Sales Motions: How to Choose the Right One?

How are sales motions transforming the modern B2B SaaS industry? The answer lies in the evolving expectations of buyers and the rapid adoption of new technologies. With 73% of B2B buyers preferring digital self-service over interacting with sales reps, it’s clear that the traditional sales processes are undergoing a significant shift. But what exactly is changing, and why is this important for SaaS companies?

Sales motions, the structured processes by which sales teams engage prospects and close deals, are increasingly tailored to meet changing buyer behaviors. As the boundaries between outbound, product-led, and channel sales blur, companies must adapt their strategies to stay competitive. This evolution is not just about improving efficiency but ensuring that the sales reps can focus on providing the most value at each stage of the buyer’s journey.

What is a Sales Motion?

A sales motion refers to the systematic approach a sales team uses to engage prospects, nurture relationships, and close deals. In the B2B SaaS world, sales motions are essential to maintain a competitive edge, given the complexity of products and customer needs.

Key components of a sales motion include the methodology (such as outbound or product-led), tactics (like cold emailing or product trials), and the tools (CRM systems, marketing automation platforms). These elements together form the backbone of a SaaS company’s sales strategy.

Sales motions are vital because they align sales efforts with the unique buying behaviors in the SaaS market. With long sales cycles and diverse customer personas, having a defined sales motion ensures consistency, scalability, and measurable results. Whether it’s improving lead generation or accelerating conversions, sales motions are critical to success.

Common Sales Motions in B2B SaaS

In the competitive and fast-evolving world of SaaS, businesses must adopt various sales motions to effectively engage different types of customers. Each sales motion addresses specific needs and contexts, helping companies optimize their outreach, build relationships, and close deals. Below, we explore some of the most prevalent sales motions in B2B SaaS, outlining how they work and their unique advantages.

Outbound Sales

Outbound sales involves actively reaching out to potential customers through direct channels such as cold calling, email campaigns, and social media outreach. This approach is especially useful for SaaS companies targeting enterprise clients or selling complex, high-ticket products that require personalized attention.

Proactive Engagement: Outbound sales teams take the initiative to connect with decision-makers rather than waiting for leads to come in through inbound channels. This motion allows businesses to maintain control over their pipeline by actively sourcing potential deals.
High Personalization: Outbound sales often require a high level of customization to the prospect’s business needs, making it ideal for building long-term relationships with key stakeholders. Sales reps spend time researching the prospect’s pain points and tailoring their pitch accordingly.
Targeting Ideal Customers: This motion allows companies to be selective about the clients they pursue. Instead of relying on inbound traffic, outbound sales teams focus on prospects who fit the ideal customer profile (ICP), making it more likely that the prospects will convert into long-term customers.
Scalability: Although outbound sales can be time-intensive, it is scalable with the right tools and strategies in place. Many SaaS companies use a combination of automated email sequences, CRM systems, and call-tracking software to streamline their outbound sales efforts.

Despite the increasing popularity of inbound marketing and product-led sales, outbound sales remain an essential part of many SaaS companies’ strategies, particularly those dealing with complex sales cycles or high average contract value (ACV).

Field or Outside Sales

Field sales, also known as outside sales, involve face-to-face interactions with prospects, making it a more traditional but highly effective approach in certain contexts. For SaaS companies targeting large enterprises or selling high-ACV solutions, field sales can be invaluable.

In-Person Engagement: Field sales reps visit prospects on-site, often conducting meetings, presentations, and demonstrations in person. This allows for a more personalized, consultative approach, which can build trust and rapport faster than digital interactions alone.
Enterprise Focus: Field sales are particularly useful for enterprise SaaS companies that deal with complex products or solutions that require in-depth understanding. These deals often involve multiple stakeholders and long sales cycles, making in-person meetings essential for navigating decision-making processes.
Consultative Selling: In field sales, the sales rep takes on the role of a consultant, offering tailored solutions based on the prospect’s specific needs. This level of personalization is crucial for closing large deals that involve multiple stakeholders.
Resurgence of Field Sales: While digital sales motions like product-led and outbound have become popular, the value of field sales has seen a resurgence. This motion has evolved to complement digital efforts by providing the human touch, particularly in scenarios where large, complex deals require a high level of trust and personalized service.

Field sales can be expensive and resource-intensive, but the payoff can be significant when selling high-value products to large enterprises. By blending digital sales tactics with in-person engagement, SaaS companies can create a well-rounded approach to acquiring and retaining major clients.

Product-Led Sales

Product-led sales is a motion in which the product itself is the primary driver of customer acquisition, engagement, and conversion. SaaS companies offering freemium models or free trials typically adopt this motion, allowing users to experience the value of the product before making a purchase decision.

