Both Sides of the Product - Product-Led Summit 2018

Both Sides of the Product
Perspectives from a sales leader
turned product manager
Evan Lewis | @evanlewis_
Product Manager, PostBeyond Inc.
Product-Led Summit | January 2019

1. Working in early-stage SaaS startups non-stop since 2012
= lots of battle scars from trying to build companies
2. Lots of failures thus far = lots of lessons learned
3. Played the role of founder, sales leader, and product
manager à unique perspectives on SaaS growth
Why Should You Care?
3 C O R E R E A S O N S

How PMs Have More Impact On Sales Than AEs
Why Product-Led Growth Is The Future Of SaaS
How To Transition From Sales To Product
Today’s Topics

Ivey School of Business
Entrepreneurship Focus
Code Academy Chicago
RoR + Front-End
eProf.com - First Startup
Co-Founder, Head of Product
Second Startup - PostBeyond
ADR > AE > Director of Sales
PostBeyond
Product Marke@ng???
PostBeyond
First Product Manager
How I Got Here...
My startup journey so far 🎢

“Entrepreneurship and tech
sounds way better than
investment banking…”
“Building on the web is
fun, I should learn to
code…”
“Now that I can code, I know
everything a user wants at all
times. I should build the world...”
“Sales is the key to growing
your startup. I need to learn
to sell…”
“Sales was fun, but it’s
repetitive and the product
isn’t moving fast enough...”
“Great product is the key to
scale. Let’s build, but listen
to users first...”
How I Got Here...
“Oh… I built a bunch of stuff that
people don’t really want. That
totally sucks…”
🤓
🤠
😇
😰
🤑
🤔
😃

Ivey School of Business
Entrepreneurship Focus
Code Academy Chicago
RoR + Front-End
eProf.com - First Startup
Co-Founder, Head of Product
Second Startup - PostBeyond
ADR > AE > Director of Sales
PostBeyond
Product Marketing???
PostBeyond
First Product Manager
💻 </>
📞 💸
💻 💡
How I Got Here...

After 3+ years and ~$1M in sales made,
I made the switch back to product.

⚡ What I’ve Witnessed…
Product-led SaaS companies reduce friction
and grow faster, period.
Slack, Vidyard, Drift are personal favorites.
💡 Key Lesson
PLG companies are customer-obsessed. They
prioritize building products where the user can
realize value without needing any assistance or
paying a dime.
Hypergrowth Models
W H A T H A S C H A N G E D ?

Changes in Buyer Expectations
W H A T H A S C H A N G E D ?
⚡ What I’ve Witnessed…
Buyers want to try before they buy. They want
experience first, advice second.
💡 Key Lesson
Products need to be able to stand and sell on
their own (to some degree) without sales.

A Tale of 3 Funnels
Sales email engagement
2 phone calls
W H I C H O N E W O U L D Y O U C H O O S E ?
Request demo
OK sales demo + rep
Content + reviews…
meh

A Tale of 3 Funnels
2 phone calls
5 phone calls
2x content downloads
Request demo
OK sales demo + rep
meh
Request demo
Solid sales demo + rep
Good content + reviews

A Tale of 3 Funnels
2 phone calls
5 phone calls
2x content downloads
3 phone calls
3 product flows shown 100x
$ Purchase $
Request demo
OK sales demo + rep
meh
Request demo
Solid sales demo + rep
Good content + reviews
Try product
Reach out to sales for help
Great experience +
reviews

Product-led growth is the future
because you can understand
true buying intent
with product usage.

I moved from sales to product
to get closer to revenue.

😡 😑
Before you freak out,
let me explain…

WHY IS PRODUCT CLOSER TO REVENUE THAN SALES?

1) Product Accelerates Acquisition
Today’s buyers are more skeptical than ever. All else being equal, they buy
because of the product. If you provide a great free product experience during
the sales cycle, buyers are more comfortable and motivated to move quickly.

the sales cycle, buyers are more motivated and comfortable moving quickly.
2) Product Carries The Weight of Retention
Minimizing churn is one of the most important things you can do to scale
SaaS. What is the most common reason people churn? The product
experience is a letdown. Services can only go so far.

the sales cycle, buyers are more motivated and comfortable moving quickly.
2) Product Carries The Weight of Retention
Minimizing churn is one of the most important things you can do to scale
SaaS. What is the most common reason people churn? The product
experience is a letdown. Services can only go so far.
3) Product Has the Power To Automate Expansion
Product can and should automate usage growth – new users invited, users
converting from new to habitual usage, etc.

