unSEXY Conf 2013: Jamie Sutherland, Xero

TL;DR

Learn how to build a successful sales team for a B2B SaaS company, focusing on establishing clear business goals, structuring the sales team, recruitment strategies, metrics monitoring, and prioritizing customer acquisition over profitability.

Transcript

okay anybody know what zero is and what we do a couple hands okay great I'll go in and uh a couple of our staff too good I'm glad you guys know what it is um I'll go into a little bit about zero because I think it's important context for what we're going to talk about today but I know this is unsexy conference and we're B2B sales so we're talking S... Read More

Key Insights

• 👤 Zero differentiates itself by focusing on creating beautiful and user-friendly accounting software, challenging industry leaders like QuickBooks.
• 👨‍💼 The speaker emphasizes establishing clear business goals before hiring salespersons to align compensation plans and sales strategies.
• 😤 Structuring an appropriate sales team involves considering web sales, telesales, inside sales, and field sales based on the target market and business objectives.
• 🏂 Recruitment strategies encompass leveraging job boards, LinkedIn, and outsourced recruiters to find talented sales professionals.
• ☠️ Monitoring metrics like unique visitors, conversion rates, and customer acquisition costs are crucial for optimizing the sales process and driving revenue growth.
• 👨‍💼 Long-term business success for B2B SaaS companies hinges on customer acquisition, sustainable business models, and balancing lifetime customer value with acquisition costs.
• 🤩 Building a sales team focused on customer acquisition, sales productivity, and individual motivations is key to driving growth and success in competitive markets.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Zero differentiate itself in the market from competitors like QuickBooks?

Zero differentiates itself by focusing on making its accounting software user-friendly, sexy, and accessible, competing with market giants like QuickBooks through innovative design and usability features.

Q: What are some key considerations when establishing a sales structure for a B2B SaaS company?

Key considerations include determining the sales team size needed, defining roles (web sales, telesales, inside sales, etc.), and aligning the team structure with business objectives like market share, revenue, or profitability.

Q: How can companies design effective compensation plans for their sales representatives?

Companies can design compensation plans based on base salary, commission percentages, equity incentives, and onboarding bonuses to motivate sales reps, aligning incentives with business goals and individual performance.

Q: Why is prioritizing customer acquisition over profitability crucial for B2B SaaS companies in the early stages?

Prioritizing customer acquisition allows B2B SaaS companies to scale quickly, gain market share, and drive revenue growth, even if profitability is not immediate, as long as the customer lifetime value exceeds the cost of acquisition.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Zero, an accounting software company, emphasizes making their product sexy and user-friendly to compete with QuickBooks.

• The speaker discusses establishing clear business goals before hiring salespersons and shares insights on setting up an appropriate sales structure.

• Recruiting strategies, metrics monitoring, and prioritizing customer acquisition are crucial for building a successful sales team.