Justin J. Johnson

We're thrilled to introduce Real-Time Integrations with top CRMs like Affinity.co, Attio, Salesforce, HubSpot, Airtable, and many more! 🎉 These integrations will transform your workflow by: 🔄 Syncing Companies and Contacts in Real-Time 🎛️ Offering Fully Customizable Settings 🧠 Automating Data Updates And, with our Push and Pull features, you can enrich your CRM data with Specter's unique growth signals and insights, making your decision-making process faster and more efficient ⚡ Read more in the first comment below 👇

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Is Your SaaS Business Leaving Money on the Table by Ignoring Rate Limits? When scaling your service, rate limits aren’t just an afterthought—they’re a must. Too many businesses miss this step early on, and it costs them. Why should you care? Without rate limits, you’re paying for extra calls, whether they’re to internal systems or external APIs. Each unchecked call eats into your bottom line. Plus, storing frequently fetched data in a table can cut redundant calls and save time, budget, and server load. stories of fractional CTO. #SaaS #TechStrategy #RateLimits #CostEfficiency

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For AEC focused startups, think about GTM this way. For scale and keeping CAC metrics in line. Bottom Up. PLG for PLG : Product Led Growth for Project Led Growth - User focused marketing - frictionless on boarding - No Sales Function (it’s too expensive) Enterprise: Leverage Project based success to sell to the enterprise. - High Level Solution Sales - Proven ROI Metrics - Make the CFO your champion - Have a well thought out - ABM strategies work well here. Enterprise Solution vs Discounted offering for bulk purchase. Spec to Check: Build generic specifications for your product and work with A/E firms to get them placed. This is for Construction Tech Specific. Owner Influence - Everyone’s ultimate customer. - Brand awareness - Thought Leadership - Building Type Specifc Marketing. We have an entire playbook on this type of stuff. Also what we teach in our stage agnostic incubator.

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Great conversation with Joey Brodsky! Definitely one of the sharpest guys I know. I love his passion, drive and unique perspectives. I have followed his podcast for a long time and was super happy to be able to be a guest. I will share more insights from our time together but wanted to post a quick thank you to Joey and share the episode. #NextGenSales

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Who owns your end to end GTM system? What about the Bowtie data model? This was a key question during our two-day Revenue Architecture Summit in Santa Cruz. Marketing owns awareness. BDRs or equivalent own education. Sales owns selection. Finance oversees the mutual commit/contracting. Professional services do onboarding. CS helps with retention. Account managers focus on expansion. So do we even need somebody to own and optimize the overall #bowtie process and data model? YES! "But my marketing is great at increasing leads and sales is increasing close rates, so why worry about an overall owner?", you might say. What if the new leads are low quality and sales is rushing through the sales cycle, ultimately yielding high onboarding and ongoing churn? Whether you like it or not, revenue production is a closed loop system. Something you do on the left side of the bowtie impacts the right side and the other way around. Best to assign an unbiased data owner who does that personally have anything to gain by making the data tell any particular story. The most likely owner for the overall system, or at least for the overall data model, lives in operations or finance. We see new titles around GTM Strategy and Operations. We also see RevOps moving from CRO to COO or CFO. So hence my question: In your company, who owns the end-to-end revenue production system? Who owns data definitions and brings together your teams to decide on next actions to improve revenue production based on the data? #revenuearchitecture #bowtie #revops Photo courtesy Jill Guardia (she/her)

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Outbound is moving in a new direction and revenue teams must keep up or get left behind. UserGems 💎 asked 100+ SaaS revenue leaders to weigh in on what's fueling their pipeline generation, what's breaking down, and how to navigate the road ahead. #marketingops #saasfounders #ceo #entrepreneurs #startupfounders #ai #playbook #techstack #bestpractices #expertadvice #b2bmarketing #saasmarketing #softwareindustry #softwarecompanies #outboundmarketing #saas #marketingtactics #marketingstrategies #cmo #marketingadvice #personalisation #marketingstrategy #marketingtips #growthmarketing #marketingdata #marketingpersonalization #martech #marketing2024 #marketingai #aipowered #aienabled #outboundstrategy #marketinginsights #saasbusiness #saasstartups #saasproduct #customervaluecreation #productvalue #valuecreation #successstrategy #gtmomentum #gotomarket #earlystagestartup #revenueboost #monetization #revenuegeneration #productgrowth #customerengagement #customeracquisition #gtmmotion #gtmplays #customerintelligence #marketingintelligence #gtmstack #revops #revenueoperations #revenueenablement #salesenablement #signalbasedselling #revops #revenueteams

