The document discusses unconventional wisdom for SaaS growth. It argues that the ideal sales process and customer profile varies across three phases - search, focus, and scale. In the search phase, the goal is to find any customers with solvable pains. In the focus phase, targeting a few specific use cases and initiating projects is key. In the scale phase, intercepting budgeted projects in the target market and beating competitors is important. The document advocates tailoring the sales approach to each phase rather than following conventional wisdom.

1. SaaS Growth – Unconventional Wisdom
Stephen Allott
Seedcamp Venture Partner
8 July 2020

2. CONVENTIONAL WISDOM – AFTER YOU HAVE “PRODUCT/MARKET FIT”
1. Go get some leads
2. Book demos to get a trial
3. Use the forecast in your CRM
4. Sales meeting are to get a commit
5. Getting stuck in Legal is normal
6. Customer success have to up sell
7. ROI is for the customer

3. CONVENTIONAL WISDOM – AFTER YOU HAVE “PRODUCT/MARKET FIT”
1. Go get some leads
2. Book demos to get a trial
3. Use the forecast in your CRM
4. Sales meeting are to get a commit
5. Getting stuck in Legal is normal
6. Customer success have to up sell
7. ROI is for the customer
* Some of the time

4. IT’S A 3 ACT DRAMA - THE IDEAL PROSPECT VARIES IN EACH ACT
1. SEARCH 2. FOCUS 3. SCALE
Customer count From 0 to 10 From 10 to 100 100 to 1000 +
Use cases Up to 10 3 1
Business activity Finding customers Learning 3 markets Seizing leadership
Customer Demand Diverse Pains Common Pains Budgeted Projects
Ideal prospect profile Has any solvable pain Has one of target pains In the target market
Lead gen tactics Spray & Pray Rifle shot / Missionary Optimal S&M mix
Lead gen goal Find pains Initiate projects Intercept projects
Key success factors Proposal flexibility
Technical delivery
Client reference-ability
Target market selection
Learning how to win
Product feature set
Beating competitors
Winning market share
On-boarding talent
LEADS

5. IT’S A 3 ACT DRAMA - THE IDEAL PROSPECT VARIES IN EACH ACT
1. SEARCH 2. FOCUS 3. SCALE
Customer count From 0 to 10 From 10 to 100 100 to 1000 +
Use cases Up to 10 3 1
Business activity Finding customers Learning 3 markets Seizing leadership
Customer Demand Diverse Pains Common Pains Budgeted Projects
Ideal prospect profile Has any solvable pain Has one of target pains In the target market
Lead gen tactics Spray & Pray Rifle shot / Missionary Optimal S&M mix
Lead gen goal Find pains Initiate projects Intercept projects
Key success factors Proposal flexibility
Technical delivery
Client reference-ability
Target market selection
Learning how to win
Product feature set
Beating competitors
Winning market share
On-boarding talent
LEADS

6. IT’S A 3 ACT DRAMA - THE IDEAL PROSPECT VARIES IN EACH ACT
1. SEARCH 2. FOCUS 3. SCALE
Customer count From 0 to 10 From 10 to 100 100 to 1000 +
Use cases Up to 10 3 1
Business activity Finding customers Learning 3 markets Seizing leadership
Customer Demand Diverse Pains Common Pains Budgeted Projects
Ideal prospect profile Has any solvable pain Has one of target pains In the target market
Lead gen tactics Spray & Pray Rifle shot / Missionary Optimal S&M mix
Lead gen goal Find pains Initiate projects Intercept projects
Key success factors Proposal flexibility
Technical delivery
Client reference-ability
Target market selection
Learning how to win
Product feature set
Beating competitors
Winning market share
On-boarding talent
LEADS

7. IT’S A 3 ACT DRAMA - THE IDEAL PROSPECT VARIES IN EACH ACT
1. SEARCH 2. FOCUS 3. SCALE
Customer count From 0 to 10 From 10 to 100 100 to 1000 +
Use cases Up to 10 3 1
Business activity Finding customers Learning 3 markets Seizing leadership
Customer Demand Diverse Pains Common Pains Budgeted Projects
Ideal prospect profile Has any solvable pain Has one of target pains In the target market
Lead gen tactics Spray & Pray Rifle shot / Missionary Optimal S&M mix
Lead gen goal Find pains Initiate projects Intercept projects
Key success factors Proposal flexibility
Technical delivery
Client reference-ability
Target market selection
Learning how to win
Product feature set
Beating competitors
Winning market share
On-boarding talent
LEADS

8. Use these 8 factors
to help get the
Sales and
Marketing Mix right
Then use
Dreamdata ©
LEADS

9. 7 MINUTES OF UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Go get some leads
Book demos and a trial
Use the CRM forecast
Sales meeting are to get a commit
Stuck in Legal is normal
Customer success have to upsell
ROI is for the customer
Pick your focus … then go forth and educate!

