Mehran Ron Dabbagh

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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Just because you bought an F-16 doesn't mean you can fly it! This brilliant analogy from Ivan Pozgaj perfectly captures the biggest misconception about AI tools in sales: That simply purchasing the software will transform your team overnight. The truth? AI is only as good as your enablement strategy. Before handing your team the "keys" to any new tech: - Start with the problem, not the solution - Build a clear implementation roadmap - Invest in proper training and consulting - Get stakeholder buy-in Technology doesn't create great salespeople - it amplifies them. What's your experience with AI implementation? 

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At Black Box Intelligence™, we've been closely monitoring California since the minimum wage increase in April, and the findings may surprise you! Explore the trends in sales, traffic, check growth, and staffing, particularly in comparison to the rest of the nation. https://lnkd.in/gkf2mVUf

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📢 We're pulling back the curtain on valuations to teach MSP Owners, Partners & Execs how to measure and maximize their worth over time. Join us for a 3 session workshop series led by Hannah Paige of Worklyn Partners. Session 1 - Valuations Made Simple | July 11 Session 2 - Increasing Your Value | August 8 Session 3 - Negotiating The Deal | September 12 Whether you are looking to exit now, or 10 years from now, these sessions will take the guesswork out of exit planning and prepare you for whenever that day may come. Register for Session 1 here! https://lnkd.in/eg6NJsnG #msp #managedservices #mspgrowthhacks

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GTM exemplified. When a love ❤️ brand like Gong gives an emphatic high-five for your solution across their GTM teams it's a story worth telling...Shantanu tells it better, his smile is contagious, so watch at your own discretion 😁 watch here >> https://lnkd.in/dY3VWYKw #salesprocess #scale #GTMevolution

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My biggest tip for demos: practice navigating your platform as your ICP. What specific challenges/workflows/use cases does your ICP use your product for? The demo isn’t to show cool features.. it’s to show how you can solve their problems. Practice solving problems on your demo account! 🤔What’s your demo tip?

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Dealing with friction in your sales process? Brantley Pace, former VP of RevOps at Hopin and current CEO of ForgeWorks, totally gets it. In this quick clip from the most recent episode of the RevAmp podcast, he shares how DealHub's pre-approval framework gave his team at Hopin a fast lane for deals, keeping things smooth and under control. Brantley’s take? Smart RevOps isn't about eliminating friction—it's about managing it right. You’ll want to hear his insights on how to keep your deals flowing. Check out the full episode here > https://bit.ly/46N1RPE #RevOps #DealHub #SalesSuccess #QualityControl

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Not Only CRM AI is revolutionizing the SalesTech and sales industry, offering innovative solutions for common tasks like prospecting, enablement, insights, and analytics. Previously, sales automation was synonymous with CRMs like Salesforce or Hubspot. However, we are now entering a new era, and I am confident that Big Sister AI will play a significant role in this transformation. Enjoy reading this insightful article from a16z: AI Transforms Sales. https://lnkd.in/dRfrBY6S #SalesTech #AI #BigSisterAI #SalesAutomation #Innovation

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hey RevOps - wanna help us define the future of the RevOps role and the RevOps path the C-suite? 🤔 That's exactly what we're doing with our #RevOpsAF Executive Think Tank event series, Getting 25+ RevOps leaders together in the same room to: 🗺️ Define what RevOps should be in every organization ⛔ Figure out what’s standing in the way of a unified revenue operations function 🤝 Determine how to convince CEOs to respond and adapt to evolving market conditions by adopting a comprehensive revenue operations charter 🚀 What the RevOps path to the C-Suite looks like Our first Think Tank event will take place in San Francisco on August 22nd at 2pm PT. 🌉 So if you're a RevOps leader in the Bay area, then join us. 👋 We've already got RevOps leaders confirmed from companies big and small, and everywhere in between. Seats are extremely limited and we are limiting entry to senior leadership with deep experience in the field of operations. Learn more 👉 https://hubs.li/Q02F3M0X0 A huge thank you to our sponsor at Subskribe for making this event possible. 🫶 #revops #revenueoperations #salesops #salesoperations #marketingops #marketingoperations #csops #cxops #gtmops #alltheops

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🚀 How SaaS Is Reshaping the Channel Partner Landscape 🎙️ Listen to the podcast with Huba Rostonics https://lnkd.in/gXaknGWN 🔑 Top Takeaways from Our Chat: 💡 The shift to SaaS: Why smaller deal sizes and tighter margins are redefining profitability. 💻 The new customer lifecycle: How "plug-and-play" solutions are changing IT involvement. 📈 Maximizing margins: Discover why services can deliver profit margins as high as 70%! 📢 Catch the full episode to learn how partners can thrive in this evolving landscape. #ChannelTransformation #SaaSInsights #ZINFI

