EPISODE SUMMARY
Ashutosh discusses the unique sales strategies he is using to scale Sunsama, a daily task manager, with Matt Wolach, host of the SaaS-Story in the Making podcast. Ashutosh talked about the art of achieving big results with a small team and the art of standing out in a crowded market while sharing proven strategies for marketing success.
PODCAST-AT-A-GLANCE
Podcast: SaaS-Story in the Making
Episode: How to Scale your Software Company with a Tiny Team
Host: Matt Wolach, a B2B SaaS Sales Coach, Entrepreneur, and Investor.
Guest: Ashutosh Priyadarshy, founder of Sunsama, an invite-only daily task manager, and co-founder of Walk Back
TOP TIPS FROM THIS EPISODE
Find a Niche
Yes, the good, old yet profound cliché. The 21st-century market, to put it mildly, is crowded. In a teeming market, the possibility of getting lost in a sea of opinions, especially for companies who are yet to find the right market balance, is high. Ashutosh thinks that not finding the perfect product-market fit makes a company sell to just anyone. To Ashutosh, “selling to everyone give you divergent feedbacks that make it difficult to identify who is getting significant value and what you should focus on.”
Being lost in a fog of feedback makes it difficult to focus on the “whats and whys” of your product. Finding a niche not only helps you to focus. Ashutosh thinks it helps pay attention to a very much “concentrated customer support volume” while placing you in a better position to “create value for them.”
Paddle through your niche with your U.S.P
A niche too could be saturated and a company could end up in the shadows of bigger, established brands. Ashutosh recommends that startups and early-stage companies focus on what makes them special: their unique selling proposition.
Instead of trying to take on the giants in the market, early-stage companies can, like Ashutosh did with Sunsama, can carve a space for themselves in the niche by building or creating something unique that could force or foster collaboration with bigger niche members.
Focus on solving problems first
As trite as it may sound, the “help, not sell” marketing mantra is evergreen. Ashutosh believes it is important to “talk to customers and try to solve their problems before worrying about building a product and selling it.”
Ashutosh says talking to customers helps companies make informed decisions. Hearing from customers allows companies to have a deeper understanding of the dynamics prospects expect. Plus, the guidance and learning that comes with trying to solve customers’ problems through connecting and engaging them makes delivering road maps easier.
Delegate Authority
Ashutosh thinks that granting other team members a degree of autonomy is best for business. Making subordinates take responsibility helps each member of the team focus thereby limiting the potential disruptiveness of checks and balances.
To Ashutosh, delegating authority is an important tactic when working with a small team, when there is a shortage of resources, and when there is the need to creatively solve a problem.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Small team? No problem
Just “focus on people who can be truly autonomous, people who can make independent decisions, people who are comfortable talking to customers, and people who can incorporate new features.”
“Having a small team is a force to focus on the most essential problems and a force to find a creative way to get things done when short of resources.”
Engage, engage, and engage the customers
“Nothing is more instructive about what we should build, what we are building and why than connecting and engaging the customers.”
“If you don’t want to sell something, that’s fine. Just start by trying to talk to customers and solve their problems and then worry about building a product and selling it after that.”
Be Different
“Focus on what you do uniquely well compared to other products. Don’t try to be what others have been. Try to be the best at what you do.”
“Hone in on what’s special about you. Let other products do what they do best instead of stepping on their toes.”
TOP QUOTES
Ashutosh:
[09:17] “Selling to everyone gives you divergent feedbacks making it difficult to identify who is getting significant value.”
[13:05] “Having a small team is a force to focus on the most essential problem.”
[15:11] “Nothing is more instructive about what we should build, what we are building and why than connecting and engaging customers.”
LEARN MORE
To learn more about Ashutosh Priyadarshy and Sunsama, visit: https://sunsama.com/
You can also find Ashutosh Priyadarshy on Linkedin at :https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashutoshpriyadarshy/
For more about how host Matt Wolach helps software companies achieve maximum growth, visit https://mattwolach.com/.
As part of the founding team in his first SaaS product, Matt owned the sales & marketing processes. But he struggled to sell and gain traction for the company. It took years of learning and tweaking before Matt created The Perfect DEAL Process, an innovative yet easy to implement method for closing more software deals. To find out more, visit https://mattwolach.com/about-matt.
