SaaS Backwards - Reverse Engineering SaaS Success

Ken Lempit

We interview CEOs and CMOs of fast-growing SaaS firms to reveal what they are doing that's working, and lessons learned from things that didn't work as planned. These deep conversations focus on the pragmatic as well as strategic, providing a well-rounded diet for those running SaaS firms today.Moderated by Ken Lempit, Austin Lawrence Group's president and chief business builder. Ken has more than 30 years of experience helping software companies to grow and their founders to achieve their visions. read less
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Episodes

Ep. 114 - Beyond “Drift but Cheaper”: Inside Alan Zhao’s Strategic Pivot to Category Creation for Warmly
4d ago
Ep. 114 - Beyond “Drift but Cheaper”: Inside Alan Zhao’s Strategic Pivot to Category Creation for Warmly
As a startup with shaky product market fit, prospective customers often want to associate you with a mature category so they can determine where it might fit in their tech stack—or not.But for Warmly, the existing categories represented only a small subset of their capabilities—albeit cheaper than the mature tools.And they couldn’t just settle for being known as "Drift but cheaper.”In this episode, Alan Zhao details his transition from CTO to marketing chief, a move that was pivotal in steering Warmly’s narrative away from established market constructs and taking control over the narrative that would differentiate itself from the myriad of sales tools on the market.Other key takeaways from this episode:The pros and cons of “category creation” to set yourself apart from competitors.The importance of tailoring your message to address specific pain points for each segment.How to better understand the buyer journey of the 95% of those who visit your website but don’t fill out a form.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 113 – The Art of Enterprise Sales – with Brian Burns, host of the Brutal Truth about Sales Podcast
Mar 8 2024
Ep. 113 – The Art of Enterprise Sales – with Brian Burns, host of the Brutal Truth about Sales Podcast
As a seasoned sales expert and popular sales podcaster, Brian Burns has more than a few opinions about how companies are selling to the enterprise today.Most notably, because reps haven’t been taught the difference, they try to make up for the lack of pipeline by increasing outreach activity.That may have worked in 2011 when the Predictable Revenue Model gained prominence (and our inboxes weren’t flooded with sales pitches). But today, the compartmentalization of prospecting and closing won’t result in more complex deals, where decisions are ruled by committees and often end in “no decision.”In this episode, Burns talks about how today’s reps should be learning about selling in the enterprise, such as working with champions and how to continuously move the deal forward.Key takeaways from this episode:Why much of the complex deal is counterintuitive and relies on guiding the sale instead of reacting.Why measuring outcomes that lead to revenue generation is more important than tracking activities that may not directly contribute to sales.Why you shouldn’t hire salespeople based on their Rolodex (or industry connections for the youngsters).Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 112 - Stumbling onto product market fit by accident – with Morten Poulsen, CEO of Plytix
Mar 1 2024
Ep. 112 - Stumbling onto product market fit by accident – with Morten Poulsen, CEO of Plytix
Originally, the founders of Plytix set out to create an analytics platform for e-commerce that measured the performance of a product (instead of a website) so brands could see how end users interact with them, even when sold on a third-party website. But even after positive early traction and investment, they were stalled—many of the brands didn’t have their product information at the ready.So, they built a simple source of truth—a Product Information Management (PIM) so they could get access to the product information that they needed. As it turns out, that was the larger need from SMBs—a PIM they could afford. After realizing the broader market opportunity, Plytix leaders made some hard choices and pivoted. Key takeaways from this episode:The nuances of being a European-based SaaS targeting the US marketThe importance of understanding the customer creation engine before implementing an attribution model.The challenges of scaling beyond the ceiling of just in-market leads.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 111 - How cultivating connections in a hybrid world positively affects collaboration and retention - with Jonathan Fields, CEO & Co-founder of Assembly
Feb 23 2024
Ep. 111 - How cultivating connections in a hybrid world positively affects collaboration and retention - with Jonathan Fields, CEO & Co-founder of Assembly
Having moved from a miserable culture in investment banking to an incredibly positive one at tech startup ZipRecruiter, Jonathan Fields learned early in his career the profound impact culture has on an organization.So inspired, in fact, that he and his co-founders worked nights and weekends to create a platform that could make those elements scalable and easy for companies to adopt.The result is Assembly, a platform that focuses on creating opportunities for coworkers to connect beyond work-related tasks has enhanced the overall employee experience and fostered a sense of community within organizations.Initially, when they surveyed people about what they want from work culture, there weren’t a lot of surprises: they want to feel recognized, appreciated, and acknowledged for their hard work. They also want mentorship and career development opportunities.But as companies moved to more hybrid work during the pandemic (and remain so today), one new concept dwarfed the others in comparison: the “work best friend.”So, to emulate those types of interactions in their platform (beyond Zoom happy hours), they created channels for culture ideas, such as pets, volunteering, and favorite company moments channels, to facilitate interactions between coworkers beyond work-related tasks.Profitable since day one, Assembly has successfully positioned itself as a thought leader by focusing on content development early and today has attracted $14.5M in funding.Key takeaways from this episode:How investing in thought leadership and content creation early helped establish credibility and drove sales inbound.How to position your SaaS as a “must have” versus a “nice-to-have”The importance of researching the landscape, competitors, and buyers before diving into a venture.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 110 – The Dangerous 8 mistakes SaaS companies make in their messaging