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Sellers, are you happy with your CPQ experience? RevOps leads, is your CPQ implementation easy? PandaDoc has always been known for its ease of use as an agreement and workflow platform. We launched a CPQ because we heard from customers that their current CPQ platforms were challenging to implement, but even worse, a pain to change once installed. Let’s be honest, you expect some level of effort in installing a platform, but with how fast businesses change today, you have to be able to adapt quickly. Taking 2-3 months to make changes to your pricing and configuration rules is not acceptable. We designed PandaDoc CPQ to solve this problem. Not only do we think we’re faster to implement than most of the other CPQ tools, but we make it so you can adjust your pricing and approval workflows without talking to our support. Our belief is that companies of all sizes should be able to have a powerful CPQ tool that they can adjust on the fly, and that’s exactly what we’ve built. If you are interested in how PandaDoc can help make your CPQ process better, schedule a demo with the link below. https://lnkd.in/gVifRUJM #cpq #salesops #sales #revops #proposals

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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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This piece will explore how SaaS providers are utilizing AI strategies to enhance sales performance and heighten revenue growth. Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/AUja9 #DriveRevenueGrowth #SaasIndustry #Ai

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I recently had the pleasure of joining Greg Toroosian on the Machine Minds podcast to discuss how Arrow AI is revolutionizing content marketing for tech founders. In this episode, we dive deep into: ➡️ The power of AI-driven content automation ➡️ The importance of combining AI with human expertise ➡️ How Arrow AI helps startups and B2B companies achieve explosive growth with content marketing Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just starting out, this episode is packed with valuable insights and actionable strategies. Tune in now on your favorite podcast platform! 🎧 P.S. What's your biggest content marketing challenge? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and let's see how Arrow AI can help you overcome it! #MachineMinds #TechPodcast #ArrowAI #ContentMarketing #AI #Startups #B2B

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Join us tomorrow for a fireside chat with Peter Cohan, author of Great Demo! In this session, Peter will reveal what makes a product demo truly compelling by exploring the impact of context-based demos that address each buyer's unique needs and challenges. Also discover how AI-driven personalization can elevate demos, crafting experiences that resonate deeply with buyers and drive engagement. Don’t miss this chance to gain actionable strategies for creating demos that captivate and convert. Register now to secure your spot! Link to register in the comments 👇

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Buckle your seat belts. ZoomInfo Copilot is here #ZoomInfoCopilot

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📉 Struggling with the limitations of traditional CRMs? Discover how AI is paving a path to a new era in sales technology! 🚀 Many existing CRMs, like Salesforce and HubSpot, face challenges in AI innovation due to their legacy architectures. 🌐 Now imagine a platform that integrates multi-modal systems (text, images, voice, video) to extract deeper insights from your sales processes to predict and guide every step of your revenue journey. Enter Aviso AI – the quintessential system of intelligent actions for sales teams: 💼 All AI Sales Applications in One Place: Enabling proactive sales motions and end-to-end revenue cycle management. 💡AI Agents Framework: Democratizing access to high-level knowledge work. 💰 Efficient CRM Spend: Helping businesses cut non-essential CRM costs and improve ROI. Trusted brands like Honeywell, Lenovo, New Relic, and others are turning to Aviso to streamline their revenue execution. Interested to know how AI will augment CRMs and replace point solutions? 🔗 Click here: https://lnkd.in/eiKe-kT9

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AI-native companies need to embrace new pricing paradigms (price based on work done, on outcome vs hours, etc). Inevitably, new pricing models are accompanied by new workflows, new ways of invoicing, and new challenges around billing. This makes Sequence's modern billing platform particularly relevant: Sequence helps finance and commercial teams automate manual billing and stop revenue leakage. Sequence has just launched their CPQ Product for B2B software businesses with hybrid pricing, designed specifically for AI, B2B SaaS and Fintech startups. This release empowers B2B teams to create flexible pricing proposals or contracts, including teams selling custom deals with usage tiers, minimum commitments, or ramped pricing, Sequence CPQ works for any pricing model or deal term. As a customer says: "Sequence is like a notion page supercharged with pricing tools." Excited for Sequence to build the critical infrastructure needed to enable new, flexible paradigms that are critical for the AI revolution.

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