What actually makes you take a SaaS vendor seriously?

[Smriti2205]

Discussion Type

Question

Discussion Content

Hi everyone,
I'm doing research for an internship project on how enterprise SaaS vendors communicate with technical buyers and IT decision makers.

When a vendor is trying to get your attention for a new platform, what actually works on you?

A. A peer or colleague telling me they use it and it works
B. A hands-on trial I can set up without talking to sales
C. A technical demo at an event where I can ask real questions
D. A case study from a company similar to mine
E. Seeing it on AWS or Azure marketplace
F. Cold outreach from a sales rep
G. Analyst reports (Gartner, Forrester, G2)
H. A short, self-aware ad that actually made me laugh or think
I. Open source community presence or GitHub activity
J. A coding event or hackathon where I can build something real with the product
K. A live webinar where I can see the product working in a real scenario and ask questions on the spot
L. A creative, hands-on simulation that puts me in a real business problem and shows how the product solves it
M. Nothing works — I go looking myself when I have a problem
N. G2/Gartner/Trust Radius reviews/badgers/awards/certificates

Drop a comment if a vendor has ever done something that genuinely changed how you thought about their product, specifically interested in whether you've experienced anything like J, K, or L, and whether it actually moved the needle for you.

[fermneto]

Hey there, Smriti!

I think that when the vendor seems to be interested in your product, it makes a huge difference! For example: let's say that I have a car rental company, and some guy calls me saying that he tried to use my website but had some trouble with it. That's a perfect opening for him to start his pitch! Pointing out what could be improved for the enterprise and how he could solve that.

The whole key is showing interest in other people's products. At least, that's what I believe! Cheers