Sales Hacker

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

They’re researching business products and services online, purchasing via websites as much as they can, and foregoing interactions with sales representatives whenever possible. Of course, the shift to digital sales tactics has been underway for years. What sales investments should you focus on in 2022? Sales engagement.

Scale 89

Scale Investment Sales Forecasting 89

SaaStr

MAY 9, 2023

One of the most essential things SaaS founders need to get right is their sales strategy. From day one, it’s critical to drive results to impress your investors, acquire customers, and set your sales team up for success. As a founder, it’s vital for you to be a big part of sales, especially in the early stages of your company.

Sales 261

Sales B2B Consulting Investment 261

SaaStr

JUNE 8, 2023

Dear SaaStr: How Should I Design a Sales Reps Compensation Plan at Just $10k MRR ? Figuring out your very first sales comp plan when you don’t have a repeatable process or much revenue is confusing. but You don’t have the capital to invest here … the rep has to be accretive. And The business model does have to work.

Compensation 216

Compensation Scale Sales Business Model 216

Buffer Resources

JULY 3, 2023

When did you last pay attention to a generic brand video that wasn’t for research purposes? Many social media users share my perspective, so many brands struggle to create content that connects with their audience in popular formats like short-form video. People want people, not brands or ads. The probable reason?

Branding 104

Branding Social Media Trends Systems Review 104

Intercom, Inc.

OCTOBER 7, 2020

“Support isn’t just a cost center, but a strategic investment that increases customer retention and reduces churn” Indeed, if you look at the broader financial models of customer support, you’ll see that support isn’t just a cost center, but a strategic investment that increases customer retention and reduces churn.

Customer Support 196

Customer Support Investment Scale Churn 196

SaaStr

APRIL 20, 2024

Marketing hackers, sales hackers, product hackers. AI in Sales and Marketing AI is disrupting sales and marketing, particularly in support and SDR /BDR functions, due to the shortage of skilled workers and the potential for increased efficiency and cost savings. "We all need more hackers on our team. And so much more!

Sales Hiring 261

Sales Hiring Startup Marketing Technical Review 261

SaaStr

JULY 7, 2023

I remember I first started to see this with one company I invested in where some folks described it as “Gong for XYZ”. But the sale is much more complicated, and different, and to a very, very different buyer. Too many sales and marketing and CS execs just think they will pick it up once they start. The problem?

Marketing 236

Marketing Sales Interviewing Enterprise 236

Sales Hacker

AUGUST 18, 2022

After implementing, onboarding and working with hundreds of clients on aligning their Outreach instances to drive revenue efficiency, the Outbound Funnel team is sitting down with SalesHacker to share key concepts on how to make sure your investment in Sales Engagement Platform delivers on its ROI. You’ll Learn.

Branding 82

Branding Onboarding Engagement Investment 82

SaaStr

MAY 24, 2024

Lemkin expresses concern about the changing work ethic and loyalty of sales and marketing professionals, observing a trend of multiple job-holding and lack of commitment. Jason Lemkin shares his experience of hiring and investing in his business, which has revitalized his passion for work and brought him renewed purpose and excitement.

Sales Hiring 191

Sales Hiring Outsourcing Services Technical Review Scale 191

Buffer Resources

APRIL 25, 2024

While those may be cheaper strategies upfront, there’s a higher chance your brand will get lost in the fray, leading to a lower return on your investment. That ability for your brand message to occupy physical space in someone’s home is unique and powerful. I also think the tactile nature of mail has an impact.

Branding 88

Branding Social Media Advertising Acquisition 88

SaaStr

MAY 12, 2022

The biggest mistake you can make as a founder when you hire your first VP of Sales is stepping out of sales. It only works with the very best VPs of Sales. Every other first VP of Sales needs you doing at least half of what you were doing before. A founder hires a Pretty Good First VP of Sales.

Sales Hiring 243

Sales Hiring Sales Investment Engineering 243

SaaStr

JUNE 7, 2021

If a sales rep closed a deal, A customer success manager should take it over. I’d suggest a few basic thoughts and rules: If you have sales involved, then you need customer success, too. Invest here to drive NRR up. And they almost all have both customer success and post-sales support. . Find a way to fund it.

Customer Success 330

Customer Success Scale SMB Sales 330

SaaStr

MAY 8, 2024

As a SaaS veteran who built and sold a software company for nine figures, invested in startups since 2013, 10x-ing his fund, and continues to build a powerhouse community of SaaStr fans, he offers some hot takes on the communities’ burning questions. Sales is much harder than in 2021. How Does That Impact Sales and Marketing?

