Adam Cole

Our partnership with Brex now gives us unparalleled insight and breadth in SaaS purchasing reports

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Cool to see one of our accounting ecosystem apps, Gusto, featured explaining how they are leveraging AI via their knowledge workers, rather than IT team. This is definitely a model that I think will provide much more scalable competitive advantage to all types of knowledge work. #accelerateinnovation https://lnkd.in/gMT8ydi7

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I'll be at HLTH next week talking with folks about RWD strategy and how modern technologies like Spindle's open token and de-identification engine unlock best-in-breed data assets customized for your use cases. If you're heading to HLTH and RWD is key to your org's strategy, reach out and let's find some time. #HLTHUSA #healthcare

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(NEW EPISODE) In the ever-evolving landscape of tech startups, few stories are as compelling as Rick Nucci's journey from founding Boomi to launching Guru. A serial entrepreneur with a track record of success, Rick’s career is a masterclass in leveraging market opportunities and navigating the complexities of scaling a business. In a recent interview, Rick shared the intricacies of his entrepreneurial path, offering valuable insights into his experiences, challenges, and the future of technology. He talks about selling Boomi to Dell for $4B, building Guru, and raising funding for it. #entrepreneurs #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #business #success #venture #venturecapital #investment #invest #investors #tech #technology #innovation #leanstartup #leanstartups #inspiration #startup #startups https://lnkd.in/eFKdHktS

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🌗 🌑 🌗 It's incredible how payment firms like Visa can see aggregate transaction spikes during phenomena like eclipses. Imagine if we synchronized our operational strategies to anticipate these surges and adjust stock availability accordingly. Understanding the impact of events on demand and identifying which products might see increased/reduced interest during these times could optimize our capital allocation, ensuring timely investments and avoiding unnecessary overspending and lost sales. Let's harness the power of predictive analytics to fine-tune our business strategies and maximize efficiency. 🌚 🌝 It's a common misconception that a total solar eclipse is a rare event. Quite the contrary. Approximately once every 18 months (on average), a total solar eclipse is visible from some place on Earth's surface. That's two totalities for every three years. Fascinating, isn't it? 🌟 Now, imagine leveraging this knowledge to study its influence on your product mix demand, ensuring better preparedness for the next one. Aligning our operations with event-driven expectations could be the key to optimizing stock availability and capital allocation. How will you harness this insight to stay ahead in the game? #BusinessStrategy #DemandForecasting #EclipseInsights #BusinessInsights #OperationalOptimization #PredictiveAnalytics #eclipse2024 #SupplyChain #DecisionIntelligence #Eclipse

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🚨 The cracks are showing, and this is just the beginning. A Bay Area tech giant, once valued at $12B, has now plummeted to $159M, laying off hundreds in its wake. What went wrong? The inability to adapt to AI’s transformative potential. AI isn’t just a tool; it’s a revolution reshaping industries at lightning speed. Organizations that harness AI for process productivity—streamlining operations, automating workflows, and scaling efficiency—are thriving. Those who don’t? They risk being left behind. 👉 Here’s the takeaway: Evolve now, or risk irrelevance in the next few years. AI-driven process optimization isn’t just a competitive edge; it’s survival. From predictive analytics to operational automation, the potential for innovation is limitless—but only if you act now. 💡 How are you future-proofing your organization against AI disruption? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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Stephen Hurrell, I read your article about Revenue Lifecycle Management. One thing I wanted to ask is, why will Revenue Lifecycle Management be a new category? I ask because every business today engages in RLM. Anyone can piece together multiple different solutions with middleware to build an RLM process. Or should the new category be RAM (Revenue Acceleration Management)? I would argue that the world is looking to accelerate their revenue while simultaneously managing their revenue lifecycle with customers. Please hear me out: RLM is not a RAM solution suite. A customer lifecycle exists for every company, and that is always tied to revenue. What RAM does is take every manual step and consolidate it into one solution suite with zero middleware or custom code. RAM then automates all the revenue workflows that humans typically handle today. No AI needed. From the first quote through the renewal, everything is automated. At SAASTEPS, we are 98% automated, and when we hit 100%, we believe we can run our business with a single AI entity. Additionally, RAM is 100% declarative, meaning anyone, including you, Stephen, can set up our entire RAM solution. Seven solutions are 100% declarative to set up, and we are working to prove that even a visually impaired person can complete the same implementation. I would love for you to share with the world what it is like to self-implement SAASTEPS' entire Revenue Acceleration Management suite. After 25+ years in SaaS, one thing I have yet to see is anyone proving that they can take a sales engineer-configured demo and deliver it to the customer without code. What about a hackathon to see which vendor can set up an end-to-end Revenue Acceleration process the fastest and without code? I think the world would love to see this at Dreamforce or another event. The question will be: can you do this yourself, or do you need armies of consultants trying to piece things together? Tools like RLM are just starting to be developed and are being put into GA for the world to fix the developers’ code. Whereas SAASTEPS has spent 12 years perfecting revenue workflows with our customers to make everything flawless. Even better, SAASTEPS uses the same version of software as all our customers. So the gourmet food we serve, we are eating as well, which really helps us relate to your customers. What is more powerful: working with a software company whose only focus is Revenue Acceleration Management, or working with a big vendor that is promoting the next shiny object they want the world to try? #rlm or #ram