Feb 2 2024
Ep. 110 – The Dangerous 8 mistakes SaaS companies make in their messaging
Are you making one or more of these mistakes in your messaging? Given the number of websites that we review regularly, chances are that you are—and that means leaving revenue on the table.In this episode, Ken and Jason from Austin Lawrence Group discuss the eight common mistakes that SaaS companies make with real life examples.So if you’re revisiting messaging and content strategy this year, or you’re frustrated with the quality of leads coming through your website, this episode is for you.A few key takeaways:How to avoid making vague statements that cause cognitive dissonance with some prospective buyers.Why you shouldn’t lead with AI Why it’s crucial to gain problem agreement by clearly identifying and addressing the problem they’re trying to solve.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 109 – Should you outsource the SDR function? With Gabriel Lullo, CEO of Alleyoop
Jan 26 2024
Ep. 109 – Should you outsource the SDR function? With Gabriel Lullo, CEO of Alleyoop
Business development poses big challenges for today’s SaaS.It becomes twice as ineffective every year as people learn how to ignore you.And it’s such a grind that it’s hard to find good people who want to stick with the sales development rep (SDR) position over the long term.To get engagement on the phone today takes the right experience, technology, and triggers.That’s why we sat down with Gabriel Lullo, CEO of Alleyoop, an outsourced SDR service that specializes in lead generation and relationship management to talk about the future of outbound prospecting and whether or not it’s a good idea to outsource this function.They realize that clients may want to move this function in-house, and so they train their SDRs to eventually take a full-time position in that role.Key takeaways from this episode: While cold calling is not dead, the skill sets required to make it work are paramount—they must be prepared, sound human, and sell the appointment rather than the product.Whether through marketing or an SDR function, nurturing leads is critical to long-term success and will probably not be done adequately by an account executive on quota.Gabe also shares his vision for the future of SDR, where nurturing and following up with leads will continue to be crucial, and where AI will serve as an enhancement rather than a replacement for human interaction.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 108 - Can better relationships save publishers? With Dan Rua, CEO of Admiral
Jan 19 2024
Ep. 108 - Can better relationships save publishers? With Dan Rua, CEO of Admiral
We’ve all been frustrated by those pesky ads that pop up when trying to read an article.We understand that publishers are trying to capture more of that lost ad revenue, but the solution is not to create such a poor experience that it drives consumers away. And the rise of ad blockers is not the only problem for publishers. The decline of traditional tracking methods due to privacy regulations and browser changes, such as the death of the cookie, threatens the business model even more. Dan Rua, CEO of Admiral, believes that both publishers and visitors need to care more about each other. Through their Visitor Relationship Management platform (VRM), publishers can offer visitors different value exchanges based on their preferences, such as ad-free experiences, email relationships, or subscriptions. The results for publishers are a no-brainer, receiving an almost immediate return on investment for many. Other key takeaways from this episode:Focus on solving specific problems first – Admiral started with ad block recovery as their beachhead and became the best in the world.How they went from founder-led sales to a scalable machine once they’d achieved product-market fit.The benefits of having a strong product team as founders and how they understood everything that’s needed to contribute to revenue early on. Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 107 - SaaS Marketing Predictions for 2024
Jan 12 2024
Ep. 107 - SaaS Marketing Predictions for 2024
In this episode, SaaS Backwards host Ken Lempit switches places to the guest seat to discuss upcoming trends in SaaS marketing for the new year and what companies will have to do to be successful.Ken is the Chief Strategist of the Austin Lawrence Group, a growth marketing agency specializing in B2B SaaS, and has a 30-year track record in software marketing.The key areas discussed include:As outbound prospecting gets harder, how will companies be successful?How will sales and marketing KPIs shift toward more meaningful measurements?Will traditional techniques like postal mail and custom publishing make a comeback?And will generative AI take its place as a tool instead of a replacement for people?Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 106 - Pricing as a lever for growth - with Patrick Meegan, Senior Partner at Maple Street Advisors
Jan 5 2024
Ep. 106 - Pricing as a lever for growth - with Patrick Meegan, Senior Partner at Maple Street Advisors
Pricing is often the most overlooked “P” in the SaaS marketing mix. We see it in our marketing practice often.Companies may be averse to raising prices for fear of losing customers, focusing on other priorities like product development, or simply don’t understand the impact on the business.In this episode, we caught up with Pat Meegan, Senior Partner at Maple Street Advisors, who talks about assessing the opportunity for pricing growth regularly by looking at four key indicators: Leadership doesn't have a clear pricing strategy that everyone can point to and have confidence in.Inactivity in pricing for a significant period (six months to a year).Market data that indicates the potential for better pricing or an optimized pricing structure.Value-added to the product without corresponding pricing adjustmentsAnd given the risks such as customer churn or dissatisfaction, Meegan provides insights into how companies can approach pricing to drive growth and satisfy both their customers and investors.Key Takeaways from this episode:How to evaluate a DIY approach to pricing or bringing in an external advisorHow to determine if pricing is a lever you can pull for growth and profitabilityHow to pressure test new pricing strategies to mitigate churn riskOther resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 105 - Finding product-market fit with Anvil Co-Founder Mang-Git Ng.
