, the new sales manager, was not happy with the team's performance. After scribbling something in the notepad, he decided to break the silence, John: I cannot believe you guys have been working like this. No reports, delusional forecasting, random targets, and no eye on the ball. Kevin: We followed Richard's orders. John: Well, Richard is not here anymore, is he? John walked up to the whiteboard, and wrote in big bold letters: "TARGET

    • Recent Topics

    • Change eMail Template for Event-Invitations

      Hello ZOHO-CRM Team How I can change the eMail Template for Event-Invitations? I work with the German Version of the Free Version. I know how I can modify eMail alerts or Signature Templates, but where I can other eMails modify you send out? Thank you for your answer. Regards, Juerg

    • Can you modify "Last Activity Time" in deluge? If so what's the field name?

      I need to perform some bulk modifications on records in the Leads module, but I need to avoid changing the "last activity time" or "date modified" because I am using those fields to filter and sort leads for follow-up action. I cannot find an answer anywhere

    • Running Total % in Pivot with filters

      Hi there, I have seen a few posts on this topic, but i cant seem to find one that will work when applyig filters to the data. I have Rows and Data in a pivot view I want to show the running total of revenue as a % of the total for the data set. If i add

    • Included in Zoho One?

      Will LandingPage eventually be included in Zoho One?

    • Console error with widget in View mode, not present in Edit Mode with ZOHO.CRM.API.updateRecord(config)

      hello i have that function to update an account records (from a widgets created with sigma) function handleCopyButtonCRMClick() { console.log('handleCopyButtonCRMClick'); /* * Fetch Information of Record passed in PageLoad * and insert the response into

    • Calendar - "pop up" locations

      One of the attractive features of google calendar and outlook calendar is that locations for events will start to automatically populate the location drop down menu as you type. Adding this feature to zoho calendar would be the final feature i need.

    • How to see changes with ZOHO.CRM.API.updateRecord(config) without reload page

      hello got a widget in account, trigger with a button i copy data to account when click on a button, in my popup All is working well. But i need to reload the page to see the update. How can i see the changes without reloading page, only when close the

    • Reports - custom layout - duplicate report

      Do you also have this problem and what is the possible solution? I duplicate a report that has a "custom layout". Unfortunately the custom layout is not duplicated. To be improved for a future release by Zoho. I export the custom layout and import it...

    • Select CRM Custom Module in Zoho Creator

      I have a custom module added in Zoho CRM that I would like to link in Zoho creator.  When I add the Zoho CRM field it does not show the new module.  Is this possible?  Do i need to change something in CRM to make it accesible in Creator?

    • Zoho LandingPage is integrated with Zoho One!

      Greetings to the Zoho One users out there! We're delighted to let you know that Zoho LandingPage is available in Zoho One too! With Zoho LandingPage, you can host custom-made landing pages, and persuade the visitors to dive deeper by making further clicks,

    • LinkedIn verification link and otp not receiving

      For the last 2 to 3 weeks I'm trying to verify my LinkedIn account to access my company's LinkedIn page, Linkedin is sending verification links and codes to this email address but I have not received any codes or links. Please help me here. Looking forward

    • Unlocking New Horizons: A Year in Review

      As we bid farewell to 2024, let's celebrate and revisit the key highlights of the year. From adding a new edition to cross-platform enhancements, here’s a roundup of all the feature updates designed to simplify accounting, optimize financial management,

    • 2024 Wrap: Rediscover these features and enhancements in Zoho CRM

      Hello everyone! I wish all of you a joyful and prosperous 2025! As we welcome 2025, I’m excited to share a recap of the year 2024 and highlight some of the coolest new features and enhancements we’ve added to the Zoho CRM platform. Last year, we announced

    • A quicker way to provide accountants access to Zoho Books, similar to Xero and Quickbooks

      Hey guys, I'm finding the procedure to give access to an external accountant to Zoho Books less than ideal. Having to create an account by Zoho instead of myself, and then wait for it to be given a license to then pass to the accountant seems a bit time

    • "Mark as Spam" not working as expected

      Dear support, in the below scenario, clicking on "Mark as spam" identifies only the first of the checked emails as spam, removes that email from the visible list and leaves the rest of the list still visible & unchecked. I've tried check-marking them

    • Upgraded to Zoho One but Zoho Meeting still says Free Plan

      I signed-up for the Zoho One plan. When exploring the applications included, I came across a problem with Zoho Meeting. It says it's the free plan. I emailed support but they sent me a link that doesn't work and, when I found the article on my own, it

    • This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

      Hello, Just signed up to ZOHO on a friend's recommendation. Got the TXT part (verified my domain), but whenever I try to add ANY user, I get the error: This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details I have emailed as well and writing here as well because when I searched, I saw many people faced the same issue and instead of email, they got a faster response here. My domain is: raisingreaderspk . com Hope this can be resolved.  Thank you

    • Self Client Authorization Issue

      Hi. Trying to test the api integration for Zoho Desk with the Self Client - Client Credintials flow method. I've created the self client, obtained the client id and secret, inputted "Desk.tickets.ALL" as my scope, and "ZohoDesk.[My Zoho Desk Org ID]"

    • This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support.

      Hi Support, Can you tell me why number was marked as spam. I have having difficult to add my number as you keep requesting i must use it. My number is +63....163 Or is Zoho company excluding Philippines from their services?

