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AT YOUR SERVICE: XaaS T here are a number of ways to offer unified communications. One is to treat it like a product to replace what a client has – a PBX, a key system, POTS lines. This is the traditional approach. The new wave of UCaaS providers approach it differently. They treat it like selling software. Because it is. When selling software, there needs to be an exploration of the client’s needs. What are they looking to accomplish? What isn’t working right now with their current package? What other software do the employ- ees need to interact with to do their jobs? The demo isn’t just about the flash and bang, it is about the hot buttons of the client. Today, most UCaaS demonstrations are about what the provider thinks is cool – not what the client is looking for. That’s how things are done on the EC show flow, but that isn’t what closes deals in the real world. There just isn’t enough question- ing going on about business process, outcome, and just an all-around “What are you trying to do with this software?”. One reason Zoom won during the pandemic was due to it being video first. It was FaceTime for business. It was audio, web and video conferenc- ing in a sleek, easy to use design. Most of UCaaS was pushing voice replace- ment and forgot to mention presence, messaging, conferencing, video and the other features that have been in the bundle for years. Microsoft Teams won during the pandemic because of presence, messaging and brand. There are many providers that offer a similar set of features. They just were not top of mind. They just weren’t packaged that way. (They still aren’t, as we see from providers pushing SIP trunking, also called direct routing, instead of trying to replace or overlay or augment Microsoft.) One UCaaS provider does a decent job of showing the wiz with the artificial intelligence, analytics, search and the user interface. There is a lot of buzz around AI, but explaining how it actually helps the user is another story. There are so many features, and most providers have them to some degree. In sales it is about helping the business reach its goals faster because of your assistance. The best salespeople ask about goals and processes and then describe how the technology will get companies there. The technology is just a tool. The tech is just software, which is why selling any “aaS” as anything but software is challenging. CPaaS, CCaaS, UCaaS and especially SaaS are all software that is available for the business to leverage for a fee. The sales team is there to shine a light on the ways that the software can improve things for the business. With a hybrid workplace becoming the norm, businesses will be looking to upgrade their current platforms for something better, more efficient, easier to use, simpler or more cost effective. None of that is about voice. All of it is about what is the customer trying to achieve. Questions that not many salespeople are used to asking. And finally, in follow up, stop asking for the contract. Follow up is about reenforcing the hot buttons that your software solves. It is about sending out a use case that is similar to the prospect. It is about answering the lingering questions from the demo. It is not about “Have you decided yet?”. That’s lazy and unhelpful. To sell UCaaS (and CCaaS) the best way, treat it like software. Treat it like a series of components that the prospect can leverage to meet her needs. Don’t just replace what the business has; get the business ahead of its competition. We talk about digital transformation; well, transform their business with the software that your company is providing. o Peter Radizeski is president of RAD-INFO INC., a telecom strategy and marketing consult- ing agency. He is a sales trainer, writer, consultant and speaker. He is available to speak at your events on channel, marketing, strategy or sales. By Peter Radizeski Stop Selling; Start Helping Tips for selling UCaaS 44 CHANNEL V ISION | July - August 2021