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How B2B Software Sales Really Work

by Alex Yumashev · Updated Mar 21 2020

Ages ago some dude I met at the Microconf conference (I don't remember his name unfortunately) explained to me how B2B software sales work in under 3 minutes, and it was brilliant.

"You know," he said, "most people believe that businesses buy software for two reasons:

  1. Make money
  2. Save money

But this is complete and utter bullshit."

It's probably worth noting that he was a serious looking dude from Arizona, with a huge "ZZ-top" style beard and already a bit tipsy at that point - this was at a conference afterparty.

"Make money / save money makes sense only if you're selling to the business owner, the founder or the CEO (although even CEOs don't care much). But the truth is, you do not sell it to the owner or the founder! The buying decision usually comes from ordinary employees. And you know what, they too buy software for two reasons and these reasons are:

  1. Cover my ass
  2. Make me a hero

Sell THIS, not your faceless "accelerate", "innovate", "increase efficiency" and other bullshit. The larger the company is, the more it makes sense to include THIS in your message. Writing "helps cheat your boss" on your website is probably a bad idea, but a slight hint is an absolute must."