10. SALES TALES – CLOSING TRIALS IS THE MOST POPULAR BLOG
TRIALS

11. THE WINNING FORMULA IN EACH ACT IS VERY DIFFERENT
Search 0-10
Relieving pains
Focus 10-100
Creating demand
Scale 100-1000+
Beating competition
Ideal Prospect Profile A customer with a pain we solve One of the 3 target use cases Single target use cases
Customer Demand nature Diverse Pains / Diverse solutions Common Pains no budgeted projects Budgeted Projects seek solutions
Lead gen goal Find diverse pains Initiate Projects Intercept Projects
Lead gen approach Random but intelligent and
opportunistic
Rifle Shot into Target Markets
Missionary
Optimal Sales & Marketing mix for
the Target Market
Build Brand leadership
Key Success Factors Flexible proposals
Great delivery
Target market selection
Sales territory design
Ideal Prospect Profile specification
Feature road map
Market share
Competitor playbook
Hire / train talent
Sales process Diagnose pain
Create trial
Proposal
ROI led
Use References
Design Trial success criteria
Proposal
Reference led
Trial optional
ROI superior
Proposal
Marketing Message We can solve your pain
Let us prove it
Make money on this
Others have done it
We can prove it
Market is doing this
We are the leaders
We have proved it
Founder roles Commercial sales
Pre-sales design
Post-sales delivery
CEO decisions
Pre-sales design
Product management
CEO decisions
CEO decisions
Founder roles split out
during this phase
Post-sales delivery Commercial sales
Pre-sales design
Product management
Salesperson candidate
specification
Founder
Sales Naturals Sales Naturals
Product Rep Product Rep
Sales hiring KSF Hire great people Support salespeople Train salespeople
Product management Deliver bespoke Align roadmap to meet demand Extend lead on key buying factors
TRIALS

12. TRIALS

13. 7 MINUTES OF UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Go get some leads
Book demos and a trial
Use the CRM forecast
Sales meeting are to get a commit
Stuck in Legal is normal
Customer success have to upsell
ROI is for the customer
Pick your focus … then go forth and educate!
“Let them build their own baby”

14. FORECAST

15. RECENT ISSUES
Pricing
Sales and Martech stack
Forecasting
Driving referral business
ROI tools
The best sales trick / thing they have
done
Product MVP
Tech stack
Using delta MRR to set targets
Founder sales evolution
Sales cycles
• Missionary sales
• Shortening sales cycles
• Sales qualification
• Org chart selling
• Economic buyer concept
• Closing trials
• User ROI
Using longer term agreements
Lead gen
• Right fit leads
• Larger customer lead gen
• The Rolodex problem
FORECAST

16. 7 MINUTES OF UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Go get some leads
Book demos and a trial
Use the CRM forecast
Sales meeting are to get a commit
Stuck in Legal is normal
Customer success have to upsell
ROI is for the customer
Pick your focus … then go forth and educate!
“Let them build their own baby”
One page Google sheet is all you need

17. RECENT ISSUES
Pricing
Sales and Martech stack
Forecasting
Driving referral business
ROI tools
The best sales trick / thing they have
done
Product MVP
Tech stack
Using delta MRR to set targets
Founder sales evolution
Sales cycles
• Missionary sales
• Shortening sales cycles
• Sales qualification
• Org chart selling
• Economic buyer concept
• Closing trials
• User ROI
Using longer term agreements
Lead gen
• Right fit leads
• Larger customer lead gen
• The Rolodex problemTEAMWORK + INDIVIDUAL TEAMWORK + INDIVIDUAL
BEST OF EAST AND WESTMEETING

18. 7 MINUTES OF UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Go get some leads
Book demos and a trial
Use the CRM forecast
Sales meetings are to get a commit
Stuck in Legal is normal
Customer success have to upsell
ROI is for the customer
Pick your focus … and go forth and educate!
“Let them build their own baby”
One page Google sheet is all you need
Sales meetings drive teamwork & improvement

19. LEGAL

20. 7 MINUTES OF UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Go get some leads
Book demos and a trial
Use the CRM forecast
Sales meetings are to get a commit
Stuck in Legal is normal
Customer success have to upsell
ROI is for the customer
Pick your focus … but go forth and educate!
“Let them build their own baby”
One page Google sheet is all you need
Sales meetings drive teamwork & improvement
Give the customer any terms they want for a price

21. REFERENCE

22. 7 MINUTES OF UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Go get some leads
Book demos and a trial
Use the CRM forecast
Sales meetings are to get a commit
Stuck in Legal is normal
Customer success have to upsell
ROI is for the customer
Pick your focus … and go forth and educate!
“Let them build their own baby”
One page Google sheet is all you need
Sales meetings drive teamwork & improvement
Give the customer any terms they want for a price
Target Customer Success on reference-ability

23. CO-CREATE A BUSINESS CASE
ROI

24. 7 MINUTES OF UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Go get some leads
Book demos and a trial
Use the CRM forecast
Sales meetings are to get a commit
Stuck in Legal is normal
Customer success have to upsell
ROI is for the customer
Pick your focus … and go forth and educate!
“Let them build their own baby”
One page Google sheet is all you need
Sales meetings drive teamwork & improvement
Give the customer any terms they want for a price
Target Customer Success on reference-ability
ROI grows on ROCE trees. Show them the trees

25. SaaS Growth – Unconventional Wisdom
Stephen Allott
Seedcamp Venture Partner
8 July 2020
SaaS Growth – Unconventional Wisdom