Metrics 218

Metrics Scale Sales Hiring SaaS 218

Neil Patel

FEBRUARY 2, 2021

It’s no secret that the field of marketing is constantly evolving, and SaaS brands are not immune from the challenges that arise due to the fast-paced nature of the field. One great way SaaS companies can keep up is through brand advocacy. 2021 SaaS Trends that Affect Brand Advocacy.

Branding 143

Branding Scale Social Media SaaS 143

SaaStr

OCTOBER 27, 2023

Catch up on part one here , where he deep dives into what he really thinks about AI, Sales and lead Gen for SaaS in 2024. Jason re-takes the stage in Part 2 of the series to answer questions about the right time is to invest in a new product line, building vertical vs. horizontal, multiples in 2024, and much more. Sometimes, yes.

Sales Hiring 249

Sales Hiring Scale Venture Capital Generative AI 249

SaaStr

APRIL 20, 2022

This famous quote from self-help author Robert Collier applies to every sales organization because excellent results come through repeatable activities, not one-off wins. Alice Katwan , SVP at Twilio , discusses how you can build a high-retention sales team while being remote. Invest in your team’s development.

Sales Hiring 222

Sales Hiring Scale Retention Sales 222

Neil Patel

MARCH 22, 2021

Huge volumes of traffic can make it harder for brands to stand out and reach consumers in the most effective way possible. What’s more, it’s challenging to generate income from a platform with over 25 million brand accounts to compete with. There’s no need to buy fancy cameras or invest in new technology. The problem?

Branding 133

Branding Social Media Interviewing Education 133

TrackStreet

JULY 20, 2023

There are many reasons we at TrackStreet believe manufacturers and brands should have a MAP pricing policy. We also mention that establishing and rigorously enforcing a MAP pricing policy is important for preventing online price erosion, which can undermine your brand value over time. This can present a long-term threat to your brand.

Branding 52

Branding Pricing Advertising Technology 52

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 23, 2021

I want to spend a few posts and some time on sales comp plans for early-ish stage SaaS companies (up to say $20m in ARR). Because almost all the sales comp plans you are going to read about, and learn about are great — for SaaS companies that are well post-Scale. That work great for Salesforce, or Box. Just the top rep.

Sales Hiring 309

Sales Hiring Scale Sales Business Model 309

SaaStr

JANUARY 11, 2024

What’s your most recent disclosed investment? What’s your sweet spot for investing — check size, stage, type of deal? Stage 2 Capital invests $4M to $6M in first checks into B2B software companies that are around $1M ARR. These investments typically occur between the seed and the A round. Check that out here.

Technical Review 274

Technical Review Scale Management Sales Hiring 274

SaaStr

JANUARY 12, 2021

The CEO basically is the VP of Sales and Revenue and Customer Success, with maybe a junior resource or two helping. And they realize, now that they’ve gotten here, that — it’s time to Go Bigger: That the CEO, not trained in sales, shouldn’t be the VP of Sales anymore. I tell them I absolutely agree.

Sales Hiring 262

Sales Hiring Scale Marketing Sales 262

SaaStr

JANUARY 10, 2024

“Typically that was the marketing hat in my case, but sometimes it was the sales hat or thinking about finance or other areas of the business. Leading him to some of his biggest mistakes when hiring: Not investing enough time. And for his marketing team, it didn’t just apply to marketing, demand gen, or brand, or PR.

Sales Hiring 252

Sales Hiring Scale Technical Review Leadership 252

SaaStr

NOVEMBER 25, 2023

A great VP of Sales to keep the engine scaling A great VP of Marketing to keep the leads coming in A great VP of Customer Success to make all those hard won customers happy After $5m-$6m in ARR or so, it’s really hard to scale without a strong VP heading most core functions. Upgrade the management team. You have to be patient.

Scale 266

Scale Sales Hiring Banking Engineering 266

SaaStr

OCTOBER 30, 2021

I asked Aasif Osmany to share his learnings as a top-performing SMB VP of Sales, below. A mentor of mine suggested that I reframe my search to seek out companies that I would invest in, instead of the other way around. He told me, you can invest time, talent, or treasure. That left me with only one asset to invest, time.

Scale 263

Scale Sales Hiring Sales SMB 263

SaaStr

DECEMBER 8, 2022

In Episode 3 of the CRO Confidential Series, Sam Blond, partner at Founders Fund, sits down with the SVP of Sales at Gong, Jameson Yung, and CEO of SaaStr, Jason Lemkin, to share their decades of knowledge for those dreamers hoping to find rapid growth and success in today’s world. . Implementing a better sales team early on.

