Predictable Revenue

Predictable Revenue is a game-changing book written by Aaron Ross that provides a blueprint for companies looking to increase their sales. In the book, Ross shares the secrets to his success at Salesforce, where he helped the company generate more than $100 million in new business.

Applying the methods from "Predictable Revenue" in a Saas company can help improve the company's product-market fit by determining ideal customer personas, narrowing the target market and focusing on those accounts that are most likely to need the company's product or service.

‍

1. Determine systematically your target accounts based on your ideal customer personas

‍

‍Rather than trying to appeal to everyone, it's important to focus on a specific subset of the market that is most likely to need your product or service.

This could be based on factors such as industry, company size, or specific pain points that your product or service is designed to address.

By narrowing your focus, you can better tailor your messaging and increase the chances of success with each prospect.
‍

2. Gain access to right decision makers

‍

In order to increase the chances of success with your prospecting , it's important to ensure that you focus on gain access to the right decision makers instead of jumping into making sales.

‍

Start by calling/email executives first

Rather than going directly to your target, call above them and get referred down to the right person. This can help you gain access to decision makers who may be more receptive to your message.

‍

Act like a researcher, not a salesperson

By asking open-ended questions, you can position yourself as someone who is interested in learning about the prospect's needs and challenges, rather than someone who is trying to push a product or service on them.

Example:
Who is the right person to talk to about this topic?
May I ask how your process works today?
Would it be a waste of time to discuss this topic to see if we could help?

‍

Make very short emails

Keep your emails short and to the point to make sure that people actually read them. Instead of cramming multiple questions into one email, focus on asking only one question per email. This will help you keep the conversation focused and avoid overwhelming the prospect with too much information.

‍

Don't give up if you are sure that this is an ideal customer

If you believe that a prospect is a good fit for your product or service, don't give up just because one person says no. There may be other decision makers in the company who are facing the same pain points and could be receptive to your message. By continuing to engage with the prospect and offering value, you may be able to build a relationship and eventually convert them into a customer.

‍

3. Qualify if they meet your ideal customer persona (ICP) criterias

‍
Make sure that you focus on only those target accounts that really need you.

Once you have identified your target market, it's important to make sure that you only focus on those accounts that are most likely to need your product or service.

This can be done through a process of qualification, where you ask questions to determine whether the prospect's needs align with your offering.

Here some good qualifying questions to ask:

• How are your teams/functions organized?
• How does your process work today?
• What system(s) do these teams use for __________?
• What are your challenges now? (After each answer, keep asking "What else?")
• Have you been looking at alternatives yet?
• Have you tried and failed with other solutions? Why?
• Where does ____ fall on your priority list? What is higher?
• What would an ideal solution look like to you?
• How will your decision-making process work?
• Why did you buy the old system? Who made the decision to purchase it?
• What is the probability a project will occur this year?
• Why do it now? Why wait until later?