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2024 SaaS Benchmarks Cheat Sheet 🚀 The latest SaaS report, built with High Alpha, Paddle, and OpenView, surveyed 800+ companies and just dropped. Here's what good vs. great looks like by ARR band: EARLY STAGE (<$1M ARR) 📈 growth: 100% (good), 250% (great) 🔄 nrr: 100% (good), 110% (great) 💰 arr/fte: $70k (good), $100k (great) ↑ stronger growth & arr per fte yoy EARLY GROWTH ($1-5M ARR) 📈 growth: 50% (good), 115% (great) 🔄 nrr: 100% (good), 110% (great) 💰 arr/fte: $120k (good), $185k (great) GROWTH ($5-20M ARR) 📈 growth: 30% (good), 60% (great) 🔄 nrr: 105% (good), 120% (great) 💰 arr/fte: $150k (good), $215k (great) at $20m+, the market has stabilized—but at lower levels than prior years. Shoutout to Kyle Poyar for sharing the insights. 👏 #saas #benchmarks #growth

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Everyone in your revenue org has a different view of what's going on. Learn how to leverage it: VPs: “We’re tracking behind on our Q3 revenue target. We need to increase our ACV by doubling down on Enterprise opportunities.” Sales Managers: “We’re tracking behind our Q3 revenue target. We don’t have enough opportunities to double down on. We need to increase our outbound activity to drive pipeline.” Account Executives: “I’m behind on my Q3 target. Building more pipeline isn’t going to help me this quarter. I need to close at least 50% of my open opportunities to get back on track (even though my average is 25%).” Same Problem. 3 Completely Different Approaches. If you work in revenue enablement, you have the unique opportunity to be a bridge between team members at every level. Here’s what that sounds like… To VP’s: “If we want to increase our team’s ACV by moving up market, we’ll need to audit how we qualify opportunities and make sure we’re getting the right stakeholders involved in discovery. Do you have time to collaborate on a new rubric for our SDR’s and AE’s to qualify champions? I’d expect this to take about 3 months before we start seeing consistent results. Is there any opportunity to focus on mid-market win rate in the meantime?” [Once approved, go to your sales managers] To Sales Managers: “I understand we need more activity, but until our reps are identifying the right people to get on a call, it’s going to be wasted effort. Leadership is working on a new qualification framework for next quarter, but in the meantime, you can still hit your target by focusing on moving more of your existing pipeline in S2 & S3 into later stages in the sales cycle. What are some high-value deals that you feel are stuck right now?” [Then, go to your reps] To Sellers: “Your managers have identified some deals that are stuck in the early stages of the sales cycle. In the past, I’ve noticed you tend to use discounts as a lever to push deals through faster. How would you go about advancing these deals if you weren’t able to discount them at all?” By taking the time to listen to different perspectives from across the org, Enablement becomes a force multiplier that get’s everyone moving towards the same goal.

