How technology and consulting firms buy
B2B prospecting in technology, software and consulting has a difficulty of its own: the buyer also sells. Software houses, integrators, resellers, cloud providers and consultancies prospect all day and spot a generic email in the first line.
Buying is fast for anything that solves a problem in their own business, such as generating demand, delivering projects on time or retaining customers. It is slow for anything that touches delivery to the end customer. Many of them test before signing and want proof within a few weeks.
At a consultancy, the decision goes through the partners. At a larger software or services company, the process looks like that of any large company: annual budget, a purchasing department and an information security review.
Who makes the purchase decision at a technology company
The champion is whoever feels the pain day to day, in sales or operations. At a smaller company, the founder decides alone. At a larger one, technology and information security can veto the purchase at the end.
Public signals that open a conversation in technology
- A funding round, a fund coming in or the acquisition of another company.
- A product launch, a new service line or entry into another market.
- A new partnership with a vendor or cloud provider, or a change of certification.
- A leadership change, especially in sales, technology or operations.
- Job openings in sales, pre-sales, customer success or data, which show where the company wants to grow.
- A new office in another city or country.
What to bring to the first meeting with people who sell technology
Bring a portrait of the company: what it sells, to whom, with which partners and at what stage. Bring the fact that prompts the conversation and a value hypothesis in its language: pipeline, sales cycle, margin per project, billable hours.
Ask more than you present. To sales: where do opportunities come from? To operations: where do projects run late? To technology: what needs to integrate and what has already been tried? People who sell technology respect someone who asks good questions and discard someone who only shows slides.
Common mistakes when prospecting technology companies
- Sending the same message the buyer sends to their own customers. They recognize the template.
- Promising integration without knowing the company's systems.
- Talking only to the technical lead and forgetting the partner or director who approves the spend.
- Ignoring information security and the LGPD, which come in early in the review.
- Treating a consultancy like a software house: partners decide on relationships and reputation.
How GoSeek prepares the approach in technology
With one CNPJ (the Brazilian company tax ID) or, on the Intermediate plan, a CNPJ spreadsheet within the contract's monthly quota, the rep receives the dossier for each company in 7 to 15 minutes, built from 100 to 500 public sources. About, Momentum and Triggers show what the company sells and what changed there. Stack shows the systems it uses, each with its grade of proof (confirmed, likely or indication), so you know where your offer fits and who you will compete with.
The 0 to 100 fit score against your organization's ICP picks out the companies worth a first contact. The power map shows decision makers, champion, influencers and entry points by department and level, so you know whom to open with and who decides. On the Intermediate plan, Cadence brings each message written from the company's momentum, the opposite of the generic email this buyer discards, and the rep reviews it before sending.
If you sell to the technology department, the guide how to sell to the IT director complements this page.
What comes out about the company
Nineteen sections, each one answering a question in the sale
What people ask about B2B prospecting in technology, software and consulting
How do I prospect technology companies?
Start from a fact about the company, such as a funding round, a new product or an open position, and talk about the results of its business. A generic message gets discarded by people who also sell.
Who makes the purchase decision at a consultancy?
Usually the partners. At larger consultancies, operations and finance join the review.
How do I sell to a software house?
Show how your offer improves its sales, delivery or retention, with a hypothesis tied to the company's moment. Be ready for a short trial.
Which signals show that a technology company is going to buy?
Funding received, an acquisition, a launch, a leadership change and open positions in the area your offer serves.
Keep reading
B2B prospecting in financial services
B2B prospecting in financial services: how banks, insurers and fintechs buy, who decides, which signals open a talk and what to bring to the first meeting.
How to sell to the IT director
How to sell to the IT director: what they assess in stack, integration, security, LGPD and project risk, how to prepare the talk, objections and an agenda.
Power map in sales
Power map in B2B sales: decision maker, champion, influencer, entry point and user, how to map them at a large company and the questions that validate it.