Dec 29 2023
Ep. 105 - Finding product-market fit with Anvil Co-Founder Mang-Git Ng.
When going through a repetitive and time-consuming mortgage application process in 2017, Mang-Git Ng was surprised that the process wasn’t automated.He realized that there were many industries that still operated in the internet dark ages and that moving all these PDFs and paper documents to online forms could solve a major problem.But after he and his co-founder had built their initial product, they struggled to gain traction, especially with limited sales and marketing experience. Through much experimentation, they started identifying patterns in their customer base and certain industries (like human resources workforce management and insurance) that had a need for generating, processing, and signing documents, and their product was a great solution. By focusing on these verticals, Anvil was able to deeply understand the challenges and language used in these industries, allowing them to speak to their target customers more effectively. Six years later, Anvil is a seven-figure ARR SaaS company that has raised $10M in funding.Key takeaways from this episode:Finding patterns in your customer base that can be exploited for niche-based sellingHow to sell to companies that are resistant to changeWhy you should focus on sales and marketing early in the processOther resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 104 - Strategies for Maximizing Value in SaaS Exits– with Marty Magida, Managing Director of Berkery, Noyes & Co.
Dec 22 2023
Ep. 104 - Strategies for Maximizing Value in SaaS Exits– with Marty Magida, Managing Director of Berkery, Noyes & Co.
Because of the challenges in the current financing environment and the cautious approach of strategic buyers and private equity firms for SaaS companies, we invited Marty Magida on to discuss practical strategies to enhance company value and navigate the complexities of the M&A market.Magida is the managing director of Berkery, Noyes & Co an independent investment bank providing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory to middle-market leaders in the global information, software, services, and technology industries.Marty advises listeners to stay informed about industry trends, cultivate relationships with potential buyers, and pay attention to the metrics that drive acquisitions.It’s a must listen for all SaaS leaders that plan to raise funding, exit the business or participate in a merger or acquisition.Key Takeaways from this episode:Manage risk profile by reducing concentration and striving to be asset light.Improve consistency of results by focusing on recurring revenue and making it costly for customers to switch.Maximize value by building a strong management team, ensuring reliable financial reporting, and cultivating relationships with potential buyers.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 103 – First getting agreement on a problem worth solving – with Chuck Fuerst, CMO of ReverseLogix
Dec 15 2023
Ep. 103 – First getting agreement on a problem worth solving – with Chuck Fuerst, CMO of ReverseLogix
You’ve probably never thought about what goes on behind the scenes when you return a product, but there’s a lot to it. In this episode of the SaaS Backwards podcast, Chuck Fuerst, CMO at ReverseLogix, gives a look behind the scenes at some of the challenges and opportunities in the returns management system category.And because it’s so complicated, their go-to-market strategy requires problem agreement to be considered. And because companies enter different stages of problem awareness, the company has adopted a modular approach to pricing and packaging that allows them to take advantage of a land-and-expand strategy. Overall, the Fuerst emphasizes their need to stay close to customers, understand their pain points, and deliver value through a comprehensive solution that addresses their needs one step at a time.Key Takeaways from this episode:How active listening shapes their messaging and positioning Building credibility and validation through analyst relationsHow ReverseLogix takes a modular approach to pricing to fit their land and expand strategyOther resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 102 - How to use win/loss data to close deals faster – with Spencer Dent, founder of Clozd
Dec 8 2023
Ep. 102 - How to use win/loss data to close deals faster – with Spencer Dent, founder of Clozd
You may have noticed that deals today take longer to close and scrutinized heavily. So, what do SaaS companies need to do?Spencer Dent, Founder of Clozd says to make sure you understand the how the decision-making process, people involved, and priorities have changed. And since the CFO plays a bigger role, it’s less about ease of integration and more about the bottom line—and you’d better be ready to prove it.Key takeaways:Are ROI calculators worth it anymore? With people caring more about potential loss versus gain.Determining the narrative customers must believe for your solution to be a good decision.How should win/loss analysis impact your positioning and messaging. Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 101 - A dedicated finance team in your pocket for a flat monthly fee - with Swapnil Shinde, CEO of Zeni
