Hey All, if you are a B2B tech company, do you find it valuable to connect with other B2B tech companies that sell into your exact target markets/verticals for reviewing challenges in selling into those markets along with potential co-selling together?
Yes, but only when the other company sells to the same buyer at a different stage. We sell to SaaS founders after their product is live, so the useful partners for us were the people selling to them earlier, like no-code tools and MVP shops. Same buyer, no overlap, easy referral both ways. Where it fell flat for us was “same vertical, similar service.” Those calls turn into comparing pricing, and nobody refers anyone. What kind of companies are you thinking of pairing up?
Thanks for insights here ABS T., I have an agency that consults/executes sales for B2B tech companies and have companies we work with meet a few times a month to discuss challenges. Finding that there are cohorts forming around different subjects (how to cold call, how to expedite compliance when selling into certain industries, etc). Want to get additional feedback on is it worth making groups for B2B tech companies that sell exactly to the same industries. An example would be a B2B tech group that sell only into healthcare (if that would be a sector Elegant Tech is pursuing ) where you can meet Epic implementation specialists who may be able to connect you with opportunities in building custom scheduling software for a health system. Alternatively, we stick to general challenges in sales which would be hyper focused but may not cover challenges specific to the industry you sell into. Setting these groups up take resources and rather get more feedback before launching.
Honest answer: the industry groups only work if the room has people on the buyer’s side, like your Epic example. A group of 8 vendors who all sell into healthcare mostly compare notes on how hard it is. One implementation specialist who knows which health systems have budget this quarter changes the whole thing. So I’d pick verticals by whether you can get 2 or 3 of those people in, not by how many vendors you have. For us it’s a bit different. We’re not vertical. We add AI features into SaaS products that are already live, so our “industry” is the founder, not their market. The group I’d show up for every month is one where SaaS founders talk about what they’re trying to add to their product and what’s stalling. That’s where I’d find work, and where they’d find someone who’s done it 300 times. If you run a pilot of either format, I’m in. Happy to be a test member and tell you what’s useful and what isn’t.
I'm always looking for more connects to SWE/PM/data teams at MM / ENT companies - generally I'll scrape your network, ghostrwite intros, pay ~$2k if it closes (or in some cases a smaller amount for meeting set, depends on client)
Haven't had much success referral sharing w/o financial incentives so that cuts right to it
Absolutely. The real value is in sharing what’s actually working in the same market and finding where both teams can create a stronger offer together.
Excellent feedback - thoughts here is with my current cohorts (all B2B tech companies), separate groups by target industries they sell into and provide both resources to overcome challenges they may have (messaging toward that market, overcoming compliance, etc) and a built in solution to the group to provide financial incentives/tracking of opportunities. Finally, seeing an opportunity to allow proven vendors to present their offerings to said groups such as Matthew D. as a funding resource if they are looking to achieve their series A or Habibur R. for email campaigns. Challenge I see in open groups as it takes a lot of time to build the relationships and even seeing the intent is even achievable from a partnership standpoint.
