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. 



      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          • 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

          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ








                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • More context, fewer tabs: View lookup modules' data within a CRM Canvas page

                                    Hello everyone, How often do your users juggle multiple browser tabs just to piece together the full context of a record? This update can make their lives easier. You can now add lookup modules' fields to a Canvas detail view page and a Canvas list view
                                  • On click of the Blueprint transition (Qualified or Not Qualified), the 'Convert' option should be enabled in the Lead module.

                                    On click of the Blueprint transition (Qualified or Not Qualified), the 'Convert' option should be enabled in the Lead module. console.clear(); let convertButton = ZDK.Page.getButton('convert'); let leadStatus = ZDK.Page.getField('Lead_Stage').getValue();
                                  • Show all items making up the composite item in transactions

                                    Dear Zoho, Currently, when we select a composite item in Zoho Inventory for a transaction, we do not receive a breakdown of the individual items that make up the composite. This makes it challenging for our team to accurately pick, pack, and ship the
                                  • Custom Roles & Granular Permission Control in Zoho SalesIQ

                                    Hello Zoho SalesIQ Team, We appreciate the functionalities offered by Zoho SalesIQ, but we would like to request a crucial enhancement regarding user roles and permissions. Current Issue: At present, Zoho SalesIQ provides fixed roles—Admin, Supervisor,
                                  • Condition to skip recipient signature

                                    Is there a way, alone or with a Zoho Form integration, to skip a recipient signature when a condition is set? This happens because in this template, not always all the recipients need to sign it. Sometimes its just a few. We are using a Zoho Form integration
                                  • How to filter emails by Reply-to field?

                                    I receive a very particular newsletter from an association A registered on a website W (that is used by many associations), and the emails fields are not great: the From just contains the generic website's W's email, while A is only mentioned in the Reply-to
                                  • Wich version of Backstage is included in Zoho One

                                    Hello I am in the event business and i am considering Zoho One to replace my current tools. I will need Backstage to manage my events but I am wondering wich version of backstage will I get if I subscribe to Zoho One. Thank you Guillaume
                                  • How to restore deleted campaigns?

                                    I accidentally deleted my first campaign that went out today (08/21/18). How do I restore it?
                                  • Organize and Clone Task Custom Views

                                    We have rolled out two new enhancements to task custom views: Custom View Groups and Custom View Clone. Custom View Groups Similar to predefined view groups, we have introduced groups for custom views to help organize and categorize them. My Custom Views:
                                  • Kits: Option to Hide Associate Items on Documents

                                    The new Kit type of Composite Item is very helpful, and we're already using it in several different ways. One problem is that there seems to be no way to hide the components on some documents, including Package Slips. There is an option given in settings
                                  • Zoho Books CREDIT LIMIT is completely USELESS due to a BUG!!! Please fix it ASAP!!

                                    Credit Limit should not be taken into account if payment terms on the Invoice are without credit. If selected Credit 0 days (Prepayment) why in this world would a notification pop up saying credit limit is exceeded and not allowing to create an invoice?
                                  • Is it possible to adjust the web browser tab title (when a ZoHo Desk ticket is opened)

                                    Hi All, When I open a ZoHo Desk ticket in a web browser, the tab title (text that appears at the top of the browser tab) uses the logic: *company icon picture* (xxxx) #ticket number - company name See below (highlighted in red) for reference. Company
                                  • Configure ChatGPT in Zoho Cliq | Now with GPT-4!

                                    Updated for GPT-4 Support: The post and scripts has been revised to take advantage of the new GPT-4 model's capabilities. Please use the updated version for enhanced performance and accuracy. If you have been on the internet for the past few months, you
                                  • Have completed Zoho Sign documents attach automatically to contact and/or account

                                    Hello, Just used ZohoSign for the first time to get an e-signature on an important document. Setting up the template was nice and easy and configuring the request to go to the right people and training a member of staff was also very easy. HOWEVER Why
                                  • Using email "importance" as workflow-criteria

                                    I'd like to set up a workflow that triggers if an incoming email has been flagged as "high importance" but I'm not seeing any way to do that. Hopefully I'm just missing something obvious...?
                                  • Update Lead Status in Zoho CRM When a Meeting is Booked via Microsoft Bookings

                                    Hi everyone, I’m trying to streamline our lead management process and would like to automatically update the Lead Status in Zoho CRM whenever a meeting is booked through Microsoft Bookings. Has anyone successfully implemented this kind of integration
                                  • Kaizen #199: FAQs on Multi-Select Lookup (MxN) Field in Zoho CRM

                                    Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone. Got
                                  • Zoho Desk Android app update: Enhanced UI of the History tab.

                                    Hello everyone! In the latest Android version(v2.9.10) of the Zoho Desk mobile app, we enhanced the UI of the 'History' tab within a ticket. Also, we have introduced a filter option to easily search the history based on the actions performed on the ticket.
                                  • Is Zoho Marketing Plus part of Zoho One?

                                    Hi, Is the new fancy Zoho Marketing Plus part of the Zoho One package? Is there any benefit in using this rather than the standalone products? Many thanks Jon
                                  • Is it possible to Bulk Update 'Product Name' in Zoho Desk?

