Case Study: Redefining Sales Strategy for an Energy Tech SaaS.
Client: SaaS company offering hardware and software for equipment-level energy data management in commercial buildings.
Challenge: Create a scalable direct sales strategy targeting facility and sustainability managers to build a pipeline and drive engagement with high-value prospects.
Results: Developed a customized, persona-focused sales approach that generated $6.2 million in pipeline value within six months and exceeded weekly appointment targets.
The Challenge: Why Traditional B2B Tactics Weren’t Reaching Busy Decision-Makers
This energy tech SaaS client had a solution that combined hardware and software to optimize energy use and support predictive maintenance in commercial facilities.
Despite some initial success through referrals, the company lacked a scalable direct sales approach.
Facility managers and sustainability directors—hands-on, time-strapped professionals—weren’t responding to standard B2B sales tactics, leaving the client with inconsistent engagement and limited growth potential.
Key Issues Identified:
⚡️ Low Engagement on Standard Channels: Facility managers were largely unresponsive to cold emails and LinkedIn outreach due to limited desk time and hectic schedules.
⚡️ Fatigue Toward Demos: Prospects were often reluctant to engage in full-length demos unless they had a high degree of interest, limiting early-stage interactions.
⚡️ Limited Persona Insights: Initial outreach was based on job titles, without fully understanding the daily realities and preferences of each persona.
⚡️ Technology Access Barriers: Many prospects lacked familiarity with common virtual meeting tools, making traditional video demos challenging.
Solution Overview: Developing a Persona-Driven Sales Process
Why Use Persona Mapping for B2B Sales, Specifically in the Energy Sector?:
Instead of relying on job titles, we mapped out emotional and behavioral characteristics of the target personas—facility managers and sustainability directors.
This approach allowed us to design messaging that resonated with their preferences for clarity and convenience rather than traditional problem-based pitches.
🔑 Key Takeaway: By understanding buying behavior, we shifted our focus to present the product as an efficient, helpful tool rather than a lengthy, problem-solving process.
How We Restructured Demos to Highlight Immediate Value
Traditional discovery-heavy demos weren’t resonating with this audience. We restructured the demos to deliver value quickly:
🛠️ Starting with Hardware: Demos led with the physical product as an immediate hook, showing prospects something tangible they could relate to.
📩 Outcome-Focused Messaging: Instead of lengthy problem-based discovery, we highlighted clear benefits like reduced energy costs and predictive maintenance capabilities, tying them directly to business outcomes.
🔑 Key Outcome: This approach provided a more engaging demo experience and allowed us to introduce key features without a high time investment from the buyer.
Results: Building a Repeatable, Persona-Focused Sales System
Consistent Pipeline Growth:
Generated $6.2 million in pipeline value within the first six months, surpassing the client’s weekly appointment targets.
Higher Engagement through Direct Calls:
Personalized phone outreach resulted in increased response rates compared to email, meeting the preferences of hands-on, time-sensitive buyers.
Why This Approach Worked
By recognizing the unique challenges and preferences of facility managers, this sales strategy focused on aligning with the day-to-day realities of the personas rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. This method improved engagement, reduced resistance, and made it easier for prospects to see the product’s value without a time-intensive process.
🔑 Key Wins:
Persona mapping boosts engagement by aligning with buyer preferences.
Direct, humor-infused calls outperform email outreach for facility managers.
Quick ROI through paid pilot programs reduces buyer risk and drives faster adoption.
Focus on Persona Preferences over Job Titles:
An emotional and behavioral understanding of buyers can reveal key insights into effective outreach and messaging.
Streamline Demos to Provide Immediate Value:
For busy decision-makers, an efficient demo that starts with the product’s value is more effective than lengthy discovery.
What Outreach Channels Work Best for Facility Managers?
We learned that traditional outreach channels, like email and LinkedIn, weren’t highly effective for this audience. By testing alternative methods, we found:
📞 Direct Phone Calls with a Personal Touch: Calls opened with a brief, humorous introduction to quickly engage the often gruff decision-makers, leading to higher engagement and more candid responses.
💰 Ballpark Pricing Early in the Process: Offering a rough price range up front made it easier to capture interest, bypassing the need for lengthy pre-demo discussions and giving qualified prospects a clearer picture of the solution.
🔑 Key Adjustment: Providing early cost transparency and engaging prospects via direct calls increased the likelihood of securing meetings with genuinely interested leads.
Implementing Paid Pilot Programs to Reduce Onboarding Resistance
Prospects were often hesitant to commit to a large-scale deployment without testing the system. We introduced paid pilot programs supported by utility partnerships, allowing prospects to try the platform with minimal risk. We allowed for smaller scope implementations to help lower the barrier to entry.
🔑 Key Insight: Offering a low-risk pilot program allowed facility managers to test the solution without a major commitment, making the product’s value clearer and reducing initial resistance.
Use Direct Communication Channels:
Hands-on buyers often prefer direct calls and early cost transparency over emails and demo-first approaches.
Offer Low-Risk Entry Points:
Paid pilot programs reduce buyer risk and allow for firsthand experience with the product, especially useful in high-value SaaS sales.
This approach isn’t for everyone.
If you’re open to rethinking your sales strategy and getting an outside perspective, schedule a free call.
Let’s see if there’s a new path forward for your business.
Increased Demo Show Rates:
Shifting to browser-based Teams calls and offering an engaging, outcomes-focused demo flow led to higher participation.