Home > Ask the Systems Channel Experts > Selling Systems Technology and Services with Hilary Cotter Questions & Answers > What are best practices for selling Software as a Service (SaaS)?
Ask The Systems Channel Expert: Questions & Answers
EMAIL THIS

What are best practices for selling Software as a Service (SaaS)?

Hilary Cotter EXPERT RESPONSE FROM: Hilary Cotter

Pose a Question
Other Systems Channel Categories
Meet all Systems Channel Experts
Become an Expert for this site


Digg This!    StumbleUpon Toolbar StumbleUpon    Bookmark with Delicious Del.icio.us   


>
QUESTION POSED ON: 07 April 2008
What are best practices for selling Software as a Service (SaaS) to my customers?


Digg This!    StumbleUpon Toolbar StumbleUpon    Bookmark with Delicious Del.icio.us   



RELATED CONTENT
Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) Systems and Tools
SOA governance and implementation guide
Top 10 tips for creating Software as a Service business opportunities
Google reseller guide to Apps, Chrome and Android
Migrating to a Software as a Service environment
Top 10 considerations when implementing Software as a Service
Top 10 pitfalls when implementing Software as a Service
Common SaaS problems that occur after implementation
Google Apps vs. Microsoft hosted application services battle heats up
ITIL guide: Best practices, implementation and training
Red Hat, Hewlett-Packard create new SOA platform

Software as a Service (SaaS) Applications and Consulting
Software as a Service application implementation study guide
Top 10 tips for creating Software as a Service business opportunities
Top 10 systems tips for solution providers from 2008
Staying profitable in the face of cloud computing, SaaS
Our top five systems tips -- so far
Channel implications of Microsoft's online services
Software as a Service market gives rise to new software sales decision maker
Check up on systems services for your clients
Salesforce.com offers Apex-only edition for customers who don't need CRM
SaaS may change business for Microsoft CRM resellers

Selling Systems Technology and Services with Hilary Cotter
When should a client use XP SP3 rather than upgrading to Vista or another OS?
Why would I recommend Oracle VM to a client instead of Hyper-V or VMware?
Why should service providers pay attention to SOA?
What's the channel impact of Cisco's Data Center 3.0?
How is Linux changing the systems landscape, and how can you benefit?
What's the best way to enter the hosted services market?
What are Web services, and how can they benefit my clients?
Which customers will benefit from desktop virtualization and server virtualization?
How will Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 benefit Microsoft partners?
Why recommend Hyper-V vs. VMware?

RELATED RESOURCES
2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems
Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts
Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary


Software as a Service (SaaS) benefits from componentized services that have a low price point and offer many features to customers who consume the services. A company planning on selling SaaS has to understand how to monetize its services. It has to maximize the number of usages of its service, either through the number of customers or the number of times its service is used. Price point should be considered along with features: with a certain number of customers, the price point can be much higher than a per-usage cost.

Sales resources have to be tailored towards customers. With a service focused on a large number of customers, traditional sales methods will not be cost effective. Frequently a free trial of the service works best for most customers. With a per-usage charge for a smaller number of customers using the service many times, the traditional sales methods may be appropriate.

Your sales force must keep an eye open for new features that can be added to the service. Those new features should maximize reuse. Developing services that fit 80% of the customer's requirements results in a greater return on investment than chasing the remaining 20% of the requirements.




Search and Browse the Expert Answer Center
Search and browse more than 25,000 question and answer pairs from more than 250 TechTarget industry experts.
Browse our Expert Advice

HomeNewsTopicsITKnowledge ExchangeTipsMultimediaWhite PapersBlogsEvents
About Us  |  Contact Us  |  For Advertisers  |  For Business Partners  |  Site Index  |  RSS
SEARCH 
TechTarget provides technology professionals with the information they need to perform their jobs - from developing strategy, to making cost-effective purchase decisions and managing their organizations' technology projects - with its network of technology-specific websites, events and online magazines.

TechTarget Corporate Web Site  |  Media Kits  |  Site Map




All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2006 - 2009, TechTarget | Read our Privacy Policy
  TechTarget - The IT Media ROI Experts