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We've been enhancing our metrics on lease renewal rates and denials/cancels, and just added metrics for min/max rent too. I think this "Cancel %" metric (the ratio of lease applications to cancellations) is going to be incredibly interesting. We're working on a study using this data that shows application denial/cancellation rates by MSA, and some MSA's are approaching 70%... meaning that for every 10 applications, there are 7 rejections/cancellations before a lease is signed. That's craziness! Fraudulent applications are a major issue in some markets, and in others, application fees are now limited by recent legislation... making it easy for prospective residents to apply for several units at a time and choose the best option. I think understanding application/cancelation rates by market is going to be a lot more important for investors going forward. Stay tuned for the MSA-level analysis on app/cancel rates, but in the meantime, if you want to see how this applies to your market, schedule a demo or start a free trial at: https://www.hellodata.ai/ Thanks Tim and Nicolas for your work on these features! #multifamily #realestate #data #ai

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As enterprise companies build their own custom internal tooling, they need 3rd-party integration solutions that can neatly plug in to whatever they develop. Case in point: Our friends at BILL use Merge’s Issues Webhooks to automatically send any integration issues to their internally-built communications tool. This allows the customer-facing team that relies on this comms tool to easily discover and troubleshoot customers’ integration issues—all without having to log into a 3rd-party solution. You can learn more about how Merge supports enterprise companies’ integration needs effectively by reading our full case study with BILL: https://lnkd.in/eNvUxt7q

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Narrow the focus. Up the quality. Increase the speed. Wise words from Frank Slootman (ex-CEO Snowflake) for anyone trying to build a great product or business.

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What's not being good at interviewing costing you? "I just cannot seem to interview well. I have lost out on roles to people who used to report to me." I was speaking to my client—let's call him Steve. He was a smart, accomplished product leader who had led successful launches of products you have probably heard of. He launched multiple hit products, drove millions in revenue, and all that jazz. But Steven had a problem—a big one. Despite being a total PM rockstar, he still interviewed like he had seven years ago. When he was interviewed, the impression he left was "Great product manager, not leadership material yet." Ever felt like you're the most accomplished person in the room, but when it comes to interviews, you can't seem to convey that? That was Steve. Do you know who didn't choke on interviews? The PM's Steve personally trained and mentored. That's right - Steve's own pupils interviewed well rose above their sensei by having better storytelling and positioning, and the executive presence and confidence that got them further in an interview. His pupils had risen to levels above him. Can you imagine how emasculating and demoralizing that must have felt? To have your star pupils, whom you groomed from scratch, outshine and outearn you just because they could describe their achievements better? Steve had already missed out on many years of success, new roles, and millions of dollars because he was worse at interviewing. He felt the sting of watching others, who he knew he was more qualified than, climb the ranks and achieve the success he deserved. This wasn't just a financial loss but a blow to his self-esteem. He wanted his kids to look up to him and be proud of his accomplishments. Enough was enough. He decided he couldn't afford to lose out anymore. He came to us as Intentional Product Manager, determined to turn things around. We worked with him to refine his narrative, boost his interview skills, and truly represent the outstanding professional he is. It took work, but he got there. The result? He's achieved a prime role at a company you would have heard of and now makes over a million dollars annually. Not only did he secure the financial success he always deserved, but he also earned the respect and admiration of his peers and, most importantly, his family. But as importantly, he carries his skills and executive presence every day. --- P.S., If this resonates with you, and you: - Are a product manager - You love to take action - You are committed to career growth But if you need help in landing that ideal next role. DM me "dream role" and I will send you details. We only work with selected folks and have started to limit how many people we accept every month.