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The first version of the SaaS GTM playbook was written twenty years ago. Salesforce championed it. Mark Roberge published The Sales Acceleration Formula about Hubspot’s journey. Over the next two decades, we analyzed, quantified, instrumented, & optimized many aspects of the SaaS GTM. Account executive to SDR ratios, sales cycle lengths, conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, customer lifetime values, net dollar retention. The new software GTM playbook has yet to be written. But the companies who figure it out will become the next wave of massive businesses. On Tuesday, Theory held an event with [Dave Morse] formerly at Hebbia & Scale AI, Flo Crivello from Lindy, Paul Yacoubian from Copy.AI, & Chris Changfrom Gradient to discuss how AI changes these practices. These were my take aways : - Selling AI is being discovered because the technology is new. Buyers don’t know how to use it or how to buy it. - Because the sales motions are new, we can’t apply the previous playbook to the new sales process. The CEO/founder should hire a sales leader that they fully trust who focuses on ultimate success. The sales process is a part of the product : using both the customer’s language & the ultimate use of the product through success efforts - Between PLG vs sales led, more companies were sales-led. If starting with PLG, the template sells the product. Fight the empty box problem with great concrete templates that demonstrate how to use AI. If selling top-down, most of the conversations today are at the C-suite rather than the mid-market predominantly because the buying process is new. - Figuring out how to consistently produce wow moments with non-deterministic software is essential. - The room was split on pricing model : seats, usage, or some hybrid. Ultimately, pricing captures 15-30% of the value the software/AI creates. Developing a strong case for this with buyers will be key because the ROI question from buyers is real especially as the broader software market feels pressure. - Only VCs care about the word agents / agentic : for most enterprises, agents mean a customer support agent. Many teams don’t care about the underlying technology, they seek a solution to their problem. Tomorrow, we’ll be publish the results of the 2024 GTM Survey which we’ll reveal at Saastr in which we dig into the use of AI on sales processes & the impact to efficiency. Thanks to the panelists & attendees for a great discussion.

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🌟 Whether your SaaS business is generating $1M or $100M in ARR, one thing remains constant—the foundation of Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). 🧮 In my latest SaaS Metric School session, I dive into why getting your CAC right is critical for scaling efficiently and sustainably. From isolating fully burdened sales and marketing expenses to setting up your SaaS P&L correctly, these fundamentals don’t change with growth. If your CAC is off, so are your key metrics like CAC payback and LTV to CAC ratio. This can lead to poor decision-making and missed opportunities. But when you master these fundamentals, you set your SaaS company up for long-term success. 🚀 How are you managing your CAC? Let's discuss how to optimize this crucial metric for your business. Episode 148 is now on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/g4Ru8QBd #SaaS #SaaSMetrics #CustomerAcquisition #CAC #ARR #BusinessGrowth #StartupGrowth #SaaSFinance #SalesEfficiency #MarketingEfficiency #LTV #Forecasting #DataDriven #SaaSStrategy #FinancialManagement #GrowthStrategy #SaaSSuccess #SaaSLeaders #ScaleUp #BenMurray

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🌟 Whether your SaaS business is generating $1M or $100M in ARR, one thing remains constant—the foundation of Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). 🧮 In my latest SaaS Metric School session, I dive into why getting your CAC right is critical for scaling efficiently and sustainably. From isolating fully burdened sales and marketing expenses to setting up your SaaS P&L correctly, these fundamentals don’t change with growth. If your CAC is off, so are your key metrics like CAC payback and LTV to CAC ratio. This can lead to poor decision-making and missed opportunities. But when you master these fundamentals, you set your SaaS company up for long-term success. 🚀 How are you managing your CAC? Let's discuss how to optimize this crucial metric for your business. Episode 148 is now on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/g4Ru8QBd #SaaS #SaaSMetrics #CustomerAcquisition #CAC #ARR #BusinessGrowth #StartupGrowth #SaaSFinance #SalesEfficiency #MarketingEfficiency #LTV #Forecasting #DataDriven #SaaSStrategy #FinancialManagement #GrowthStrategy #SaaSSuccess #SaaSLeaders #ScaleUp #BenMurray

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Why is top-line growth the holy grail for SaaS success? Because it implies everything else is functioning well: product/market fit, retention, customer acquisition. Plus, it drives the highest equity value. And yet, it’s not the only important metric:

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Hot Take… RIP #PLG, Long Live #SLG But before you throw shade, let me explain… 🔹 There are undoubtedly exceptions, I’m sure many will highlight monday.com, Freshworks, etc. 🔹 PLG works well for low ACV deals with low CAC… think SMB and mid-market customers. Target CAC payback <12 months 🔹 PLG is a fantastic top of funnel marketing channel for enterprise sales ⭐ But for 6-figure enterprise sales, you need enterprise salespeople pressing the flesh with customers

