Building Trust with SaaS Pilot Projects

If you've got a new service, or product, or if you enter a new vertical, even if your partners are ushering you into their market, expect skepticism. Even with the best partners advocating for you, decision-makers may hesitate and many companies will put you at the bottom of their priority list until you can prove your value. It’s crucial to get traction quickly, or risk being overlooked. Here’s what I would do to break through that initial skepticism and gain momentum: 1. Pilot Programs: Offering a limited-time trial can help, but only if it's designed to deliver clear value from day one. - Set clear success metrics with your customer before the pilot begins. Establish measurable outcomes like improved productivity, user engagement, or cost savings. - Don’t just give them the product—ensure their teams are trained and equipped to use it effectively during the trial. This maximizes the chance of success and measurable impact. 2. Feedback Loops: Regular, structured communication with your partners and customers is key to refining your offering. - Set up bi-weekly check-ins to gather both quantitative data (usage rates, performance metrics) and qualitative feedback (user experience, pain points). - Use this feedback to adapt your approach in real time. Whether it’s tweaking features, adjusting pricing, or improving support, make sure you’re iterating based on what you hear. 3. Case Studies: Success stories build trust and reduce uncertainty for potential customers. - Create detailed case studies highlighting real results from your pilot programs or early adopters. Focus on specific benefits—whether that’s operational efficiency, cost savings, or user satisfaction. -Share these case studies with future prospects to showcase the value and credibility of your service. Timely, relevant examples can turn a hesitant prospect into a committed customer. Gaining traction with a new service takes time, but with the right strategies you can overcome skepticism and build momentum.

The Credibility Gap..................... One of the hardest lessons for vendors to learn is this: the NHS buys trust before it buys technology. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen brilliant solutions dismissed, not because they lacked value, but because they lacked credibility. From the NHS buyer’s perspective, the stakes are enormous. If they choose wrong, patients suffer, clinicians revolt, and budgets get burned. So when a new vendor appears promising “game-changing” results, the default response is suspicion. That’s the credibility gap. Organisations often think they can bridge it with a slick sales deck, a strong demo, or an impressive product roadmap. But the NHS doesn’t want promises — it wants proof. Proof that your solution has worked in environments like theirs. Proof that clinicians have embraced it. Proof that it’s safe, compliant, and scalable. Without that, you’re invisible. The best route forward is usually small. Start with a pilot in one department, one ward, one Trust. Prove your solution works at a local level. Gather data, capture testimonials, and — most importantly — tell the story in NHS language. When you can show that a pilot saved 2,000 hours of clinician time, reduced waiting lists by 8%, or improved staff retention, you shift from “vendor” to “partner.” You’ve closed the credibility gap. The organisations that win don’t just build technology — they build evidence. They build trust by being in the system, learning its rhythms, and showing results that matter. If you’re trying to sell into the NHS today, ask yourself: what’s my credibility story? Can I point to a success that proves I belong here? 👉 What’s been your most powerful case study in selling to the NHS — and how did it open doors for you?

To all the AEs and CSMs especially those who are in SaaS Trial or Pilot plays a critical role during evaluation especially if it's an Enterprise Account. As soon as we hear "We want to start a pilot" or "We would like to have a trial version of your solution". We directly jump into onboarding the account thinking WE MADE IT, Wohooo!!! The reality is that the pressure to prove the product is more NOW, if you fail in trial or pilot there is NO WAY the customer is coming back for YEARS Therefore, before starting the trial 1. Understand what they expect from it and what success looks like to THEM. Get this documented with measurable numbers if possible. 2. Solve their KEY issues and NOT all problems. The most important thing to keep in mind during the trial is that you cannot solve all their problems in a limited time. 3. Create milestones for trial and expectations very clear. Have regular checks with the timeline and don't just reach out only at the time of payment. So next time if a prospect asks for a trial or pilot don't jump into onboarding directly just like that without understanding their issues and expectations. #sales #trial #demo #pilot #ae #csm #sdr #saas #b2b

I’m a big believer in pilots for B2B SaaS. If you’re confident your solution works, a paid pilot with clear goals should never scare you. Done right, they can be a top-performing sales assets. Many avoid pilots because they seem like an “added risk.” They don’t want to get to the end and have to resell the deal all over again. And I get it - it feels like you're giving buyers another chance to say “no.” But that mindset *completely* misses the point. At the end of the day, B2B software is a big investment. If you put yourself in the buyer’s shoes, they want to show that it works - both to sell it internally and justify the cost before committing long term.. And on the sell side, I actually see pilots as a strong filter. You want good-fit customers in the long term, and sometimes a pilot reveals the contrary - that a company is a bad fit for your product, will be difficult to work with relationship-wise, or even both. Also, if you’re so confident in your solution, what’s there to be afraid of? The answer is nothing - as long as you follow these 3 best practices: 1. Make all pilots PAID so that both companies have skin in the game 2. Set clear objectives and goals right from the start 3. Keep the goals measurable and attainable If you don’t define those goals early, you’ll end up with moving targets - and expectations will keep changing throughout the pilot… On the other hand, a well-executed pilot with clear goals sells itself. We use them at ProsperStack, and every time we’ve delivered what we agreed on, there’s never been a big “resell moment” ‘at the end.