For Usage-Based Software Sellers, the Game is Rigged

Selling in the world of enterprise software has never been easy, but for sellers of usage-based or outcome-based software, the game feels rigged. Why? Because they don't have access to the data and insights they need to do their jobs effectively.

Imagine being a seller responsible for hitting a quota but having to rely on incomplete or outdated information about your customer's behavior. That's the reality for many sales teams selling usage-based products today. They're often flying blind, missing out on key revenue signals—signals that could be the difference between hitting quota, getting adequately compensated for the work they put in and delivering results for the business. It's like play the game on "Hard mode" by default.

The Challenge: Lack of Access to Key Revenue Signals

The shift to usage-based or value-based pricing models should, in theory, give sellers a clear advantage. These pricing models are based on actual customer usage, providing rich data that could signal when a customer is most likely to expand, renew, or churn. The problem is most of that data is siloed within product or engineering teams, leaving sellers without access to the real-time insights they need to anticipate customer needs and sell more effectively.

Key revenue signals like product usage spikes, declining usage patterns, or feature adoption trends are all buried within technical dashboards. Sales teams need these insights to:

• Attain Quotas Faster: By knowing which customers are reaching usage thresholds or showing increased engagement, sellers can prioritize upsell opportunities and focus on the most promising leads.
• Proactively Prevent Churn: Sellers could spot early warning signs when a customer's usage starts dropping and reach out to address potential issues before it's too late.
• Do Better Demand Planning: Sales teams could forecast more accurately if they had access to real-time data on customer usage patterns, helping them anticipate growth and target their efforts accordingly.

The Data is There—But It's Not Accessible

Most usage-based companies have tons of valuable information that could power more effective selling. However, most companies today focus on building tools for developers, leaving other teams—especially go-to-market teams—behind. Sellers often don't even know what insights are available, let alone how to get their hands on them.

Sellers need the right revenue signals embedded in their workflows. They need data that helps them see when customers are:

• Approaching Usage Limits: Identifying expansion opportunities
• Underutilizing Features: Spotting adoption challenges
• Showing Growth Signals: Recognizing potential for higher-value tiers

The New Age of Software Demands Smarter Selling

As more companies adopt usage-based, outcome-based, or value-based pricing models, this issue will only become more pronounced. Sales teams will increasingly be tasked with selling products whose revenue potential is based on real-time usage and evolving customer needs. Sellers will need to be equipped with tools that provide real-time revenue signals and usage data, integrated directly into their daily workflows.

The companies that will win in this new era of software aren't just the ones with the best products. They'll be the ones that give their sales teams the best information—data that empowers them to act strategically, prevent churn, and close deals faster.