Any self-respecting software company today will tell its customers that their product is a SaaS solution. They have to, because who today wants heavy and complex applications that have to be run on their own servers? Applications that are then managed by an army of IT specialists who tell the business what it can and cannot do?
Das war einmal. Today, applications must be completely at the service of the business. Thus, every business discipline now has a whole arsenal of solutions for one or more problems from that discipline. Whether it is inventory management, logistics, production, sales or operations, there is a whole arsenal of SaaS solutions to choose from.
One of the most important systems used (or should be used) within commercial departments is the CRM system. In the 1980s and 1990s, CRM "on premise" systems emerged, and in 2000, Salesforce launched their Cloud Based CRM to attack the incumbents such as Oracle and Siebel. Salesforce set the tone then with its disruptive model and what was only grudgingly accepted then has now become the standard.
However, much more has happened. For there has been a huge development in the amount of SaaS products available for the commerce process. So much so, that many can no longer see the forest for the trees. I refer to the wonderful overview called Martech 5000 which already consists of more than 8000 SaaS products. Every B2B organization has made choices to a greater or lesser extent, but whether they are consciously made and coordinated is highly questionable. However, this is necessary to actually realize the promised returns. Because otherwise you create a new problem and that is often already happening.
In one, two, three clicks you can often get started with any SaaS solution. A solution is immediately at hand if you have a computer and the Internet. And that is exactly what is happening. We are seeing a proliferation and therefore more or less a wandering in the land of SaaS, big data, AI and process automation.
A modern marketer, according to the latest trends, is doing plenty of growth hacking with a multitude of SaaS tools such as Hotjar, Act-on, Mailchimp and Coosto. The sales executive is doing social selling through Vidyard and Linkedin Sales Navigator and account-based selling using Vainu, Leedfeeder and Outreach. The sales manager is setting up a KPI dashboard in Qlic and Power BI to drive including an overarching CRM system from Pipedrive to get a 360-degree customer view.
Wonderful all this, but often lacking is an integrated approach that starts from the same underlying business goal: scalable growth rather than a proliferation of applications and data.
We use our 4-P's model consistently with our clients and it gives us good insight into where an organization stands in its development and growth and where the biggest bottlenecks are and how to solve them. Most people very often start from what is immediately visible and useful; a product or service. Fine on an individual basis, but for a business unit or department you have to take an integral approach.
We have been using this 4-p model for several years now and have converted it into a useful methodology: the Tech-Stack audit. We examine the four described areas and show where the holes are and how to remove/resolve them. In every project we start with a customer, we do this Tech Stack audit so that we can actually add value with HubSpot and help your business grow and scale quickly.