Self-Service Model: In product-led sales, the sales cycle starts with the user interacting with the product independently. Prospects are given access to free versions or trials, allowing them to explore features and benefits at their own pace.
Low Barrier to Entry: By offering free trials or freemium models, product-led companies remove many of the barriers to adoption. Prospects can try the product with no upfront commitment, which leads to higher conversion rates when the product delivers value quickly.
Organic Growth: As users experience the product’s value, they are more likely to upgrade to paid versions or higher-tier plans. This motion leverages the product’s strengths to drive organic growth through word-of-mouth, referrals, and product virality.
Efficiency: Product-led sales motions are often more efficient in terms of resource allocation. By allowing the product to sell itself, sales teams can focus their efforts on high-value prospects or upselling existing customers, rather than chasing cold leads.

Many successful SaaS companies, like Figma and Slack, use product-led sales to drive growth by offering free trials and then converting satisfied users into paying customers. This motion works particularly well for products that offer immediate value and are easy to adopt without extensive sales assistance.

Channel Sales

Channel sales is a motion where SaaS companies partner with third-party distributors, resellers, or system integrators to sell their products. By outsourcing part of the sales process to external partners, companies can scale faster and reach a broader audience.

Leveraging Partner Networks: Channel sales allow SaaS companies to tap into the existing customer bases of their partners. Distributors and resellers often have deep relationships with potential clients, which can expedite the sales cycle and reduce the need for direct sales efforts.
Scaling Efficiently: For many SaaS companies, building an internal sales team large enough to cover a global market is not feasible. Channel partnerships provide a scalable way to reach more customers without the cost and complexity of hiring and managing a large sales force.
Reduced Sales Costs: By relying on partners to handle sales, SaaS companies can reduce the costs associated with lead generation, sales outreach, and customer support. Channel partners often handle these tasks in exchange for a commission or revenue-sharing agreement.
Case Study: Atlassian: Atlassian has famously used a channel sales motion to expand its reach. By partnering with resellers and integrators, Atlassian has been able to grow its user base without the need for a large direct sales force, focusing instead on product development and innovation.

Channel sales motions are ideal for SaaS companies looking to scale rapidly without the overhead of a large in-house sales team. By leveraging the networks and expertise of external partners, companies can reach new

Sales Motions vs. Sales Plays

Understanding the distinction between sales motions and sales plays is essential for building an effective sales strategy in B2B SaaS. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, they serve different purposes within the sales process. While sales motions define the overarching approach to selling, sales plays are tactical actions taken within that framework to achieve specific short-term goals. Let’s explore these two concepts in detail and see how they work together to drive sales success.

Sales Motions

Sales motions are the strategic frameworks that guide a company’s entire sales process. A sales motion outlines the broader approach a company uses to engage prospects, nurture relationships, and close deals. It is a comprehensive plan that encompasses the methodology, tools, and tactics that sales teams use to achieve their long-term goals.

For example:

A SaaS company may adopt a product-led sales motion where the product itself drives customer acquisition and engagement.
Alternatively, a company selling to large enterprises may use an outbound sales motion, focusing on direct outreach to decision-makers through cold calls and email campaigns.

Sales motions provide a clear structure for how sales teams approach the market, making them essential for aligning sales efforts across different departments, teams, and stages of the customer journey.

Key elements of a sales motion include:

Customer acquisition strategy (outbound, inbound, product-led)
Sales funnel stages (prospecting, qualifying, closing)
Sales methodologies (MEDDIC, SPICED)
Long-term goals (building customer relationships, expanding customer base)

A well-defined sales motion helps sales teams stay focused on their long-term objectives and provides a consistent framework for engaging customers.

Sales Plays

In contrast to the broad strategy provided by a sales motion, sales plays are tactical actions designed to address specific scenarios within the sales process. A sales play focuses on short-term goals and provides a detailed plan for executing a specific action, such as re-engaging cold leads or conducting a product demonstration for a new prospect.

Sales plays are situational, meaning they are designed to be used in specific contexts depending on where the prospect is in the sales funnel. For instance, if a prospect has gone cold after initial outreach, a sales play might involve sending a personalized follow-up email or launching a targeted email campaign to reignite interest.

Key components of a sales play include:

Trigger events (a lead goes cold, a new product feature is launched)
Actionable steps (what the sales rep should do next)
Metrics for success (response rate, re-engagement rate)

Sales plays help sales reps execute day-to-day tasks more efficiently by providing them with clear instructions and a playbook for specific situations. This makes them an essential tool for improving the overall effectiveness of sales teams.

How Sales Motions and Sales Plays Work Together

Sales motions and sales plays complement each other, with sales motions providing the overarching structure and sales plays delivering the tactical steps needed to execute that structure. Together, they form a powerful combination that enables sales teams to work more efficiently and effectively.

