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6 Key Signs a VP of Sales Canβt Scale Beyond $5m-$10m ARR
The best VPs can recruit in ways I barely understand You need someone for a key role? They somehow have 2-3 strong candidates in a week or two This is so, so hard But the very best VPs make it somehow look almost effortless It's also the only way to scale β Jason SaaStr.Ai Lemkin... Continue Reading
Published on: December 13, 2021 | Source:
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10 Marketing Tactics That Always Work for Early-Stage SaaS StartUps
Dear SaaStr: What are the best marketing techniques for an early-stage SaaS startup? My list of things that almost always work in B2B marketing: Try everything β and Double Down on anything that works. If your price point is very low, this sometimes doesnβt work. But in general, most startups find that, at best, 1β2... Continue Reading
Published on: August 24, 2021 | Source:10 Ways to Build a Moat in SaaS. But AI is Also Making Them Weaker.
The real moat in SaaS is brand Almost every market leader has a really, really good competitor or 2 or even 3 That would honestly do the job just as well β Jason SaaStr 2025 is May 13-15 Lemkin (@jasonlk) February 5, 2025 A while back we did an extra βDay 0β AMA session at... Continue Reading
Published on: August 06, 2021 | Source:At Least 20% of Your New Customers Should Come from Referrals and Word of Mouth. Ideally, 50%.
Dear SaaStr: What Percent of My Revenue Should Come from Referrals and Word of Mouth? "Word of mouth is ultimately the only way you can scale in SaaS." pic.twitter.com/UAsIkG4Ixx β Jason SaaStr.Ai Lemkin (@jasonlk) December 18, 2024 Ultimately, most top software companies end up getting 20-50% or so of their new customers from their existing... Continue Reading
Published on: July 23, 2021 | Source:Eventually β¦ Almost Everyone Has a Sales Team
The lure of freemium (like The Force) is strong. No headaches. Customers try and buy all on their own. Like magic. The appeal of No Salespeople can be strong. And freemium is certainly back in the Age of AI. ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Canva and more have all created incredibly powerful freemium offerings. Freemium is... Continue Reading
Published on: May 23, 2021 | Source:12 of the Most Common Mistakes Scaling Your First Sales Team
Dear SaaStr: What are the most common mistakes founders make hiring their first real sales teams? A few key mistakes I see start-ups making > 50% of the time: Hiring Early Reps (#1 β #3) That You Personally Wouldnβt Buy From. Donβt hire someone with the right resume. Hire someone youβd buy your own product... Continue Reading
Published on: May 17, 2021 | Source:Events Work. Events Are Back. But Are They Worth the Big Expense?
Just got an email from a CEO yesterday that they closed a $450,000 TCV deal from a buyer they met at SaaStr Annual in September Donβt say events donβt work Be where your customers are. Even in the age of AI. β Jason SaaStr 2025 is May 13-15 Lemkin (@jasonlk) December 21, 2024 Events. They... Continue Reading
Published on: May 02, 2021 | Source:The Confounding Logic of Discounting
There can be nothing more frustrating in the middle-early days than when sales closes some great deal for, say, $125,000 a year β¦ but you βknewβ they could have gotten $200,000 if they just held the line on discounting. Youβd talked to that customer yourself, they were basically already sold (in your mind, at least),... Continue Reading
Published on: March 27, 2021 | Source:Why Mergers & Acquisitions Are Weird and Unpredictable
Timing is such a critical part of M&A 2020: Salesforce buys Slack for $28B 2023: Salesforce disbands M&A committee, not planning any more big acquisitions If you say No to a deal, that's all good. Go long. But just assume they never offer again. β Jason SaaStr.Ai Lemkin (@jasonlk) March 2, 2023 There are 1000... Continue Reading
Published on: March 26, 2021 | Source:Sometimes All Your Bigger Customers Want is Just To Be Heard
Just remember, i know they stress you out and drive you a bit nuts But the customers that complain the most are often the ones that care the most. At least, it shows they aren't leaving. Yet. β Jason SaaStr 2025 is May 13-15 Lemkin (@jasonlk) December 9, 2024 A ways back we put together... Continue Reading
Published on: December 15, 2020 | Source:How Long It Roughly Takes to Close a Deal in SaaS. And Why.
Dear SaaStr: How long does it usually take to close a deal in SaaS? Ok, hereβs a really rough set of timelines to how long it takes to close an Opportunity in SaaS: So: A $5k deal, or say $499 a month, can often be closed in a call or two. Certainly the buying decision... Continue Reading
Published on: November 30, 2020 | Source:That Super-Successful VP of Sales. Great? Or Just Lucky?
I get sent this resume to review all the time. Director+ of Sales at Slack / Zoom / Mongo / Datadog / Qualtrics Your Brand Name SaaS Company. Took Hot Start-Up from $0 to $50m as VPS from Day 0. Was there βearlyβ through IPO and did amazing things. That all sounds impressive, for sure.But... Continue Reading
Published on: September 17, 2020 | Source:Yes Customer Testimonials β Done Right β Are Super Important
Do customer testimonials really matter in the age of AI? They still do. Maybe even more so. They are incredibly important. We spend so much time marketing and selling to customers. And building stuff for them. But almost no one thinks enough about what a buyer really goes through. Especially, sales and marketing teams often... Continue Reading
Published on: October 10, 2019 | Source:Dear SaaStr: Once Your Equity Vests In a Startup β¦ Why Stick Around?
Dear SaaStr: Once Your Equity Vests In a Startup β¦ Why Stick Around? Itβs an interesting and subtle question, especially these days in the Bay Area, where many barely stay 1 year to their cliff, let alone the full 4β5 years to vest. Even employees at OpenAI often leave in less than 2 years. For... Continue Reading
Published on: November 13, 2018 | Source: