In the fast-paced world of growing SaaS businesses, sales teams and legal teams often find themselves at odds. Sales teams are driven by the urgency to close deals and generate revenue, while legal teams are tasked with safeguarding the company’s long-term interests. This misalignment can create bottlenecks in the sales process. However, by fostering a strong partnership based on open communication and mutual respect, these two departments can accelerate deal closures and foster company growth.
Building a Strong Partnership
A crucial component of this collaboration is regular meetings and discussions to align the goals of both departments. By doing so, not only are smoother operations facilitated, but it also fosters a culture of respect and trust between the teams. Open communication plays a vital role, and leaders like Eunice Buhler (G2’s General Counsel) and Colin Danaher (VP of Enterprise Sales) emphasize the value of being accessible and responsive to urgent matters. This approach has been instrumental in building a strong and successful partnership between sales and legal teams.
Marching Towards Common Goals
The CEO plays a crucial role in aligning the goals and responsibilities of different business units to achieve a common objective. At G2, this alignment is achieved through the Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, and Measures (V2MOM) planning process. By having a clearly articulated company vision and goals, all department-specific V2MOMs ladder up to it. This clear alignment helps minimize and resolve conflicts, allowing teams to balance long-term risk with short-term gain.
Understanding Each Other’s Perspective
Effective partnership on customer negotiations requires sales and legal teams to be on the same page. Prior discussions and alignment of positions enable them to present a united front. It’s essential for both teams to understand each other’s perspectives and communicate in a language that everyone understands. This mutual understanding leads to better collaboration and improved outcomes for both the company and the customer.
Proactive and Collaborative Approach
Having attorneys who are focused on moving deals forward is essential for success. Fostering a “get to yes” mentality encourages the sales team to respect and adhere to instances where the legal team needs to assert a ‘no.’ Soft skills also play a significant role, and leaders are advised to seek out collaborative candidates with a commercially focused mindset.
Conclusion
In summary, collaboration between sales and legal teams is crucial for the success of growing SaaS businesses. By prioritizing open communication, mutual respect, and a shared goal of business success, these teams can work together to accelerate deal closures and drive company growth. Embracing a proactive and collaborative approach, while understanding each other’s perspectives, leads to fruitful partnerships. With the right mindset and strategies in place, other organizations can replicate this successful partnership model.
To learn more about legal considerations when using AI chatbot technology, check out G2’s General Counsel Eunice Buhler’s insights here.