Nailing Product-Market Fit, Adaptability, And Brand Building With Amit Pande

The digital revolution in the SaaS space has seen an explosion of tools and services catering to a myriad of business needs. But with the abundance of options comes the daunting task of finding that perfect fit. At the recent Ascent Conference in San Francisco, Amit Pande, CMO of Aviso AI, unveiled some behind-the-scenes insights on how Aviso achieved product-market fit, adapted to changing market dynamics during the pandemic, and emphasized the importance of building a strong brand in a fast-evolving SaaS landscape.

Check out the full podcast episode with Amit Pande on SaaS Backwards for more in-depth insights into Aviso AI's journey and the future of revenue management.

Mastering the Revenue Function

One of the main challenges companies face, regardless of economic conditions, is managing and predicting their revenue functions effectively. Our mission at Aviso mission is to help businesses achieve this with precision and reliability.

Amit elaborated on the three key challenges Aviso tackles:

• Beat the Number: This is all about accuracy in forecasting. No matter the scale of your enterprise, be it a mammoth like Honeywell or a budding startup like RingCentral, Aviso ensures you hit your revenue mark with an impressive 98 to 99% accuracy. Our new-age capabilities around revenue intelligence include unified forecasting (top-down and bottom-up forecast) that blends the best of human and AI judgments with the most sophisticated global roll-up forecasting in the industry. And it's not just about the final figure; our AI can also predict which deals will contribute the most to reaching that number!
• Trust the Number: CFOs and CROs often find themselves at loggerheads, questioning the trustworthiness of projected revenue figures. Aviso bridges this gap by scrutinizing not just the final numbers but the entire process leading up to them — from individual sales activities to team dynamics. We natively unify workflows of modern revenue teams, from deal collaboration to pipeline inspection, conversational and activity intelligence, and predictive forecasting into one workspace. Consolidating all essential tools from marketing, customer success, and revenue operations into a singular workspace enhances transparency and trust. 

(Find out how Aviso helped DataStax, Ivanti, and Seagate with a single pane of glass RevOps and intelligence platform.)

• Reduce the Cost: In a world cluttered with countless sales tools, Aviso helps companies significantly cut down on their CRM costs. This cost reduction not only saves money but also simplifies the workflow for sales teams. We help migrate non-core CRM users who do not use CRM often into an AI experience that not only serves their raw data needs, but also gives them Insights, Actions, and Deal Rooms.  

How does saving over a million sound? Honeywell can attest to that! 

Growth Strategies in Action

The pandemic reshaped how business is done. What truly matters to companies now are solutions that address specific pain points and challenges they face. We at Aviso, redefined the sales approach by replacing the traditional demo-centric sales approach with a more empathetic, value-driven one. 

Rather than offering feature-rich demos, our team began focusing on "personas" and identifying moments of pain in their daily life — how Aviso’s AI can add value to a day, a week, or even a year of the customer's operations. This change in approach — leading with the real challenges and pain points of our potential clients — became our game-changer, especially when approaching Fortune 500 companies. Our strategy to dive deep, investing time and effort early in the relationship to demonstrate the transformative power of Aviso, helped us garner trust and subsequently onboard big names like Honeywell, Seagate, and ServiceNow.

Powering Sales with Aviso’s AI

Aviso's AI is the ultimate sales coach offering insights about one's strengths and weaknesses. It's a practical approach that looks at every single action of a sales rep — from CRM activities, emails, to calls. The goal is to offer a mirror that reflects the actions that worked and those that did not, enabling sales reps to base their strategies on data rather than mere intuition.

1. The Power of Retrospective Analysis: Our AI doesn't just work on real-time data. It studies past behaviors and gives an understanding of deals that sales reps might have overlooked but stand a good chance of closing. This futuristic view is a gold mine for reps as it helps in focusing their energies in the right direction, thereby optimizing their efforts.

2. AI-Powered Nudges: Aviso AI isn't a dictator. It's a gentle guide, nudging salespeople in the right direction. For instance, if a rep predicts to close a deal by end of a specific quarter, but hasn't had any recent conversations with an executive sponsor or procurement, the AI sends subtle reminders. However, the power always rests with the sales reps and managers, as they have the option to override any nudge. This harmonious interplay of technology and human intuition ensures that sales processes aren't overly robotic, but rather driven by intelligent recommendations.

3. Generative AI & MIKI: Unlike a mere assistant, MIKI (Machine Intelligence and Knowledge Interface) serves as a chief of staff, smartly analyzing data like an earnings call, and presenting crucial insights. More than just aiding in writing emails, this generative AI ensures that communication is contextualized based on the history of interactions. Such details can be transformative in the realm of sales, ensuring that every outreach is tailored, informed, and effective. This kind of support amplifies the capability of sales reps by furnishing them with data-driven insights that can be decisive in deal closures.

Conclusion

Reflecting upon the insights from this podcast, three central tenets surface that any SaaS enterprise should keenly consider. First, companies need to lead with real-world pain points instead of simply demoing features in order to address the pressing concerns of potential clients. This helps companies to not only crystallize their value proposition but also foster a deeper resonance by showing an intrinsic understanding of the challenges their customers face.

Furthermore, in a world where many companies throw significant resources at broadly accepted market opportunities, there's inherent wisdom in investing where others aren’t. Companies need to spot overlooked niches and dedicate resources there in a cost-efficient manner. By doing so, they can both differentiate themselves and serve underserved segments, often with better margins and less competition.

Lastly, success often invites imitation. As competitors and copycats rush to replicate your success, the ability to remain nimble becomes paramount. Staying ahead requires businesses to remain agile, continuously innovate and be prepared o pivot when necessary.

If you're intrigued to witness these principles in action, book a demo with Aviso today.