Selling to developers and technical audiences requires a different approach than traditional B2B SaaS sales. In a recent SaaStr Workshop Wednesday, Komodor CRO Jim Hunnewell who also previously led sales at companies like GitHub, shared his first-hand experience and insights for successfully selling to engineering teams.
The days of pure top-down enterprise sales are over when it comes to technical products. As software continues to “eat the world” (as Marc Andreessen famously predicted), developers have gained significant influence in purchasing decisions. While CFOs have regained some control post-2020, one thing remains clear: if you don’t have buy-in from the technical developers and engineers actually using your product, you won’t get the deal done.
Considerations for Selling SaaS to Engineers or Developers
The first thing to know about selling to Engineers and Developers and a common misconception is that they do get sales. They know you’re selling them a product. While they don’t necessarily love salespeople, they do love their craft, and its important to understand that they’re never thinking you’re going to sell them the silver bullet. Don’t fall into a trap of not understanding the product enough, and overstating that your solution will improve their code overnight. If you over-promise them, they’re not going to trust you.
Second, when you’re selling to a more technical audience, lose the fluff in the sales cycle. Keep it as simple as possible with this audience and be very direct with your value proposition. Focus more on the quality of the experience: how you follow up, how your product delivers value, etc. that’s what really matters to them. And be very clear on what the product can deliver on vs what you don’t have.
Third, whereas engineers and developers used to more commonly hold absolute power over their own budget, additional executive approvals have more recently come back into play. So when you’re thinking about this audience, you always have to think about being multi-threaded now as finance has come back into the deal cycle much more than it used to.
Define Your ICP
When you’re thinking about your audience and selling into this sector— don’t boil the ocean. Yes, you can help ‘everyone’, but who can you really help? Who really cares about the solution we’re providing for the problems we think we’re solving. As a sales leader it’s your responsibility to make sure you’re hyper-focused with the founders and you agree on your Ideal Customer Profile and on top targets.
Beware of the left of the chasm on the chart above. While your early adopters and innovators are amazing. A lot of times these phenomenal engineering organizations don’t need you even though you’re putting a lot of yourself and the product out there, you’re giving it to an audience that is very much put together already. Look out for these pseudo-champion organizations that are just trying to learn from you. They’ll never really feel the pain you’re trying to solve or think they need to buy your product.
More so, look to the right of the chasm. Which segment has the best product-market fit? It’s your call to define this, but you really do need to know this from a velocity standpoint and enterprise versus commercial velocity, because it has a lot of impacts on your partnership with marketing, enablement, your messaging, and your assets. As soon as possible, try to lock in and fixate and focus on this to define and develop a top target list to go after.
Know Your Technical Personas
When selling to engineering organizations, you need to also understand and navigate multiple key personas:
- The Developers/Engineers: They are the ultimate users and have tremendous influence. They view their work as a craft and won’t accept solutions being forced upon them. Win them over first or you’re done.
- Technical Decision Makers: These are your “10x engineers” – the architects and principal engineers who may not have leadership titles but carry massive influence with leadership.
- Engineering Directors: Often your champion and key influencer who can take you to the final approver. They care deeply about developer productivity and happiness.
- CTO/Engineering Leadership: The final approvers who need to see clear business value and ROI. They won’t approve if the benefits don’t align with business objectives.
The Sales Team Question: How Technical Do You Need to Be?
One of the biggest debates in technical sales is how technical the sales team needs to be. The key learning? Intellectual curiosity matters as much as technical expertise.
Great technical sales reps:
- Show genuine interest in understanding the product and its value
- Take time to learn the ecosystem and technical context
- Are willing to lean on Sales Engineers and /or technical resources while continuously building their knowledge
- Focus on authentic relationships rather than trying to fake technical depth
- Are not afraid to bring in more technical team members to a deal cycle
Early Stage Success: Leverage Your Founders
In early-stage technical sales:
- Founders are your best salespeople – use them extensively in deals
- Build trust by having them heavily involved initially
- Gradually reduce founder involvement as you prove the motion
- Be upfront about needing significant founder/CTO time in the beginning
The Right Profile for Technical Sales
Not every great B2B sales leader can successfully transition to selling to technical audiences. These key traits can help determine success:
- True intellectual curiosity about technical products and problems
- Willingness to listen more than talk
- Comfort with being honest about technical limitations
- Ability to build authentic relationships with technical buyers
- Focus on solving real problems rather than just “selling”
Key Takeaways for Selling to Developers
- Keep It Simple: Don’t try to boil the ocean – focus on clear value props and use cases.
- Bottom-Up Buy-In is Critical: You need developer support to win enterprise deals.
- Be Authentic: Technical buyers spot BS immediately. Focus on being genuine and helpful.
- Continuous Learning: The technical landscape evolves rapidly – stay curious and keep learning.
- Build Trust: Quality of experience and follow-through matter more than sales tactics.
While selling to developers and engineers may require adjusting your approach, the fundamentals of great sales still apply – just with more emphasis on authentic relationships, continuous learning, and delivering real value to technical teams.