                                    Is it possible to Bulk Update 'Product Name' in Zoho Desk? I cannot see that option now. Kindly help how we can do it.
                                  • Change visable Subform fields

                                    I have a form with 4 subforms in it. I added another field to each of the subforms in my main form. Now, how do I update the subforms to show the new fields that I added?
                                  • Integrate Bunq with ZOHO Bookes

                                    We are new users of ZOHO Books, and our bank (BUNQ, in the Netherlands) isn't listed on the bank integrations. Is there a way to handle this?
                                  • Trial Extenstion/ 2nd Go!

                                    Hi, Recently trialed FSM bit didnt get a chance to try out the most recent features is it possible to get another trial to try the new features and see if I can make it work for me?
                                  • Weekly Tips : Take Control of Your Sent Emails using Outbox Delay

                                    Ever clicked “Send” on an email, then instantly realized you forgot something—like a file, an attachment, or even made a small typo? It happens more often than you'd think. Wouldn’t it be helpful if your email waited a little before actually going out?
                                  • Format of data after export to spreadsheet

                                    Dear Zoho, can you explain to me what is the point of a report exporting to XLSX if the format of the amounts that will be created there is in text format and not suitable for anything? Why do I need data in a sheet with which nothing more can be do
                                  • Mapping a custom preferred date field in the estimate with the native field in the workorder

                                    Hi Zoho, I created a field in the estimate : "Preferred Date 1", to give the ability to my support agent to add a preferred date while viewing the client's estimate. However, in the conversion mapping (Estimate to Workorder), I'm unable to map my custom
                                  • Customer Payment

                                    Seprate voucher required for cash and bank .You can not authorized any one to enter cash payment .In statement clearly shown is it bank receipt or cash recipt .
                                  • how to add previous month purchase bill and claim ITC

                                    Hello we have a unclaimed ITC bill of April (we didn't claim it in may as seller didn't uploaded his gstr1 ) when we trying to file gstr 3b in june month we noticed the bill has been uploaded (april bill) .how to change the filing month of that april
                                  • Deluge security enhancements

                                    Hello everyone, At Deluge, security is a top priority, and we're continuously working to enhance the platform's safety and reliability. As part of our ongoing commitment to secure coding and industry best practices, we're rolling out key updates to how
                                  • How do I set users up to only send emails using org emails?

                                    We run marketing campaigns for multiple clients and strictly send emails using the official organization addresses provided by each client. However, we've encountered several instances where users unintentionally send emails from their own company accounts—a
                                  • open multiple notes at a time.

                                    Hey there, New to Notebook and liking it, but one thing that's really a bother is not being able to open more than one note at a time, either in a new window or in a new tab. Often times, I like to copy/paste from one note to another or compare drafts
                                  • Let’s Talk Recruit: Forms that think before you do!

                                    Welcome back to our Let's Talk Recruit series. In our previous post, we shared highlights from our community meetups held across India. This time, we’re talking about something that often gets overlooked but makes a huge difference once you set it up
                                  • PEPPOL Support Needed for Zoho Books in Europe

                                    I'm reaching out to discuss the urgent need for PEPPOL support in Zoho Books for European users. With Belgium mandating B2B e-invoicing via PEPPOL starting in 2026, many of us are struggling to manage invoices without this integration. While Zoho Books
                                  • Allow Equity Accounts to be Used for Expenses

                                    Currently, when entering an Expense or Bill, the Expense Account (account to be debited) allows for accounts in any of these categories to be chosen: COGS Expense Other Current Liability Fixed Asset Other Current Asset Noticeably missing are Equity Accounts.
                                  • メール一括配信の未送信のメールについて知りたい

                                    メール一括配信の後の、未送信のメールの数は添付のようにシステムから連絡がくるのですが それらの対象者を知りたい。レポートなど一覧で知りたい。 また配信対象者なのに(担当者、リード)の メールの履歴に配信したメールの件名でさえ表示されないのはどう理解したらよいのか知りたいです。 また、これらの人をレポートで一覧で出す方法を教えてください。把握したいためです。
                                  • How do I add the time zone for the each recipient/subscriber

                                    Hi, I've read that Zoho allows for emails to be sent at a certain time based on the recipient's time zone. How do I add the time zone for the each recipient/subscriber? Thanks!
                                  • Zoho Formsから獲得した見込み客をSaleIQでトラッキングし、そのトラッキング情報をCRMに集約することは可能でしょうか?

                                    Zoho formsを活用しています。 Zoho CRM、Zoho SalesIQと連携するよう設定しており、Zoho formsから獲得した見込み客の情報はCRMに連携されるのですが、トラッキング情報はZoho CRMの見込み客データ内の 関連リスト 訪問-Zoho salesIQ にデータが反映されません。※添付画像参照ください 考えられる原因や対策などありましたら教えていただけないでしょうか。 よろしくお願い致します。
                                  • Find and Merge Duplicates to trigger webhook

                                    My sales team uses the Find and Merge Duplicates feature often to cleanup records in the CRM. We use webhooks to signal to our internal tools database when new Contacts are created, updated, or deleted, in order to keep our DB in sync with Zoho CRM. However,
                                  • Marketer’s Space: Using Zoho CRM Data for Dynamic Content and Personalization in Zoho Campaigns

                                    Hello Marketers! Welcome back to Marketer’s Space. Do you want to send emails or SMS that feel less like mass messages and more like one-on-one conversations? By integrating Zoho CRM with Zoho Campaigns, you can pull in rich customer data and use it to
                                  • Add Attendees to Session months before the Event

                                    I need to manually add Attendees to Sessions right away for an event that's taking place in 6 months so that the Speaker can communicate with them in advance of the event. How can this be done?
                                  • Next Page