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I speak with dozens of companies a week that are “UNDER-implemented”. What does that mean? Example: a 30M e-commerce company operating on GoogleSheets and Shipstation. They’re too intimidated to jump to a big ERP like Netsuite (and rightfully so) Luminous was built specifically for this type of e-commerce company. We’re huge leaps beyond your current tech stack (Not to mention you ONLY pay for features that you use) Bonus? We integrate/connect with all of your other softwares like ShipStation, Intuit QuickBooks.

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As of today, Toast is worth ~1/2 as much as Square's parent company, likely somewhere around what the entire Square Seller/B2B ecosystem valuation is. 5-10 years ago this would have been a completely insane thought to have and proves how far vertical SaaS has come. Feel so lucky to have bumped into Aman Narang Steve Fredette Jonathan Grimm Chris Comparato Steve Papa Kent Bennett David Yuan and so many others that helped us succeed over the years. To the next generation of companies powering main street + vertical industries, you're on the right track and can build huge generational companies that make a big difference to the customers and industries you support. Excited to see what the next wave looks like especially with (buzzwords incoming) AI being another major accelerant beyond fintech for vertical tech companies.

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This is a vast oversimplification, but I see five key problems in many tech companies currently: Problem #1 — Work Around Work Managers are bumping up against many dependencies, duplicative administrative tasks, an onslaught of mind-numbing meetings, constant calls to detail tradeoffs, shifting strategies, and a call to focus more on performance management. To quote a manager friend: “The work around the work is drowning me.” Problem #2 — Get Into Details In addition to the work around the work, managers are being asked to “get into the details.” This would be fine (desirable, even) under normal circumstances, but combined with Problem #1 it is too much work. Something has to give. The undercurrent here is that #2A front-line teams are filling out engagement surveys complaining about how weird things are, so #2B leadership is responding to that with more calls to get into the details because it is impractical for them to get into the details. No one wants any surprises. Problem #3 — New Normal. No Stink With persistent fear of layoffs, no one is willing (or able) to call out #1 and #2. Managers are told this is the new normal and making a stink is frowned upon. No one wants to admit the sheer impact of #1. Under the rallying calls of efficiency and productivity (amidst the fear of layoffs), teams are playing an ever more elaborate game of Tetris instead of focusing. Of course, this exacerbates #1 and means there are even more details to “get into.” Problem #4 — It Takes Time It takes time to meaningfully make a dent in reducing cognitive load and fostering conditions friendly to more independent teams, or at least teams that feel more independent. You can’t just do a re-org or org-flattening. Meaningful change takes changes to architecture, code ownership, product ownership, the business model, etc. This means that unless you reduce WIP (hard because of Problem #3), you are going to have Problems #1 and #2. Problem #5 — Naturally Hectic Whether AI, the macroeconomic climate, the push for profitability, shifting trends in SaaS, or [any number of factors), things are naturally hectic. This is like a huge amplifier. If before you had meaningful shifts every 12-18 months, now teams are being buffeted around by changing priorities every couple of months. Managers will get pulled into mind-numbing meetings about AI strategies, productivity, new strategies, etc. This increases #1, adds challenges to #2, and makes investing time in the “boring” work harder to refactor and improve (#4). So what can we do about this? It is a bit of a wicked loop. The problem is that there are “easy” things you can do—like limiting work in progress, sharpening priorities, limiting planning inventory and activities, reducing administrative overhead, establishing clear “stop the line” protocols, establishing healthy enabling constraints, etc. But normal, easy things are hard in this environment (#3 and #5). What, in your mind, is a feasible path forward?

