When we think of a SaaS business and what's important, we tend to prioritize lead generation over all else. However, while B2B lead generation is an essential part of any B2B SaaS business, without a well-structured sales team, even the best lead generation strategies may fall short (we bet they will actually.) This week, we sat down with our VP of Sales and Sales Team to discuss how to structure a sales team in the B2B SaaS space for maximum effectiveness.
Below, we’ve summarized the seven-step process for structuring a successful sales team in B2B SaaS.
The Seven Steps to Structuring Your Sales Team
Define Your Sales Process
The first step for any SaaS business is to define your sales process. This process should include the various stages that your lead will go through, from initial contact to close, and define each action taken by the sales team at each stage of the process. Essentially, defining your sales process allows you to create a clear structure for your sales team and track their progress through the sales funnel. Having clear and documented operating procedures ensures that your business will run smoothly and efficiently, with minimal involvement from executive/senior management - so they can focus on other tasks.
Hire a Sales Leader
Now that you have a sales process, the first step to implement that process and build a sales team is to hire a sales leader. This is a very important hire, which you should really take your time on filling since this person will be responsible for managing the team, setting targets, and ensuring that everyone is working towards the same goals. Our tip? Ideally, this person will have experience in the B2B SaaS space and a proven track record of building successful sales teams in the past. You don’t want to reinvent the wheel on this hire!
Define Sales Roles
Once you have a sales leader in place, it's time to define your various sales roles. The two primary sales roles in a B2B SaaS company are usually account executives and sales development representatives (SDRs). Account executives are responsible for closing deals, while SDRs focus on generating leads and setting up appointments for account executives. Again, it's preferential to hire people with experience for these roles. Our pro tip? When you hire your Sales Leader, it's likely that they have experience working with account executives and SDRs they would recommend for your team - we suggest you start there.
Set Sales Targets
The next step is setting sales targets - arguably one of the most essential parts of structuring a sales team. These targets should be based on the company's revenue goals and take into account other performance data. Sales targets are not fixed objectives, and if your team is consistently not hitting their targets, then before starting over with a new team - reevaluate the sales targets! Maybe you set unrealistic goals. Ideally, sales targets should be broken down by individual salespeople and regularly reviewed to ensure that everyone is on track to meet their goals. The intervals for review are something you should decide with your Sales Leader.
Provide Sales Training
This one is often overlooked when it shouldn't be. Whether you hire someone junior who needs training, to your most seasoned account executive, we firmly believe that even the most experienced salespeople can benefit from training. Providing sales training to your team ensures that everyone is using the same sales process, messaging, and techniques. It gives everyone on your team the same tools, so they can go out and do their jobs the way you want them done. Our tip? This training should cover topics such as objection handling, lead qualification, and product knowledge!
Implement Sales Tools
Another big one, is sales tools. Especially in the SaaS space where automation is king, sales tools can help your team work more efficiently and effectively. These tools can include CRM software, sales enablement tools, and sales analytics platforms - not to mention any type of AI assistant software (Clickedin anyone?) That can help with your sales cycle/sales process (remember that thing we told you to define at the beginning of this blog? Yeah, that thing.) By implementing these tools, you can help your sales team better manage their time, track their progress, and close more deals!
Monitor Performance
Lastly, another super important part of building a successful sales team is monitoring performance. This step is critical to the success of any sales team. We suggest that you regularly review metrics such as conversion rates, deal size, and sales cycle length. This will allow you to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions about your sales strategy and team's performance.
So there you have it, our seven-step process for structuring a sales team in the B2B SaaS space. If we taught you anything in this blog, we hope it's that structuring a sales team in the B2B SaaS space requires careful planning and execution. You need to define your sales process, hire a sales leader, define sales roles, set sales targets, provide sales training, implement sales tools, and monitor performance. Each of these steps is a critical component of a successful sales team. By following these steps, you can create a sales team that drives growth and success for your B2B SaaS business!
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