
There was a time not too long ago when sellers were the gatekeepers of the corporate buying experience. Sellers controlled the pace at which a deal progressed because they controlled access to the necessary product details buyers needed to make decisions about which product best met their needs. That all changed as more and more companies began offering their products on a subscription basis in what we all now know as the SaaS (Software as a Service) market.
Suddenly, buyers gained control over the sales experience due to their ability to gather their own intelligence about products from internet searches, SaaS vendor company websites and previous buyer reviews on marketplaces like the Salesforce AppExchange. Often this could be done without engaging a sales team at all. In reality, this was a monumental effort that typically slowed the purchasing process down while buyers took in all that data and analyzed it before even contacting a seller to make an informed purchase. This all helped to prove that knowledge is power. Or did it? Did the buyers really gain power and control; or did they end up succumbing to the sellers; or where buyers gained access to information and documentation, they also added countless hours of research and product comparisons to already busy schedules?
Today, InVisory assists buyers in their journey by removing time delays from identifying apps, the data gathering and analysis phases of the buying process. InVisory’s proprietary vendor categorization and scoring methodology allows its team to generate scalable research notes, and resources which help to better align customers to the right solution category, and create their short list of the top five to ten vendors they should be considering for their specific use case and business requirements. Once customers of InVisory have their short list, they can also send in an inquiry to a system implementer by completing a short form to best identify vendors that are a fit for their need.
Just how did InVisory do this? They created a place to connect Salesforce users, ISVs and SIs in a marketplace that provides unbiased, action-driven insights. Properly equipped with the necessary knowledge (power) these end users can drive more results from their Salesforce investments by shortening the time needed to discover, compare and evaluate Salesforce apps and consulting firms. The InVisory platform offers a simplified search from its curated and customized database and objective results in the form of detailed profiles for a select number of top vendors chosen by a proprietary scoring algorithm.
Not in search of a new Salesforce app right now? – The InVisory Communities helps Salesforce users connect with peers to share knowledge, find information and get other useful insights. Community members can post questions and contribute to conversations on various topics by solution category or cloud, and community members receive points for participating and can use those points to win high-value rewards.
To learn more about it, create your own profile and review the community for yourself.