6 Combining PLG with a sales motion

Combining a sales team with a PLG motion

“Product-led growth” is the latest trend in B2B SaaS, but is it the end-all solution for driving growth and success? The concept of product-led growth is based on the idea that the self-guided product experience in B2C can be applied in the B2B space. However, relying solely on the product to drive growth may have its limitations in a B2B context.

It’s questionable whether clients in a B2B setting will fully understand the value proposition without support and guidance. The pressure-free, self-directed approach may sound appealing, but it may not result in meeting business goals if clients are not fully engaged and informed.

So, what are the limitations of a product-led growth strategy in B2B SaaS? Is a dedicated sales team really necessary, or can the product truly drive growth on its own? These are the questions that need to be explored to determine the most effective approach for driving growth and success in the B2B SaaS industry.

While product-led growth may be a promising idea, it’s important to critically examine its limitations and determine the best approach for driving growth and success in this context. In this article, we will delve deeper into the limitations of a product-led growth strategy and consider the role of a dedicated sales team in B2B SaaS.

_ 

Understanding the Value Proposition

Product-led growth is often based on the assumption that customers have a clear understanding of their needs and wants. However, this is not always the case. As demonstrated by the famous iPhone case study, customers may not know what they need until they are guided to the right solution.

Forgoing a professional sales team in favor of product-led growth can be a misstep, as the role of the sales team goes beyond selling the product. The sales team’s main function is to provide product-market fit, offering solutions that the customer may not have considered. The customer’s default journey may not be the most suitable for their needs, and without the guidance of a professional, they may miss out on the best solution for their needs.

People prefer to receive advice from experts, and a well-trained sales team can offer that expertise. However, many sales teams are viewed as less credible due to a focus on closing sales rather than guiding customers to the right solution. An effective sales team must balance both the needs of the customer and the needs of the company, and should be trained to provide expert guidance to customers, helping them make informed decisions.

Automating the Unimportant

It is true that some aspects of the customer journey can be automated, and when managed correctly, automation can even be used as a sales tactic. In the digital age, transparency is highly valued, and customers appreciate the ability to access information such as pricing and product demos without the need for human interaction.

However, it’s important to note that price and product demos are not the only factors that determine the success of a sale. We can assume that most businesses offer competitive prices that align with the level of service they provide, and that this is also true of the competition. Automated product demos, while convenient, cannot be tailored to the specific needs of each customer.

General pricing and product demos demonstrate general competency, but they are not enough to differentiate a company from its competition. This is where the sales team comes into play. Automating the less important aspects of the sales funnel allows the sales team to focus on the mid-funnel and close, which are critical to securing the sale. An effective sales team can provide personalized guidance and expertise that cannot be replicated through automation.

Overcoming Objections

While automating common objections in the sales process can be a helpful tool, it may not work for more significant clients who have specific and complex questions. In such cases, having a precisely trained and experienced sales team proves to be incredibly valuable. Your sales team should not only be able to overcome objections but also understand the unique problems that your clients might face.

A sales team equipped with industry experience is capable of navigating through the deep-level questioning of a client and finding the best product market fit. This is the stage where sales representatives are not just trying to sell but genuinely trying to understand the client’s needs and tailor their product accordingly.

It’s crucial to avoid making the mistake of giving the entire sales process to technology just because it’s a popular buzzword. While there might come a time when this is possible, we are not there yet. While there might be a handful of articles claiming that Gen Z would rather interact with a computer than a human salesman, these statements only hold true if your sales team does not have any new information to offer.

In today’s world of technological advancements, it’s crucial for both your product and sales team to provide value to clients. Your sales team must create a personal touch and provide new and relevant information to encourage long-term business relationships. As technology evolves, so should your sales team to provide both technological and personal value to your clients. To be successful in sales, it’s important to strike a balance between technology and a human touch.

_ 

Want to learn how to leverage a sales team within a Product-led growth motion? Contact us to book a demo!

Group 5

6 steps to optimize your user and customer journey

The customer journey is the backbone of any successful business strategy. It’s the roadmap that leads a prospect from being just a potential customer to becoming a loyal and returning one. The ultimate goal of any growth or go-to-market team is to streamline this process and make it as smooth and efficient as possible for their target audience.

Optimizing the customer journey is crucial for companies of all sizes and across all industries. It involves mapping out the key touchpoints and experiences that a customer has with your brand and finding ways to improve them. In this article, we will delve into the six essential steps that every company should take to optimize their user and customer journey. These steps will help you better understand your customers’ needs and create a journey that is tailored to their unique requirements.

_ 

Step one: Gather your user data

The key to optimizing the customer journey is understanding who your target audience is and what their needs and preferences are. This information is crucial for making informed decisions about how to optimize their journey. To do this, it is important to collect and analyze customer data, including metrics, product data, and communication data. These metrics will provide insights into your target audience and guide the optimization process. Choose the metrics wisely, as they will play a crucial role in shaping the journey for your customers.

Step two: Map your user journey

A crucial aspect of optimizing the user journey is mapping out each step from start to finish. This involves considering the timeline of the journey, identifying different user groups and their unique needs, and analyzing the behavior patterns of your target audience. By understanding these key elements, you can create a comprehensive map that effectively guides users through their experience with your brand. Utilize available data and research to gain insights into your audience’s behavior and ensure your map accurately represents their journey.

Step three: Evaluate funnel performance

Now that you know what the user journey looks like in general, work on making it as easy as possible for as many of your target groups as possible. Where are the strengths of your funnels, and where are the potential pitfalls that will cause your target to fall away or look elsewhere? Just as importantly, what are the popular parts of the journey that move your audience forward more rapidly to the next step? Getting feedback from users is essential at this stage. Make sure that you listen closely to what your target users have to say at chokepoints and acceleration points.

Step four: Know your ideal customer profile

Once you have mapped out your user journey, observed targeted group behavior within that journey, and received feedback as to why those behaviors took place, you can then identify a target group that is most aligned with your overall user journey and product offering, usually referred to as your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). Note: Just because you have identified the most advantageous customer for your business does not mean that you neglect the other groups. However, you now know which groups to prioritize and focus on as your baseline. Your baseline group should also serve as a control group of sorts. If they do not engage with your journey at any point, then you know that you have internal issues to work out.

Step five: Engagement and personalization

Now that you have a user journey you are confident as well as a control group of baseline users to count on, you can work towards becoming more engaging to greater amounts of people. You can also work on personalizing the journey for customers who deserve an extraordinary amount of priority. What are your optimization points? Can they be replicated so as to engage more users and greater numbers of users? Can you add engagement points at more difficult times in the journey to keep less enthusiastic people on board?

Step six: Measurement and reporting

During every step in the process, you should be measuring and reporting back your results. The formation of a user journey is iterative in nature; that is, once you get to the end, you circle back and start over with the experience of the previous journey informing your future endeavor. So even though measurement and reporting is at the end of this article, it should actually take place throughout the creation of the customer journey. Take special note of the points of greatest improvement and disappointment. Now is the time that you can begin to replace all of your assumptions with hard data for better results down the line.

If you need help with this process, Coho AI can help you automate the mapping of your user journey, identify your weak spots and set up your new engagement. automations for optimization.

In short, we help you color your map inside the lines, which can greatly shorten the timeframe in which you create your user journey. And the sooner you get your journey created, the more quickly you could begin to assess your target audience and bring in the hard data that will inform your relationship with them for years to come. Contact us to learn more!