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I've seen a few conversations lately about PMM charters. Charters are a powerful way to introduce, or relaunch, PMM to your org. A comprehensive charter to should outline: 1️⃣ why PMM exists at your org 2️⃣ your primary responsibilities 3️⃣ your processes and activities 4️⃣ how to leverage PMM If you're looking for another example of a product marketing charter to leverage, check out this one from Pranav Piyush on Reforge. I find the section on success criteria to be especially valuable. https://lnkd.in/gU5Q4tbK Note: you need to be a member to access this but Reforge has a free 14-day trial.

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🚀 Ever felt SLAs were missing something? They measure uptime. They track responses. But they miss feelings. 🤔 Here’s the truth: SLAs metrics don’t capture everything. Enter Elements Pulse. 🎯 It changes the game. It focuses on what really matters: the end-user experience. Why? Because real success in IT isn’t about meeting KPIs. It’s about making users delighted. Here’s what we did: We took SLAs. We blended them with XLAs and custom surveys in JSM with Elements Pulse. Now, IT teams don’t have to just meet standards. They can exceed expectations. 🔗 Want to know how? Check out how we’re redefining IT service management: https://lnkd.in/dnZnteXR What about you... Have you felt the gap in traditional SLAs? How do you measure real IT success in Jira Service Management? #ITSM #CustomerExperience #ElementsPulse #ChangeTheGame

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When you are trying to create consensus amongst a large group of stakeholders, it's critical that you DOCUMENT the: Situation Challenges Definition of success Success metrics Proof points Solution overview Mutual action plan with owners, etc. Pulling together a lot of people and trying to make a decision is tough. Put yourself in the shoes of your Champion. How do you deal with people that have a different view of the problem they're trying to solve in the first place? What about people that have a competing vision on the goals of the organization? Even worse is when you have members of the buyer group that have worked with a particular vendor and have a soft spot for that vendor. Now you have warring factions in the buying committee based on their vendor loyalty. As a salesperson how do you deal with all of this craziness? Answer: provide A SUMMARY of what you heard in an email. Send it to all of the stakeholders in an attempt to get them on the same page. Please note that you do not need to do every one of the things I listed in the first paragraph with your plan email. What works best for your conversion rates and win rates is something you can only understand by testing Here's an example PLAN EMAIL: Hi Shawn, Thank you for your time to discuss your sales processes and goals. Below is a summary of our conversation. Please reply all to clarify if we missed anything. Situation & Challenges - The inbound team’s conversion rate is 25% of unique leads (net new account – contractor, project manager, service coordinator, owner of a contracting business) to customers. Goal is 40%. - Convert the inbound business (contractors) and retail (homeowners) into customers. - Being able to listen to tons of calls and see what’s working / what’s not "to be everywhere at once.” - Finding estimated annual volume (how much, how many, per month) -Company reach (local, regional, national, etc.) -Not Capitalizing on the opportunities for better qualification How We Help - Target and identify opportunities to promote self efficacy– using Smart Alerts to surface moments - Optimize agents 1-1s with Comments, Annotations, and Scorecards using real calls - Analytics to track messaging (what is being said and how effective is it), process adherence, keywords/topics, and other sales skills (Call Opener, Value Prop, Questions, Active Listening, Next Steps, etc.) Next Steps - Send over integration information - (Steve - sent today to Shawn) - Send copy of today’s call with examples of comments/coaching (Stve - when available) - Call with call with Kate which is scheduled (Steve) Please reply all with any questions. As I mentioned above, please let me know if I stated anything inaccurately or if there is anything else that you would like to add. Best, Steve #planemail #consensus #salesemails #salesfollowup #salesenablement

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Ready for an agentive upgrade of your GTM? Check this out. #agentforce #salesai

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DOGE is probably the strongest market signal of efficiency/performance prioritization that I've seen in my 15+ years in startups to date. There's also a ton of overlap with fed/state wasteful spending and B2B tech companies. From my POV, it's a clear sign of what's to come in 2025… - Orgs will start taking work output seriously - Leadership cracking down on performance - More startups adopting performance tools - Teams rewarding high-output members generously - Execs reducing spend across low ROI departments And a whole lot more. Still early days, but the writing's on the wall.

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