When you think of sales people, words that come to mind are “go-getter, ambitious, and driven.” They are known for being outgoing achievers, and whether you like them or not, they’re usually pretty good at their job. So you might also assume that hiring a team of talented sales reps would guarantee your SaaS business success.
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Hiring a team, teaching them the product, and sending them on their way may get you quick results, but it doesn’t grow your company in the long run. As your business becomes more complicated and team members filter in and out, your startup or thriving SaaS business can crumble.
However, developing a sturdy sales organization structure allows you to track sales metrics, create team synergy, and set up your sales team to rock your product. To structure an effective sales strategy, it’s essential to identify the different roles in the sales process and know the proven models available.
Sales Roles
The stages of the sales cycle have four roles. One or multiple plays can assume these positions, and your business industry and niche will determine the right choice for your long term.
Every user of your company will filter through each stage and come in contact with each of these roles. By laying the following groundwork, you can create a new sales culture and improve the performance you wish to facilitate in your company.
Lead Generators
These are members of your sales team responsible for finding your potential users. They gather data such as names, addresses, contact information, etc.
Depending on your company and services, this process may involve cold-calling, developing advertisements, or conducting market research. Lead generators overlap or work closely with your marketing team in outbound sales to ensure they reach the right audiences.
The individuals at this stage are not responsible for selling or closing a deal. Their prime responsibility is finding users who are likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
Qualifiers
Members working in this sales cycle stage are responsible to develop qualified leads. They take your lead generators’ information and determine whether those people are prospective clients. Qualifiers will ask questions about customer needs, and point leads in the direction that best fits them.
This team member will often be the first point of personal contact with which your potential users interact. Qualifiers are not necessarily responsible for closing deals.
Still, they need experience in sales tactics to interact best and point prospective users in the right direction.
Closers
These account executives are responsible for closing the deal or making the sale. In the SaaS world, closers answer pointed questions, explain and demonstrate the user experience, and sell subscriptions to onboard new customers.
These team members must be very familiar with your products and services, quick on their feet to answer questions, and skilled at moving a sale forward.
Customer Success
Your sales team does not end at the close of a deal or the sign-up of a subscription. Good sales management requires personnel responsible for retaining customers, ensuring high-quality user experiences, and reducing churn.
Customer success team members are your account managers and technical support available to users for troubleshooting, interface direction, and upselling new products and features. They may not need to make the initial sale, but they are responsible for keeping it.
Sales Models
There are four different sales roles mentioned above, but these roles do not necessarily have to be played by other people. Three popular structures exist that SaaS businesses use when organizing their sales teams. These have proven successful for different areas of SaaS business and have pros and cons.
Island Model
The Island Sales model relies on highly experienced salespeople familiar with each sales cycle stage who excel at sales from start to finish. With this process, users will only interact with one salesperson. Island salespersons develop their leads, determine if the lead is quality, move to close the sale, and manage customer expectations and satisfaction.
Many small businesses use this model with small teams. Using this model in highly competitive realms that encourage aggressive sales and competitive attitudes is also very popular. This model is successful for intelligent, high-energy go-getters who thrive on competition but must be very organized and driven because they are on their own.
The Island model is great for easy-to-sell products for SaaS businesses and requires little oversight and organization between teams. Still, it could be better for tracking specific metrics.
Assembly Line Model
The assembly line model is great for larger teams, especially for companies that already have individualized sales roles ironed out. It is also a great option when your sales team comprises members with distinct talents.
For instance, if you have a sales team member who is excellent at marketing, one who is not turned away by cold-calling, another who is charismatic and versed in sales tactics, and yet another who is patient with customer relations, you have a perfect assembly line team.
In many cases, your assembly line does not have to be comprised of 4 different individuals but can be split between any number of individuals. This is great when you have a complex product or service or offer various services because it allows team members to specialize in a specific area.
It is only sometimes a welcomed model by users, though, as they can feel like they have changed hands through too many team members and don’t build any rapport or relationship. Determining your assembly line sweet spot depends on your individual service and team.
Pod Model
The pod model combines the two models above. A pod comprises team members specializing in different areas but working together to accomplish a sale.
You will have several small teams who funnel leads through each other rather than having individuals working through each step. This method also prevents hiring different individuals for each step and then handing the potential customer off to a random team member.
It operates much like the assembly line, but your sales members work in small, predictable teams that rely on each other through each step. This helps to foster a competitive attitude with other pods and camaraderie with each other, which aids in a culture of teamwork and togetherness.
Developing your SaaS Sales Team Structure
Creating your sales team structure is essential to ensuring your company’s success. Whether you are still in the start-up phase or already up and running but need more team structure, developing a successful team and strategy takes capital.
RevTek Capital
At RevTek, we provide recurring revenue financing that works for your company. We work with you to craft a repayment plan based on your ARR. By focusing on a percentage of revenue, we avoid taking any control or equity in your company. We want to help you grow your business, not own it.
