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Closing a B2B deal isn't a sprint—it's a marathon, often spanning three to six months to cross the finish line.
B2B buyers meticulously scrutinize every detail to ensure they’re making a wise investment. For large enterprises, there is a complex approval chain for expensive purchases, whereas startups and SMBs battle budget limits.
Despite your sales team's best efforts, deals can stall if prospects find better offers, or they may shift priorities if they can't afford the products at closing time.
However, the sales cycle doesn’t have to be so unpredictable. Hence, in this article, we have shared five proven strategies to accelerate the sales cycle for B2B SaaS companies, including embedded finance solutions like Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL).
Let’s dig in to learn more!
Five Ways to Accelerate Sales Cycles for B2B SaaS
With BNPL, DearDoc cut its sales cycle from days to just 30-45 minutes, offering flexible payment options for customers. As we delve deeper into BNPL's transformative impact, later, we'll explore four additional strategies to accelerate sales cycles in B2B SaaS businesses:
- Use a BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) Solution
- Enhance Customer Confidence with a Stellar PoC Process
- Leverage Trust-Based Selling
- Empower Your Sales Rep to Perform Like Your Top Salespeople
- Follow a Sales Acceleration Formula
1. Use a BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) Solution
Every sales rep has faced the familiar objection: "We're tight on budget; let's connect next quarter." Budget constraints are a staple challenge in SaaS sales.
To close deals, many B2B companies offer discounts on long-term contracts. While this can boost short-term wins, it eats into revenue and erodes long-term profit margins. Alternatively, many deals remain stalled.
This is where the B2B Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solution comes in as a strategic and sustainable alternative. Rather than discounting to close deals, it empowers SaaS reps to offer payment flexibility, easing budget constraints. Here's how:
Now, instead of paying a $100,000 annual contract upfront, buyers can opt for flexible payment terms, such as $9,000 monthly or $25,000 quarterly, based on their convenience. This flexibility via BNPL allows for much quicker deal closures.
And to ensure the SaaS company still receives the full contract value upfront while offering BNPL, the BNPL providers like Ratio Boost handle the financing, underwriting, and other logistics.
2. Enhance Customer Confidence with a Stellar PoC Process
A well-structured Proof of Concept (PoC) can be the key to closing deals faster in the B2B SaaS space. To build a stellar PoC, start by qualifying the opportunity—ensure the potential deal meets your revenue and margin criteria. Engage decision-makers early and confirm business readiness, ensuring they understand pricing and are ready to purchase.
Next, validate product fit by aligning the use case with the prospect’s urgent business needs. Address potential roadblocks, such as technical challenges or negative internal sentiment, and establish clear success criteria with 1–3 measurable goals for the PoC.
Prepare a project plan with specific milestones and assign the right team members to support the prospect. Keep the PoC within 15-30 days to maintain momentum and sign a formal agreement to solidify the process.
By collecting product feedback, regularly reviewing progress, and defining next steps, you can demonstrate value quickly and move the prospect toward a confident, faster purchase decision.
3. Leverage Trust-Based Selling
Another powerful strategy is leveraging trust-based selling, a concept often discussed by renowned sales coach Ari Galper.
He argues that building trust early in the sales conversation, rather than relying on aggressive selling, leads to faster, more successful sales interactions.
Here’s what he suggested:
- Active Listening: Understand the client's situation before jumping into a pitch.
- Natural Conversations: Avoid scripts, engage naturally, and reduce pressure.
- Problem-Focused: Diagnose the client’s issues, like a doctor who listens to their patient’s concerns before offering solutions.
- Determining Fit: Once trust is built, assess if your solution aligns with their needs.
In fact, a Forrester survey shows that 85% of buyers who trust their provider would recommend them, and 83% would continue doing business. Trust strengthens relationships, reduces buyer resistance, and accelerates deal closures by fostering smoother interactions.
4. Empower Your Sales Rep to Perform Like Your Top Salespeople
What if every salesperson could perform like your top sales rep?
Sales leaders have always seen this as an aspirational goal, but with the rise of generative AI, it’s definitely worth exploring how AI might bridge the gap. As this McKinsey report on B2B sales states, “Gen AI can continually analyze seller activity, recognizing strengths and synthesizing best practices to provide constant coaching tailored to individuals’ selling styles and help them perform at their best for every sale.”
For example, a top rep in a price negotiation might emphasize value over cost, using case studies to highlight ROI and offering additional services instead of discounts. They might ask strategic questions like, “What long-term goal are you aiming for?” to shift focus from price to value.
AI can analyze past conversations and recommend phrases like “investment” instead of “cost,” and suggest key questions based on successful negotiations. It could also highlight which added services have closed deals without lowering prices, guiding other reps to handle similar challenges with the same effectiveness.
While sales leaders remain cautious, recognizing that AI can't fully replicate human intuition, there is value in how these tools can be greatly assistive.
5. Follow a Sales Acceleration Formula
Mark Roberge's "Sales Acceleration Formula" is a proven blueprint that transformed HubSpot into a $100 million giant by focusing on data, technology, and inbound selling. Rooted in Roberge’s engineering background, this formula offers a systematic approach to scale B2B sales through a series of strategic methods:
- Data-Driven Hiring: Select sales personnel based on traits proven to predict success.
- Tailored Training: Standardize training to ensure uniform competency across sales personnel.
- Metrics-Driven Management: Use clear metrics for strategy guidance and performance evaluations.
- Efficient Demand Generation: Maintain high-quality lead provision and leverage technology for a consistent sales pipeline.
- Systematic Sales Process: Implement structured methods to reduce friction and enhance buying experiences.
By integrating these elements, businesses can create a scalable and predictable sales environment that not only drives rapid growth but also outlasts competition.
These were some of the actionable strategies that are extremely helpful in accelerating the sales cycle. However, success with each depends on execution, solution selection, and rep training; BNPL, in particular, hinges on choosing the right provider.
And this is where Ratio Boost stands out, as testified below!
Let’s now go deeper to learn why Ratio Boost is an ideal BNPL solution for any B2B SaaS.
What Sets Ratio Boost Apart as a BNPL Solution
With Ratio Boost, we are reshaping the B2B Buy Now, Pay Later space by providing rapid, technology-driven financing solutions. Our mission is to ‘democratize technology access by removing financial hurdles for entrepreneurs, ensuring B2B sellers receive timely, upfront payments.’
With a robust $400 million reserve, Ratio stands out for its ability to support your business's growth without traditional credit score dependency. Instead, we use an EIN-based assessment to deliver approvals within seconds, ensuring quick access to funds.
But don’t just take our word for it; see what the Ratio Boost users have to say about it!
Experience the Ratio Boost difference today—contact us for a quote or sign up through our easy-to-use app to accelerate your sales cycles now.
