Outbound Sales Is More Than Sending Emails and Making Cold Calls: How SaaS Companies Can Navigate Price Updates

When we think about outbound sales, our minds often jump straight to cold calls and email campaigns. But in reality, outbound sales are far more nuanced. They encompass every strategic touchpoint between your company and potential or existing customers, making it a critical element in ensuring long-term relationships.

For SaaS companies, one area where this is particularly crucial is communicating price updates. Price changes can easily lead to customer churn if not handled properly, but with the right strategy, you can maintain trust, keep customers informed, and even build stronger relationships during these transitions.

Let’s explore how outbound sales, when done correctly, can make all the difference when you need to deliver updates about pricing. Here’s how to approach price adjustments with your customers in a way that prioritizes clarity, transparency, and trust.

Step 1: Research – Know Your Users

Before any price adjustment, the first step is research. It’s essential to know exactly who your users are and how your solution benefits them. Each customer may have a different set of needs, and understanding these will shape the way you approach your outbound sales communications.

Knowing your users also means understanding their potential pain points. For example:

• What value are they currently deriving from your product?
• What might make them hesitant about a price change?
• How have they responded to similar changes in the past?

The key is to deeply understand your customer base so that you can craft a tailored approach when informing them about pricing updates. You can’t send the same message to a large enterprise customer and a small startup using your SaaS platform—they have different expectations and uses for your product.

Step 2: Strategy – Direct, Consistent, and Thoughtful Communication

Once you’ve completed your research, it’s time to create a strategy. The goal is to ensure that your messaging is direct, consistent, and delivered through the appropriate channels. Here’s how to build an effective communication plan:

1. Prioritize Direct Communication

Instead of relying solely on impersonal emails or broad announcements, make your outbound sales approach more personal. Where possible, engage customers directly—whether through a call from an account manager or a customized email tailored to their specific use case. This is especially important for high-value customers who may be more sensitive to price changes.

2. Ensure All Customers Receive the Same Information

While personalized communication is key, it’s equally important to ensure that all customers receive consistent information. Discrepancies in the messaging can lead to confusion, frustration, and distrust. Before launching your outbound sales campaign, align your entire organization on the key points, ensuring that everyone—from sales to customer support—is prepared to deliver the same message.

3. Notify About Price Changes with Personalized Messages

No one likes surprises, especially when it comes to their wallet. Use outbound sales techniques to give your customers advanced notice of price changes, explaining the reasoning behind the increase and how it will impact them specifically. Tailor these messages to reflect their usage, pain points, and benefits from your service.

4. Align the Organization on Messaging

A price change affects the whole company, not just sales. Marketing, customer support, and leadership need to be on the same page to ensure unified communication. Outbound sales strategies work best when they are supported by the entire organization, allowing every department to echo the same narrative.

Step 3: Messaging – Clear, Honest, and Value-Driven

Your messaging is the backbone of your outbound sales strategy. It needs to be clear, honest, and focused on the value your product provides to the customer. Here’s how to approach it:

1. Have a Clear and Strong Reason for the Price Change

Customers are more likely to accept a price increase when they understand the rationale behind it. Be transparent about why the change is happening—whether it’s due to improvements in the product, inflationary pressures, or rising costs.

2. Use Neutral Language

Words matter. Instead of using language that may trigger a negative reaction, such as “increase” or “raise,” opt for more neutral terms like “adjust” or “update.” These words soften the blow and present the change as a natural evolution rather than a sudden hike.

3. Highlight the Value Your Product Provides

Whenever you announce a price adjustment, make sure to also highlight the value your product provides. Remind your customers of the key features they’re getting, how your software solves their problems, and any new improvements you’ve made. When customers see the value they’re receiving, they’re less likely to push back against a price change.

Step 4: Handling Feedback – Listen, Respond, and Reassure

Even with the best outbound sales approach, some customers may push back against price changes. This is where feedback becomes a crucial part of the process. Here’s how to manage it effectively:

1. Listen to Customer Concerns

Customers may have valid concerns about the price increase, and it’s essential that you listen to them. Outbound sales isn’t just about making calls or sending emails—it’s about engaging in two-way conversations. Take the time to understand their concerns and address them head-on.

2. Explain the Rationale

When faced with customer objections, calmly explain the rationale behind the price adjustment. Highlight how the new pricing reflects the growing value of your product and what new features or improvements they will benefit from as a result.

3. Offer Compensation or Discounts When Necessary

For customers who are particularly price-sensitive, consider offering compensation or discounts to soften the impact. If the customer’s issue is within your control (e.g., delays in rolling out new features or ongoing technical issues), offering a gesture of goodwill can go a long way in retaining their business.

Why Clear Communication Is Key to Managing Price Changes

Announcing price changes can be one of the trickiest aspects of managing a SaaS company. The fear of churn is always lurking, and poorly managed communication can erode customer trust. However, with a well-thought-out outbound sales strategy, you can deliver these messages smoothly and maintain customer loyalty.

The key lies in clear, consistent, and honest communication. When your outbound sales team works hand-in-hand with marketing, product, and customer support, you can create a seamless approach that informs customers, highlights value, and handles objections with care.

The Wingmen Approach: More Than Just Sales

At Wingmen, we understand that outbound sales is about far more than just sending emails and making cold calls. It’s about delivering the right message at the right time to the right people. Whether it’s a major price update or building long-term relationships, our approach to outbound sales is strategic, personalized, and focused on driving results.

By working with Wingmen, you can rest assured that every aspect of your sales process—from research to strategy to messaging and feedback—is handled by experts who know how to build trust and retain customers, even in challenging situations.