Dec 8 2023
Ep. 101 - A dedicated finance team in your pocket for a flat monthly fee - with Swapnil Shinde, CEO of Zeni
As a CEO, you probably don’t care much about how your accounting and bookkeeping is done.But you do want insights you can drive once your month is closed out. Burn rate and cash flow comes to mind.At the Ascent conference in New York, we caught up with Swapnil Shinde, CEO of Zeni, a SaaS that claims to have the world’s first finance operations platform for startups that includes intelligent bookkeeping, accounting, and CFO services.Key Takeaways:When it comes to defining ICP, the sharper the knife, the faster it cutsFinding the right accounting software mix for startupsThe state of AI technology being used to drive accounting insights fasterOther resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 100 – Where thought leadership is falling short with today’s customer and how to fix it -  with Brent Adamson, co-author of the Challenger Sale and Challenger Customer.
Dec 1 2023
Ep. 100 – Where thought leadership is falling short with today’s customer and how to fix it - with Brent Adamson, co-author of the Challenger Sale and Challenger Customer.
For our 100th episode, we’re excited to interview Brent Adamson, the global head of research with Ecosystems, a SaaS platform for collaborative customer value management that helps its users quantify and align with customers based on the value being delivered.Adamson is most known as the co-author of the books The Challenger Sale and The Challenger Customer. And as marketers, both books have been instrumental in shaping our view of content development as an agency and the role it plays in furthering the B2B sales process.But with everyone trying to teach customers something new and lead with insights (whether they’ve read Challenger or not) the overall impact on customers is less likely to enlightenment, and more likely to overwhelm. So, instead of seeing your content and thinking, “Oh wow, I’ve got to do something different,” they’re thinking, “Oh no, here’s another thing I have to worry about.”Adamson takes the role of content a step further in this episode, explaining that both the marketing and sales process today not must only build trust for the supplier, but also within the prospect's mind so that they can accomplish the implementation on their end. Key takeaways from this episode:Why B2B marketers should focus on creating a collaborative and value-based conversation with customers, rather than simply presenting ROI calculations, and generating content.Why it’s important to help customers feel confident in their decision-making process by providing context, connecting them to relevant content, and addressing their concerns about implementation.Empathy is a crucial skill for salespeople, as understanding how customers think about their business and helping them feel better about themselves can lead to successful sales outcomes.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 99 – The data-driven, revenue-focused marketing leader – with Brandee Sanders, CMO of Revenue.io
Nov 29 2023
Ep. 99 – The data-driven, revenue-focused marketing leader – with Brandee Sanders, CMO of Revenue.io
Coming from sales positions where she’s carried quotas, Brandee Sanders knows what having skin in the game for marketers looks like.    And it’s not tracking MQLs or developing a strong tech stack.   It does look like examining the data to find repeatable opportunities for sales pipeline.   In other words, do we truly know how and why closed/won opportunities entered our orbit and what motivated them to take action to purchase?   According to Sanders, the disconnect is that “Most marketers just roll over in the morning and say, ‘Hey, I have a great idea for a campaign.’ They won't look back and say, retrospectively, ‘Is this at a target audience that we know is an ICP? Is this going to be the type of content that even performs for us? Are we going to do a video when, like, 99.9% of closed/won came through a webinar or a podcast?’”   As the new CMO of Revenue.io, Sanders immediately got entrenched in the data to find opportunities for repeatable processes that would fuel her roadmap to success.   Key Takeaways from this episode:    ·  How to build a roadmap to ensure your success as a new CMO/marketing leader·  Where AI is today in analyzing sales conversations and delivering real-time insights·  How the role of the CMO is evolving to become more data-driven and revenue-focused  Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 98 - How to operationalize strategic initiatives digitally - with Ulf Arnetz, CEO of Howwe
Nov 22 2023
Ep. 98 - How to operationalize strategic initiatives digitally - with Ulf Arnetz, CEO of Howwe