For example:

In an outbound sales motion, sales teams might focus on cold-calling prospects and building relationships through direct outreach. Within that sales motion, a sales play might involve sending a personalized follow-up email to a prospect who didn’t respond to an initial call.
In a product-led sales motion, where users sign up for free trials, a sales play might involve launching an email campaign to convert trial users into paying customers by highlighting specific features they haven’t yet explored.

By having well-defined sales plays within a broader sales motion, companies can ensure their sales teams are equipped to handle various scenarios efficiently. This combination allows companies to scale their efforts, as sales plays can be easily replicated and adapted for different situations while staying aligned with the overall sales motion.

Examples of Sales Plays in Common Sales Motions

Let’s explore some common sales plays within different sales motions to better understand how they function together:

Outbound Sales Motion:

Sales Play – Re-engaging Cold Leads: In this play, sales reps focus on prospects who have stopped responding to outreach efforts. The play might involve sending a personalized email highlighting new product features, offering a discount, or sharing case studies to spark renewed interest.
Sales Play – Multi-Channel Outreach: This play involves using multiple channels (e.g., phone, email, social media) to engage with high-value prospects. The goal is to ensure that sales reps can capture the attention of the prospect across various touchpoints, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

Product-Led Sales Motion:

Sales Play – Nurturing Free Trial Users: In this play, sales reps target users who signed up for a free trial but haven’t converted to a paid plan. The play might involve sending a series of onboarding emails, offering product demos, or highlighting features that are relevant to the user’s needs.
Sales Play – Upselling Existing Customers: Once a customer is actively using the product, sales reps can use this play to upsell them on premium features or higher-tier plans. The play might involve sending personalized recommendations based on the user’s usage data or scheduling a call to discuss how the customer can maximize the product’s value.

Field or Outside Sales Motion:

Sales Play – On-Site Executive Meeting: For enterprise-level deals, a play might involve scheduling an on-site meeting with company executives to discuss a customized solution for the prospect’s business. This play often includes preparing a tailored presentation and addressing any specific concerns the customer might have.
Sales Play – Proposal Review: After an initial on-site meeting, sales reps can follow up with a detailed proposal review. This play might involve presenting a formal proposal document that addresses the prospect’s unique challenges and outlines how the SaaS product can solve their pain points.

Why Sales Motions and Sales Plays are Both Essential

Both sales motions and sales plays are crucial to a successful sales process, but they address different needs within that process. While a sales motion provides a broad, long-term plan for reaching and engaging customers, sales plays offer specific, actionable steps that sales reps can take to achieve immediate goals.

Together, these two elements:

Improve Efficiency: By having well-defined sales plays within a broader sales motion, sales reps can move quickly and confidently, knowing exactly what steps to take in various scenarios.
Scale Sales Efforts: Sales plays can be easily replicated across teams, allowing companies to scale their sales efforts while maintaining consistency and quality.
Maximize Effectiveness: With the right combination of sales motions and sales plays, companies can ensure that their sales teams are not only executing the broader strategy but also optimizing every interaction with potential customers.

Sales Motions vs. Sales Methodologies

Understanding the distinction between sales motions and sales methodologies is crucial for developing a successful strategy in B2B SaaS sales. While both terms relate to how sales teams operate, they serve different purposes. Sales motions define the overarching approach a company uses to navigate the sales cycle, whereas sales methodologies provide the specific framework or system that guides how salespeople interact with prospects and close deals. By effectively combining the two, SaaS companies can create a more dynamic, adaptable sales strategy that responds to market needs and buyer behaviors.

Sales Motions

Sales motions are the structured approaches a sales team takes throughout the sales process. These motions can include outbound sales, product-led sales, field sales, or channel sales, depending on the company’s target market, product, and resources. A sales motion essentially answers the question: How will we reach and sell to our target customers?

Sales motions allow companies to:

Align sales efforts with customer expectations and behavior.
Create consistency and scalability across sales teams.
Measure success and adjust tactics based on real-time performance data.

For example, a company using a product-led sales motion would focus on allowing users to experience the product first-hand (often through a freemium model), while an outbound sales motion would prioritize proactive outreach via cold calls and emails.

Sales Methodologies

On the other hand, sales methodologies provide the framework for how salespeople should engage with prospects at various stages of the sales process. They offer a set of principles, guidelines, and best practices that sales teams follow to build relationships, identify needs, and close deals. While a sales motion defines what a company does, a sales methodology explains how it is done.