Sales Hiring 228

Sales Hiring Sales Compensation Branding 228

Neil Patel

DECEMBER 22, 2020

Some of the top US brands spend billions on advertising to secure their internet advertising space. If you can’t keep up with the big companies that spend billions of dollars on their advertising campaigns, there are still a few ways you can get your brand noticed. It’s a quick and effective way to help with brand recognition.

Payment Methods 139

Payment Methods Branding Payment Services Payment Solutions 139

SaaStr

DECEMBER 10, 2023

This year, many companies, including Gong, have been focused on how to optimize and drive value with existing tech stack investments, rather than adding new tools. One app we did add this year was Madkudu , to change the way we prioritize what leads Marketing sends to sales. #3.

Leadership 316

Leadership B2B Branding Revenue 316

Intercom, Inc.

JUNE 13, 2018

Those investments have felt good for those in it for the ride, have raised an eyebrow for those on the sidelines, hitting budgets hard and somewhere along the line, have made business sense. Product positioning, knowledge and brand awareness are your first ports of call in the early days. Use existing channels to your advantage.

Branding 205

Branding Outsourced Development Scale Travel 205

Sales Hacker

DECEMBER 20, 2021

As a result, much of the evaluation, investment, and rollout of virtual training technology in 2020 was rushed, limited in scope, and poorly planned. Businesses must take a step back, evaluate their software investments, and rework their implementations. How to maximize customer training investment. Today, not much has changed.

Investment 94

Investment Technical Review Underperforming Technical Team Scale 94

Buffer Resources

APRIL 19, 2023

This meant, instead of hoping for the quick sales moment that paid ads offer, I worked on establishing long-term relationships. Plus, with the money I’ve saved from not paying for advertising or marketing initiatives, I’ve been able to make other investments to help my business grow sustainably.

Outsourcing Services 104

Outsourcing Services Investment Social Media Revenue 104

Sales Hacker

DECEMBER 7, 2021

In this episode of the Sales Hacker Podcast, we have David “Hersh” Hershenson , Chief of Staff at Tray.io , a 20-year veteran of the high-growth world and one of the first 200 employees at Salesforce. Join us for a candid conversation about leveraging feedback to understand your internal brand. What your internal brand is.

Branding 80

Branding Technical Review Underperforming Technical Team Sales Hiring 80

Neil Patel

JANUARY 19, 2021

This new feature from Instagram offers a launching point for all kinds of on-brand, on-topic video creations you can use to connect with followers and build brand recognition. So how do they work, and how can you use them for your brand? 10 Ways to Use Instagram Reels to Market Your Brand. How Do Instagram Reels Work?

Branding 137

Branding Social Media Education Interviewing 137

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

What’s your most recent disclosed investment? What’s your sweet spot for investing — check size, stage, type of deal? I find that often, in SaaS, it’s easy to get excited after a few customer acquisitions, and teams will too quickly pivot into investing capital into demand gen, sales, and marketing.

Innovation 248

Innovation Wireless Acquisition Technology 248

Neil Patel

APRIL 20, 2021

How Can BOPUS Benefit Your Brand? BOPUS Increases Sales. It can also boost sales by encouraging more people to buy in-store when they pick up their items. Investment on Staff to Manage BOPUS. The buy online, pick up in–store model requires initial investment to hire dedicated staff. BOPUS Brand Examples.

Branding 132

Branding Mobile Sales Hiring Business Model 132

Sales Hacker

DECEMBER 3, 2019

This year at Dreamforce, some of the fastest growing, most admired digital brands laid their cards on the table. The Data-Driven Sales Manager. The average tenure of a sales VP these days is just 19 months, according to Xactly CEO Chris Cabrera, who expects that number to drop lower as businesses become increasingly data reliant.

Sales Enablement 85

Sales Enablement Artificial Intelligence Branding Sales Hiring 85

FastSpring

APRIL 4, 2024

As an experienced sales and GTM leader, John Eitel has more than witnessed how product-led growth (PLG) has affected the tech and SaaS space in the last few years — he and his teams have been up close and personal with how PLG increased in popularity as a sales strategy. “I What success looks like for using both together.

Scale 150

Scale Sales Payment Methods Merchant Services 150

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 3, 2021

Ah, the first sales rep. Whichever founder was doing sales, likely thinks that may be the way to do sales going forward. Whichever founder was doing sales, likely thinks that may be the way to do sales going forward. The sales “hacker”. You don’t want your first sales reps to be terrible at sales.

Sales Hiring 262

Sales Hiring Startup Sales SaaS 262