Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

SaaS Needs a Single Point of Purchase

landshark.io

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 172 posts

Re: SaaS Needs a Single Point of Purchase

#3

Post by Jugurtha »

This is a pretty established distribution model often called "bottom up" approach, and it's particularly relevant to enterprise sales where you allow the users to start using the software without friction [something that was proper to "consumer" applications] and then allow management to pay for that software, or users to pull their corporate credit card and buy what their budget allows.

One turn-off for us for machine learning platforms was going to the website, wanting to try the software, and then finding a button that says "Schedule a demo" or "Schedule a sales call". I want to try the software, not talk with your salespeople. I want to create an account, or request access to a demo account without speaking with someone. Then I want to be able to pay for it without speaking to someone. I have the proverbial, and sometimes literal, credit card in my hand: let me pay.

That weighed on our decision to make our own platform[0], because we simply don't like to buy things this way.

Again, there are differences with low-touch and high-touch software, and situations where the regulatory context or contract amounts require that at some point, people sit down together, but that's for particular cases and clients. We made custom machine learning products for large enterprise, so we sit a lot with clients, but the word "custom" is there.

Some content that goes into this is Slack's CEO discussing this with Yammer's former CEO[1]. Slack's CEO also discussed this in a Pando Monthly[2]: they didn't have a "sales" team, but sometimes needed to 'onboard' a large organization. He also addresses how raising $1B reassured many 'traditional' and 'sensitive' organizations into using Slack for internal communications.

- [0]: https://iko.ai

- [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NbXBGjUrA0

- [2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbM1iOi33NY

Re: SaaS Needs a Single Point of Purchase

#4

Post by chrismeller »

He complains about the reseller and their incompetence, but (incompetence aside) this is basically what he's looking for?

I know it's one of those things that tends to change over time, particularly if your account rep changes, but wouldn't simply finding a reseller that doesn't suck be the answer here? Perhaps one that lets you automate quotes and purchases...

Re: SaaS Needs a Single Point of Purchase

#7

Post by jakozaur »

As a director at successful startup I see how we went from being able to buy new software in minutes by pulling credit card to multi stage procurement process of public company.

All changes got good intention: 1. We need to be secure. Know what kind of data there.

2. We need check and balances for finance.

3. We need to be compliant.

Etc.

I would love if there would be open consortium that could provide a lot of services, without price overhead that also establish some quality/security/compliance bar for its members.

Companies as a broker model is flawed. Procurement won't accept paying 20%+ extra for same stuff. Terrible lock-in.

Post reply on HN