SalesTechStar Interview with Brian Paterson, Global Vice President of North America Sales, 8×8

Sales has always been about building strong customer relationships. Yet, too many modern day B2B sellers don’t get this right. Brian Paterson, Global Vice President of North America Sales, 8×8 weighs in with some observations and best practices:

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Welcome to this SalesTech Series chat, Brian, tell us about yourself and more about your new role at 8×8.

Thank you for having me! I’m excited to be a part of 8×8 as the Global Vice President of North America Sales. I’ve been in SaaS sales leadership for over two decades now, building successful teams at companies like Twilio, Genesys, Oracle, and Microsoft. I’m really excited about this new role at 8×8 because I’m inspired by the company’s technology and ongoing innovation, as well as its potential for growth in the contact center space and beyond. In this role, my focus will be on fostering trust, collaboration, and executing 8×8’s vision and strategy to expand our presence. It’s an interesting  time in the contact center space, and I look forward to leading our North American sales team to new heights.

How in your view can modern Sales teams build better business and client relationships: what works well in the B2B tech market?

Building strong client relationships is all about trust, which, in the B2B tech market, is earned through transparency, reliability, and delivering exceptional outcomes. To that end, modern sales teams must focus on understanding client needs, providing personalized solutions, and staying agile to adapt to evolving expectations.

This is why so much success is predicated on a customer-centric approach, combined with effective communication and a commitment to delivering value, as it builds the foundation for long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships.

Read More: SalesTechStar Interview with Craig McAndrews, Vice President of Sales at Mezmo

Take us through your sales strategies and processes that have worked well over the years and the salestech and revtech that enabled them?     

Successful sales strategies revolve around ownership, execution, and a drive for exceeding customer expectations. High-performing teams, in my experience, result from a culture that values individual and collective accountability. Leveraging innovative sales technologies, such as AI augmentation and process automation, enhances efficiency and ensures a more personalized customer experience.

Can you talk about the impact of AI on modern B2B sales and how it’s changing the game for sellers today?

AI is a game-changer in B2B sales. Not only does it enable data-driven insights, enhance personalization, and automate routine tasks, but it allows sales teams and individuals to really focus their time and energy on strategic initiatives.

Sales is an incredibly relationship focused process, and so much of it is figuring out how to best provide value to our customers, so using a tool like AI to predict customer needs, improving decision-making, and ultimately driving revenue growth is a must-have.

What are some of the top trends that will drive the B2B tech and SaaS market in 2024 in your view? 

In 2024, differentiation and innovation will be paramount. Organizations won’t be given multiple tries and unlimited time to show their worth, so they need to be able to quickly adapt to changing customer expectations, utilizing technologies like AI augmentation and process automation. Additionally, personalization, efficient communication channels, and enhancing both customer and employee experiences will be key trends driving success in the B2B tech and SaaS market, including persona-driven solutions tailored for employees with CX responsibilities but who fall outside of the traditional contact center.

If you had to share a few AI trends that will lead the salestech-martech space in 2024 and beyond, what would you talk about?

The future of salestech and martech lies in AI-driven innovations, with predictive analytics, enhanced personalization through machine learning, and advanced automation will play pivotal roles. AI will continue to optimize sales processes, providing valuable insights for strategic decision-making and creating more agile and responsive sales teams. I truly believe that the integration of AI into salestech and martech will be a cornerstone for staying competitive and exceeding customer expectations in the years to come.

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