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🌟 Transforming your Partner Relationship Management (PRM) with Brijflow! 🌟 Partner ecosystems are the heart of growth for many high-growth SaaS companies, and it was incredibly rewarding to see our approach help this $500M ARR SaaS enterprise overcome their challenges. If you're also looking to scale your partner management with confidence, reach out—we’d love to share our insights. BrijFlow, RevOps Business Consulting #PRMTransformation #Growth #SaaS #PartnerSuccess #Automation #BusinessGrowth #ProudMoment

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Many SaaS Management programs fail to meet savings and efficiency goals or even get off the ground. After meeting with thousands of companies attempting to get control of their SaaS spend and risk, we’ve learned why.  On Tuesday, September 24th at 2PM ET, join Cory Wheeler to learn: 👉 The most common challenges in SaaS Management 👉 Why spreadsheets, legacy SAM, and contract management tools fail 👉 The data, processes, and tools required to drive a successful program 👉 The fastest path to achieving quick wins and saving money Save your seat now: https://lnkd.in/dbJaz_SW

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The old rules for scaling subscription SaaS: - Charge based on seats - Charge more for premium features - Pay reps on first year bookings - Hand customers off to CSMs post-close - Get customers to commit upfront The new rules for scaling outcome-as-a-service products: 1. Charge based on units of work 2. Don’t put gates in the way of adoption 3. Pay reps on adoption (estimated/actual) 4. Every team plays a role in customer success 5. Invest in becoming predictable Moving from selling *access* to selling *work delivered* isn't a simple pricing change you can just announce in a press release. It's a business model evolution that looks a lot like the shift from on-prem to SaaS in the first place. — 🎁 For more check out Growth Unhinged, my free newsletter that’s sent to 58,624 readers every Wednesday: https://lnkd.in/exTbjKaM #ai #saas #monetization

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I have been living and practicing #GTM for a decade+. A unified GTM is the right strategy - integrating market, product, marketing, customer success, and sales (in that order). You can see the light bulb going off at more and more companies. This is not a fad, not a buzzword, and it's not a #salesmarketingalignment thing. In my experience, this focus has been an inhibitor to success. It's already hard enough to create a successful company and value solutions that markets need and want. Having held roles in #marketing, #sales, #product, and #customer success and now three years in a business 100% focused on unified GTM, it works. It's natural, and it makes sense. I know it's not easy. The larger the corporation, the harder it is to unify strategy, people, systems, processes, and data (emphasis on the people). And it is definitely not about technology. Tech plays a role but supports the strategy, It's exciting to see GTM teams who commit to adapting to the changing buying and decision-making process and align with what businesses and tech leaders prioritize. It's not #SaaS. GTM Partners

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SaaS Buying Behavior Has Shifted: What Software Founders Need to Know The landscape for software purchasing has changed dramatically since 2021. Companies are no longer buying software for every need—instead, they’re categorizing products as either "nice-to-have" or "must-have." Here's what that means: Scrutiny is Higher Than Ever: Every purchase is heavily examined, with CFOs, head of sales, and RevOps teams now playing key roles in the decision-making process. Must-Have or Bust: If your SaaS product isn’t essential, you’re at risk. Companies demand solutions that solve critical problems. The game has changed. Has your SaaS strategy?

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Not applicable to every B2B business, but a very tactical Value Creation Hot Tip for most: implement auto-renewal / auto-reorder. Great ways to combat passive churn (churn that happens without any action on the part of the customer). Pretty ubiquitous in vertical SaaS & related industries, but found this to be surprisingly overlooked elsewhere (eg. last port-co I had an operating role at). Hit on this in the book--Winning Move #17--but check out the vid below for a deeper dive. ▶️ * * * * * Found this helpful? Plenty more where that came from. Check out the Winning Moves Platform: the ambitious PE leader's toolkit for accelerating value creation. ↳ A digital arsenal of resources, how-to's, and tools to help private equity leaders make value-generating Winning Moves with confidence. Link in the comments below. ⤵️

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