SMB Mid-Market
Product’s Influence on Purchasing Decisions
Enterprise
Disclaimer – the figures above are estimates J
%InfluenceonPurchaseDecision
20%

Product’s Influence on Purchasing Decisions
Disclaimer – the ﬁgures above are es@mates J
ON AVERAGE, 60% OF THE BUYING DECISION IS
MADE BASED ON THE PRODUCT
SMB Mid-Market Enterprise
20%

Sales vs Product Revenue Impact

Account Executive
Top Rep = $375K
Close Rate = 20%
AE Revenue Impact = $75K

Account Executive
Top Rep = $375K
Close Rate = 20%
AE Revenue Impact = $75K
Product Leader
Total Pipeline = $1.15M
Total Revenue - 20% Win Rate = $230K
Product Influence = 60%
Product Revenue Impact = $138,000

Sales teaches you fundamental skills that can
be applied to any role you have in the future.

Amazing Product +
Product-Led Go-to-Market +
Smart, Thoughtful Salespeople = 🚀

© PostBeyond Inc. Strictly Confidential. Do Not Distribute.
29

🤑
Account
Executives
Account Executives prioritize their
accounts and opportunities based on
the level of customer pain that exists.
Account Executives need to rally a
buying committee of stakeholders to
purchase their solution.

🤑
Account
Executives
Account Executives prioritize their
accounts and opportunities based on
Account Executives need to rally a
buying committee of stakeholders to
purchase their solution.
3
Product
Managers
Product Managers prioritize their new
features and product updates based on
Product Managers need to rally a
group of developers to effectively build
and ship their solution.

32
Sales & Product Common Threads
11 sales skills that will make you a
successful product manager

§ Non-linear paths carry stigma
§ It’s easy to get intimidated – you will feel dumb
§ It can be hard to find your bearings on do’s / don’ts
Why give this talk?
I ’ V E F E L T T H E P A I N

34
Great AEs Great PMs
PASSIONATE
CURIOUS
COORDINATED
LIKEABLE
SELF-AWARE
HEALTHY SKEPTICAL
FOCUSED
ANALYTICAL
UNDERSTANDING
PRESCRIPTIVE
THROUGH

Sales+ProductCommonThreads
Part One
Communication

36
Be Passionate
Embrace the
Founder mentality
Sales + Product Common Threads | Part One: Communication @evanlewis_ | #ProductLedSummit

Be Curious
Thoughtful questions are the 🔑
Make them open-ended
and threaded.

38
Get Coordinated
Stakeholder alignment
drives velocity.
Less confusion, more action.

39
Make Friends
1) Take genuine interest, both personally and professionally.
2) Be humble. When you stand your ground, back it up with research.
3) Tell customer stories to make it relatable.

Be Self-Aware
Energy and enthusiasm are important.
Just be aware of tone and timing…
🤩 📣

Part Two
Prioritization

42
🧐
Be Healthily Skeptical
Avoid happy ears.
Sales + Product Common Threads | Part Two: Prioritization @evanlewis_ | #ProductLedSummit

Be Focused
Having a north star is
key for prioritization.

Prioritize Data
Without a foundational data layer,
you are driving blind.

Part Three
Problem Solving

46
Be Understanding
Listen closely and diagnose pain. 🤕
Get to the root of the issue.
Sales + Product Common Threads | Part Three: Problem Solving @evanlewis_ | #ProductLedSummit

Be Prescriptive
Design a solution.
Good is better than perfect.

Be Thorough
Make sure you are talking to
all of the right stakeholders.
Not just the ones who will
take your call.

Thank you for watching!
Let’s keep in touch.
ü Tweet @evanlewis_
ü Add me on LinkedIn
ü Email evan@postbeyond.com

Both Sides of the Product - Product-Led Summit 2018

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