What do you do if a customer wants extra features or customization?

Don't BS them ??. Products can't do everything and you build more credibility by saying up front "I'm not sure let me understand your use case and I can come back to you". It means you can keep momentum, spend more time with them and REALLY understand how they want to use your solution.

Understanding what the customer actually wants is one thing, delivering on it another one. Here are a few considerations before selling future features: 1. Include someone from product or solution engineering to assess the needs. Schedule an addition call to work through the needs in detail and get a written confirmation when designing the actual feature to ensure you ship the right thing 2. Ensure you actually have the authority to commit to future features. Ensure there is a clear level of engagement to ensure the deal isn't churning before value gets created. 3. Be upfront about what you can and cannot do. Don't commit to things you cannot do.

When customers seek extra features or customization, it’s crucial to delve beyond surface-level requests. It’s about understanding the ‘why’ behind their needs. By questioning their intentions, you ensure solutions address the root cause, not just symptoms. This approach prevents workarounds that could complicate issues. It’s a consultative stance, prioritizing long-term success over quick fixes. In software sales, such diligence fosters trust and positions you as a strategic ally in your customer’s technological journey.

First off, get a deeper understanding of what their goal with those features and customizations is. If it's not in line with your learnings from discovery (all previous conversations), challenge them respectfully. The result of this can be that the realize that those may not be needed after all or, that they are indeed needed but that the extra scope needs comes at an additional price / package etc.

Understanding the impact of your customization needs to be measurable and agreed upon between you and the customer. Outline not only the committed feature, but the actual costs, timeline and how you price it. Many companies run professional service line items at cost to win new logos. Develop clear guidelines on how to work with professional services and ideally separate out professional services org form your core product org if the size of your organization allows.

Sales handling and responding to this request will differ based on a few key factors. Those factors are the size and type of company they work for, and the spending power of the business making the request. The majority of SaaS companies do not want to consider customization unless the feature is already wildly requested. In addition, the business making the request will have to drop serious cash and do a longterm commitment in order for the project to make sense for the SaaS business. The majority of these conversations turn into massive time sucks for all parties and leaves sales frustrated. When you receive these requests, set expectations in line with your org practices and do not get lost in chasing these deals.

Some common terms in SaaS, especially when selling to financial services & startups: -Subscription Term: Offer flexible terms as advised in "Predictable Revenue" by Aaron Ross. -Pricing Model: Implement scalable pricing that adjusts with growth, similar to strategies in "Mastering the Complex Sale" by Jeff Thull. -Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Ensure high SLAs for uptime and support. -Compliance and Security: Guarantee adherence to standards like GDPR and SOC 2. -Scalability -Integration w/ client's tech stack -Data Ownership and Portability rights -Cancellation and renewal terms