How to overcome bad experiences with SaaS contractors

A professional relationship is not very different from a personal one: there are good and bad ones in both cases. Sometimes you are so in it that you don’t realize your SaaS contractor is actually hurting your company’s profitability and ROI. Maybe it is time to move on to a different SaaS contractor, one that will help you achieve your goals faster. Read on to find out how to do it.

• A good SaaS contractor is like a good partner. They listen to you, understand your needs, and genuinely want to help your product reach your maximum potential. As a result, they’ll give you cream-of-the-crop candidates.
• A bad SaaS contractor, though, feels like a long-distance relationship. Communication is tough, accountability may be compromised. When it comes to staffing, more often these contractors provide you more candidates, but with less quality.

So which do you want: quality or quantity?

Development culture: over-the-wall x embedded engineers

Outdated SaaS contractors still work with over-the-wall development. Just like in Game of Thrones, it is time to tear down the wall, because it is a development model that simply doesn’t work effectively.

That’s why new SaaS contractors work with an embedded model, where devs work directly with your company like they’re a part of it – because they are. They are part of your team and not just someone you send your app to with notes. An embedded format is like live editing on G-Suite, everyone can work on it at the same time.

It’s time-saving, therefore it’s money-saving, which leads you to achieve goals faster, thus getting results faster. Isn’t that what you want? If your current contractor works with the over-the-wall model, consider having a conversation about it or look for a different contractor.

Service level: White-glove tailored x one size fits all

Let me paint you a picture: it is a special occasion and you receive a mixtape. You’re excited to listen to it, but when you finally do, you realize these aren’t meaningful songs. These are just random songs from the radio. Wouldn’t you want to receive something that actually means something, and is tailored to your interests? That is what a good SaaS contractor does.

You can sit back and relax knowing that your contractor is on the lookout for the best candidates for you. They are only going to give you excellence because the bar is high. A bad SaaS contractor is probably going to give you a bunch of unqualified people because they need to send X number of candidates per week. Instead of closing a deal with a ‘one size fits all’ contractor, look for one that caters to you.

Contract, legal, fiscal: long-term x short-term commitment

A long-term SaaS contractor can feel like an anchor, dragging you down. You can’t close a deal if you have doubts about the quality of the candidates they are going to send or any other aspect of your relationship. A bad SaaS contractor will probably give you a contract with long clauses that tie you down in a way that even if you want to break things off, you legally can’t. Here are some common red flags.

What’s worse than being bound to someone who doesn’t have your best interests in mind, you ask? Wasting money on something that is not helpful at all. It is money you could be spending someplace actually helpful, such as a good SaaS contractor. A good one will give you the necessary support, and you will always be able to walk away when you feel like it, no questions asked. That’s a good deal. Here are some tips on how to leave a bad contract.

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Scheila

International Marketing Leader, specialized in tech. Proud to have built marketing and business generation structures for some of the fastest-growing SaaS companies on both sides of the Atlantic (UK, DACH, Iberia, LatAm, and NorthAm). Big fan of motherhood, world music, marketing, and backpacking. A little bit nerdy too!