Get ready to meet Shawn Hoyt, the vice president of commercial within OutSystems' legal team. He's a master in the art of deal desk operations and is here to spill all his secrets. Imagine a team of superheroes, swooping in to secure those big, special deals. They're innovative problem solvers, tackling complex negotiations with ease. Their mission? Speed up those high-value deals and boost sales. In the latest episode of Cockpit Counsel, Shawn reveals how to transform your deal desk and keep up with growing customer demands.
Make your deal desk the ultimate expert hub.
Dealing with a deal desk? Here's the deal: While salespeople excel at selling, they might not have the expertise to handle complex negotiations. That's where the deal desk comes in. It's the go-to source for all the knowledge you need to nail those tricky deals. Shawn emphasizes the importance of building up the deal desk's expertise. From tackling objections like a pro to streamlining internal approval processes, having a wealth of pre-built resources is a game changer. Shawn's expert tip? Anticipate objections, have fallbacks ready, and empower your team to make decisions within set parameters. That way, you can handle objections without the unnecessary red tape. It's all about having a solid playbook.
Empower your sales team with tiers.
Shawn knows the power of empowering sales reps. He offers fallback options in different tiers. Tier 1 is for standard solutions, while tier 2 allows salespeople to independently handle fallbacks, bypassing the deal desk. Shawn's team is always ready to say yes to common scenarios so salespeople can run with them. Tiers 3 and 4 require deal desk consideration, while tier 5 cases may involve legal. The goal is to respond to tier 5 cases and transform them into reusable tier 3 or 4 cases. According to Shawn, scaling comes down to reusing and empowering.
Adopt a "no-touch, low-touch" model for deals.
In the SaaS industry, Shawn has noticed a trend. Legal teams are setting minimum deal sizes before negotiating. It's all about saving time, money, and resources. Negotiations can add extra costs and slow down the sales process. So, for small deals, it's not worth it in the long run. That's where Shawn's strategy comes in. He calls it the "no-touch and low-touch thresholds." If you're below the threshold, negotiation is a no-go, or salespeople can handle it at tier 2. But they can't go all the way to tier 4. There's an exception, though. When it comes to top-tier enterprise clients, negotiation is always on the table, even for small deals. Why? Because the potential for long-term growth is massive.
To learn more from Shawn about building a successful deal desk and his invaluable tips for staying motivated in every aspect of life, check out the Cockpit Counsel episode here. Get ready to level up your deal desk game!