    • Update Candidate Status Through Workflow in Blueprint

      Hi Team,  We have a blueprint built out with custom functions that update particular fields based on candidate actions. When particular fields are updated we need to move the candidate forward in the blueprint. We tried to do this through a workflow,

    • Zoho Canned respond do have a huge lag issue.

      Previously the Zoho canned respond works perfectly ... on once server update and all the Canned respond enconter huge lag... in the end cause most of the canned respond just shown code with /xxx and not the sentence....

    • Pay Contractor Timesheets

      I have contractors that fill out a timesheet. Each hour must be assigned to a current client. I need the easiest way to get the contracts paid. They are paid on an hourly bases. How can this be done?

    • ShipStation and Zoho Inventory

      Hello, I am looking to sync zoho inventory with shipstation ZOHO INVENTORY           SHIP STATION Sales Order  ==>  create ORDERS INVOICE  <==    Shipments What exactly does BETA mean on the Shipstation connector?  This is required for me to sign-on in the next month. Thanks in advance for your efforts

    • Saving slide elements

      I have created grouped items including text and animation that I want to use in later slides. (Like an animated logo) Is there a way to save these grouped elements in my library?

    • Are downloadable product available in Zoho Commerce

      Hi all. We're considering switching to Zoho Commerce for our shop, but we sell software and remote services. Is there a features for downloadable products? I can't find any information about this. Thank you very much Alice

    • Function #10: Update item prices automatically based on the last transaction created

      In businesses, item prices are not always fixed and can fluctuate due to various factors. If you find yourself manually adjusting the item rates every time they change, we have the ideal time-saving solution for you. In today's post, we bring you custom

    • Writing on sketch cards is bugged when zoomed in

      When zoomed in, it writes a noticeable distance above or to the side of where you're actually trying to write. The further you're zoomed in, the more noticeable it is. Zooming is also entirely absent on the desktop version.

    • Move site from WIX to ZOHO Sites

      I have a simple website on WIX.  I am wondering if someone is available to help me move this website - https://www.videothreezero.com/ to ZOHO.  Michael  Boston

    • zoho calendar week view - "super compact by default"

      every time i go to my calendar i have to re-engage the "super-compact view" for the week view...is there a way to make "super-compact" a default view so I dont have to keep on setting it manually?

    • Move a Contact from Current Account to a NEW Account

      I do not believe the functionality to Move a Contact from a Current Account to a New Account is not available. Please someone tell me I am missing something! I have been through designing, developing, using and selling CRM systems for over 25 years and had this functionality20+ years ago in other CRMs.  In the real world people move from one organisation to another. In the sales, finance and technical world it is nice to see the communication history with that person in their old account and also

    • Change work hours per day for employees

      Hello, Is there a way to modify the work hours per day for employees in Zoho projects? This would be helpful for resource allocation to more accurately see when an employee who works 35 hours a week vs 40 hours has a full schedule. Thanks.

    • Zoho CRM Automation Help: Send Email When Fault is Marked as Done & Module Relationships

      Hi everyone, I have the following User-Created Modules in Zoho CRM: Clients Assets Faults Handymen Every client can have multiple assets. Every asset can have multiple faults. Every fault is assigned to one handyman. What I Want to Achieve: ✅ I want to

    • Adding New Domain to Zoho mail

      Hi, I have one Zoho account already called for example "Awesome Animals". Under this account I have one domain already setup with zoho mail, example: - awesomecats.com I have another website as well which I want to add under this "Awesome Animals" account,

    • I cannot receive emails.

      I need help, I've tried everything but I still can't receive emails from other people. I can send it but I can't receive emails, When I created the email it was all in order and suddenly I can't get emails from anyone anymore.

    • Incoming Gmail Email Not Coming Into Zoho

      My outbound email from Zoho is working, but when people respond to the email, it's not coming back into Zoho. I can see it when I'm in Gmail, but it's not in Zoho.

    • Não foi possível enviar a mensagem;Razão:554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked.

      Preciso de ajuda não consigo enviar emails,conta recen criada

    • ERROR_CODE :554, ERROR_CODE :rejected due to spam

      Please verify bounce message: This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.  A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its recipients. This is a permanent error.  xxx@thalesesec.com Error, ERROR_CODE :554, ERROR_CODE :rejected due to spam content yyy@thalesesec.com Error, ERROR_CODE :554, ERROR_CODE :rejected due to spam content  Received:from RMRPC (190.102.146.226 [190.102.146.226]) by mx.zohomail.com with SMTPS id 1376415816667533.3706558194896; Tue,

    • Request to Customize Module Bar Placement in New Zoho CRM UI

      Hello Support and Zoho Community, I've been exploring the new UI of Zoho CRM "For Everyone" and have noticed a potential concern for my users. We are accustomed to having the module names displayed across the top, which made navigation more intuitive

    • Expand Zia's Language Support and AI Capabilities

      Dear Zoho Desk Support, I would like to submit a feature request to improve Zia, the AI-driven support assistant in Zoho Desk. Currently, Zia only supports the English language, while other AI agents such as Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude can work with a

    • Average Costing / Weighted Average Costing

      Hello fellow maadirs. I understand Zoho Books uses FIFO method of dealing with inventory costing, but do you guys have any plans to introduce average costing? We indians need average costing. It's part of our culture. Please. I beg thee. Thanks.

    • Next Page