8 Top Takeaways from Lenny Rachitsky + Jason Lemkin on “Building a World-Class Sales Org”
So just a little while back, Lenny Rachitsky had me on his hyper-popular podcast to talk about scaling sales, from the perspective of a founder who hasn’t really done sales. It ended up being super popular, and a fresh take on a lot of topic we talk about a lot...Top SaaStr Content for the Week: What I Learned Selling My Company, Plus the Top Videos and Blog Posts
The top SaaStr content you might have missed for the week of April 1st, 2024.
Should You Build a Feature Just to Close a $50k Deal? Probably, In the Early-ish Days.
Does the advice to always say no to sponsored features would also apply to a SaaS startup selling to mid-market (ACV 20k to 50k+) and has relatively few clients? No. This is not wise advice, it is bad advice in many cases. As long as the deal size is big enough. At...Dear SaaStr: What Will Venture Capitalists Do if Our Startup is a Loss?
Dear SaaStr: What Will Venture Capitalists Do if Our Startup is a Loss? Move on. Especially, if you’ve only raise one VC round or so. This is telling article re: Bill Gurley, one of the best VC investors of all time: “I give Bill a lot of credit because Bill...Discounts, Expiring Deals, and Urgency: Understanding Human Behavior in Sales
I’m not that great at sales myself (not really), but I am a student of it. A few things I’ve observed about human behavior, negotiation, and good and bad sales processes in SaaS: Customers that expect a discount really expect a discount. It’s generally easier to mark...CRO Confidential: How to Sell in a Hyper-Competitive Space with Apollo CRO Leandra Fishman
SaaStr’s CRO Confidential podcast host Sam Blond chats with the CRO of Apollo, Leandra Fishman, about Apollo’s success in a competitive market, emphasizing product differentiation, value-based selling, and the importance of customer relationships in driving sales success.
Dear SaaStr: Is It Normal to Feel Like a Pest When Prospecting for Customers For a Startup?
Dear SaaStr: Is It Normal to Feel Like a Pest When Prospecting for Customers For a Startup? Yes. Get better at it, get over it, and hire folks who know how to do it. Boy sales is hard. It’s being told No a lot. It’s having literal, or virtual, doors shut on your...The 21 Top Excuses for Not Closing A Deal (Updated)
Things mediocre sales reps say: 🤷"So it turns out they don't have budget after all" ❓"I had a great call with a customer! Not sure about next steps, though." 💸"Can I discount even more?" 🤣 "Where do I find the collateral...I’m Thinking of Joining an Early Stage Startup as the First Sales Exec. How Do I Pick Right?
Dear SaaStr: I’m Being Recruited by a Startup That Just Raised $5m. How Do I Vet Them? First, there’s probably something there if they raised $5m. That’s never as easy at it sounds. It means the early traction looks good, or the team looks strong, or...5 Interesting Learnings from Klaviyo at $800,000,000 in ARR
So we’ve covered Klaviyo several times at SaaStr, and we’re super excited CEO Andrew Bialecki is coming to 2024 SaaStr Annual Sep 10-12 in SF Bay to share his learnings!! (We also have a great deep dive we did a little ways back with Andrew below)....How to Navigate the Shift to Generative AI with PagerDuty’s CEO Jennifer Tejada
Jennifer Tejada, CEO of PagerDuty, discusses the influence of AI on business workflows, focusing on automating operations, maintaining customer trust, and navigating generative AI challenges. Together with SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin, they addresses the role of AI in managing incidents, improving efficiency, and changing decision-making in enterprises. Lastly, we delve into how AI and human roles can coexist, foreseeing a shift towards high-value work as automation increases, with a call for leaders to embrace AI’s potential while adapting to technological advancements.