Strategic initiatives often get de-railed when CEOs delegate them instead of taking ownership. This lack of clarity can lead to confusion and lack of focus throughout the organization.That’s the problem Ulf Arnetz is solving through his Swedish-based company Howwe, a SaaS enterprise platform for CEOs to orchestrate and operationalize strategy implementation at every level of their organization.The platform allows CEOs to prioritize goals, track progress and align teams towards achieving revenue and profit targets.And like most, his entrepreneurial journey wasn’t a straight line.Check out the full episode where Ulf teaches us the importance of solving specific problems, focusing on measurable results, starting from the bottom, embracing micro-delegation and more.Key Takeaways:·      Why success strategies rely on top-down micro-delegation where each level of the organization take ownership of their specific goals and initiatives·      How the company transitioned from consulting to a SaaS with 96% of their revenue coming from licensed subscriptions.·      A look into Sweden’s entrepreneurial ecosystem - a great place to start and grow software companies.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 97 - To ensure enterprise sales success today, you’d better sell the CFO – With Chris Orlob, Co-founder of pclub.io
Nov 17 2023
Ep. 97 - To ensure enterprise sales success today, you’d better sell the CFO – With Chris Orlob, Co-founder of pclub.io
Probably best known for helping Gong grow from $200K to $200M in five years, Chris Orlob talks about following his passion for helping people learn valuable sales skills through his new company pclub.io. (That’s short for President’s Club for non-salesy folks).But sales training wasn’t the original focus.Originally, they started out to build a company called QuotaSignal that sold a hiring value proposition, but since hiring took a nosedive in the current economic climate, had been developing an online sales training course that took off. One of his biggest differentiators in his training is the focus on selling the CFO—and if you’ve paid attention to this year’s TrustRadius report on the buyer/seller disconnect, you know that they’re playing a bigger role in most enterprise purchases.Other key Takeaways from this episode:Why every SaaS should re-evaluate their pricing model on a regular basisHow to find the right buyers in an account, arm your champion, and write compelling business cases, and multi-thread.How they quickly grew their training through email, Linkedin and word-of-mouth.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep. 96 - Can the attribution challenge be solved with today’s tech? With Steffen Hedebrant, Co-founder and CMO of DreamData.io
Nov 15 2023
Ep. 96 - Can the attribution challenge be solved with today’s tech? With Steffen Hedebrant, Co-founder and CMO of DreamData.io
The attribution problem has long been a challenge for marketers—probably first articulated by John Wannamaker when he said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.”It seemed like marketing tech had solved it (for a minute)—until buyers went and changed their behavior. So how do we map the customer journey today?That’s where today’s guest Steffen Hedebrandt, Co-Founder and CMO of DreamData.io comes in.DreamData is a B2B revenue attribution platform based in Denmark that helps companies understand how they acquire new customers by extracting data from various silos such as CRM systems, marketing automation systems, and websites, and creating clean customer journey maps.Key Takeaways:Focusing on customer success as a growth strategy.Expanding beyond Denmark to penetrate the US market.Understanding that the buyer doesn’t know they’re in a funnel. Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!
Ep 95 - How to find where your audience hangs out today – with Rand Fishkin, CEO of SparkToro
Nov 9 2023
Ep 95 - How to find where your audience hangs out today – with Rand Fishkin, CEO of SparkToro
Seemingly not too long ago, searches for new products and services overwhelmingly started at Google. And it made sense to optimize for keywords, so you’d appear organically on page one.But things have changed—just a bit. And no one is more qualified to talk about those changes than our guest Rand Fishkin, CEO of SparkToro and formerly the founder of Moz. As Fishkin notes, today if you ask Google a question, over half the time they’re going to give you a snippet with an answer. And as soon as generative AI for search gains prominence, that's going to be closer 80%.And even though search isn’t dead, for most small cap SaaS businesses, spending too much money and effort on it is probably wasted. So where can today’s SaaS find where its audience is hanging out? That’s where SparkToro comes in and you can try it free on their homepage. Key takeaways from this episode:Why you shouldn’t be too heavily influenced by investors. Why building and promoting tools might be a superior SEO strategy for SaaS.What the future of AI generated content might look like. Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Is your messaging a sales ally or sneaky saboteur? Let us help with our free content audit.We’ll look at your website’s messaging, content, and conversion potential from the eyes of today’s buyer and deliver a presentation with new combinations to more sales conversations and demos. And the best part? It’s absolutely free. Get started today!