How's AI changing B2B SaaS buyer expectations


Hi Reader,

What are buyers 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 for?
What do they 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 to hear?
What do they 𝘋𝘖𝘕’𝘛 want to hear?

As part of my work, I personally listen to a lot of sales conversations.

Sharing 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 below:

#1 Buyer are talking about AI, but in an off-handed way. The focus is still on the unique problem they struggle to solve.
#2 Buyers want Al, but they are not sure in which part of their workflow. They rely on your for those answers.
#3 Buyers need an assurance that you have Al. But they want you to talk about the solution, not the technology.

This confirms that the basics still matter.

Happy weekend!

Silky Agarwal

A newsletter for B2B SaaS founders and marketers who don't want the curse of knowledge to mess with their messaging.

Read more from Silky Agarwal

Hi Reader,We keep chanting this term. We keep saying we need to position the product.But we don't realise the folly of saying this. 👉 It assumes that product is what customers buy. In reality, what the customers buy is a story about themselves. This should make us think whether we should position the product....or the customer?

Hi Reader,There are two ways to check if a story is worth spending on... 1️⃣ Tell the story to people. Then observe how they respond.2️⃣ Observe people first. Then tell a story that mirrors them. You can do first. Or second. Or both! But do at least one of them. Because every good story emerges from 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 (not wordplay).

Hi Reader,I have worked in both kinds of companies.One where being close to customer was expected and rewarded.Another where wanting to speak to customer was seen as threat to sales/CS.This email is not about the politics of it.But the two opposite perspectives you often hear, on this topic. Does talking to customers generate insights?One side of the argument is that customers don't really know what they want. So why talk to them?Another side is that unless we know how customers think about...