Some popular sales methodologies include:

MEDDIC: A methodology focused on understanding the customer’s decision-making process, MEDDIC (Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, and Champion) is ideal for complex, high-value sales. It helps salespeople thoroughly qualify prospects and tailor their pitch based on the specific pain points of the customer.
SPICED: This methodology emphasizes identifying the customer’s Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event, and Decision. SPICED is effective for SaaS companies because it allows sales teams to uncover not just surface-level needs but deeper motivations that drive buying decisions.
Sandler Selling: A methodology designed to build strong, trust-based relationships with prospects, the Sandler Selling approach encourages salespeople to focus on understanding the prospect’s true needs before presenting solutions. This customer-centric approach is particularly valuable in long sales cycles.
Challenger Sales: In this methodology, salespeople take a more assertive role, “challenging” prospects by offering new insights or perspectives that disrupt their thinking. The Challenger Sales approach is ideal for SaaS companies operating in competitive markets where it’s important to differentiate based on knowledge and innovation.

Integrating Sales Motions and Methodologies

While sales motions define the broad strokes of how a company approaches sales, sales methodologies offer the tactical details for executing those motions. In practice, SaaS companies often use a blend of both, tailoring their approach based on the nature of the product and the target customer.

For example:

A company using an outbound sales motion may implement the MEDDIC methodology to ensure that its sales team is thoroughly qualifying leads and focusing their time on high-value prospects.
In contrast, a company using a product-led sales motion might employ the Challenger Sales methodology to provide prospective customers with new insights that make them more likely to engage deeply with the product.

Why Both Matter for SaaS Companies

The integration of both sales motions and sales methodologies is crucial for SaaS companies. As buyer behavior evolves, particularly in B2B environments where buyers expect more personalization and a deeper understanding of their pain points, companies need to adapt their sales strategies accordingly.

Sales motions give teams the flexibility to adjust their overall approach based on factors such as market size, customer profile, and the complexity of the product.
Sales methodologies ensure that each interaction with a prospect is structured, purposeful, and tailored to meet the prospect’s specific needs.

By combining a well-defined sales motion with an appropriate sales methodology, SaaS companies can ensure that their sales process is both scalable and adaptable, ultimately driving better results. This combination also provides a framework for sales teams to navigate complex, high-value deals with confidence, while ensuring consistency across the organization.

Adapting to Market Changes

As the SaaS industry continues to evolve, sales motions and sales methodologies must adapt as well. With new technologies emerging and customer expectations shifting, sales teams need to be agile in their approach. For example, with the rise of artificial intelligence and automation, SaaS companies may implement more hybrid sales motions, blending product-led and outbound tactics. Meanwhile, methodologies like SPICED can be adjusted to factor in the increasing importance of data-driven insights in the sales process.

Incorporating both a flexible sales motion and a robust sales methodology enables SaaS companies to stay ahead of the curve and respond effectively to changes in the market.

Real-World Examples of Sales Motions in Action

Let’s look at some real-world examples of sales motions that have proven successful for SaaS companies:

Enterprise and Outside Sales: Beekeeper, a SaaS company providing digital workplace solutions, uses an enterprise sales motion to engage large accounts. The company’s approach involves executive visits and tailored proposals to win high-value contracts.
Land and Expand: Chili Piper employs the “land and expand” sales motion, where they start by solving a small problem for a customer and then expand across departments to increase their footprint within the organization.
Product-Led Sales: Figma, a collaborative design tool, drives growth using a product-led sales motion. By offering free access to their product, they allow users to experience the value first-hand before upgrading to paid plans.
Channel Sales: Atlassian’s channel sales motion allows them to reach larger accounts through partnerships with resellers, enabling the company to scale without a large direct sales force.

Factors That Impact Your Sales Motion

Several factors influence the choice of sales motion for a B2B SaaS company. These include:

Average Contract Value (ACV): High-ACV products often require more personalized sales motions, such as outside sales.
Budget and Resources: Companies with limited resources may prioritize product-led sales motions to minimize direct sales efforts.
Market Size and Reach: The larger the total addressable market (TAM), the more scalable sales motions like outbound and product-led become.
Product Complexity: Complex products may require a combination of channel and field sales to educate customers and close deals.
Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): The characteristics of your target audience dictate which sales motion will resonate best.

Overlapping Sales Motions in SaaS

In many cases, sales motions overlap as SaaS companies tailor their strategies to meet the diverse needs of their customers. For instance, a company might start with product-led sales to attract smaller accounts and then transition to channel sales for larger clients.

Blurring the Lines: Sales motions often overlap when dealing with different segments of the market. Combining motions allows companies to scale efficiently while adapting to different buyer personas.
Tailoring to Buyers’ Needs: By adopting multiple sales motions, SaaS companies can create personalized experiences, ensuring they meet customer expectations.
Best Practices: To maximize efficiency, companies should regularly evaluate their sales motions and adjust them based on customer feedback and performance metrics.

Conclusion

As the B2B SaaS landscape evolves, so do the sales motions that companies rely on to drive growth. Understanding and adapting the right sales motion for your business can significantly impact your success. Whether you focus on product-led, outbound, or channel sales, the key is to remain flexible and customer-focused.