08/09/2023

Leveraging Data and AI for Customer-Led Growth with Brendan Short

In this intriguing podcast, Brendan Short, the CEO and Co-founder of Groundswell, explains their innovative approach to customer-led growth and their mission to reshape product-led growth (PLG) by harnessing data signals to enhance sales engagement. Brendan introduces Groundswell as a platform that marries the best of PLG and sales-led strategies, aiming to create seamless interactions between buyers and sellers. The conversation covers the challenges of accessing and interpreting data, the evolving role of databases in sales, and the introduction of AI-powered customization for lead engagement. Through Brendan's insights, the podcast offers a glimpse into the future of SaaS sales and marketing. Highlights Merging PLG and Sales-Led Strategies: Groundswell's mission to combine the benefits of PLG and sales-led strategies for more effective buyer-seller interactions. Data-Driven Sales Optimization: Brendan's experience at Zoom, optimizing BDR processes using data, and the challenges of accessing meaningful data for informed sales strategies. Target Audience: Groundswell's focus on B2B SaaS companies employing both bottom-up and top-down sales approaches, with an emphasis on higher-value offerings. AI in Sales Engagement: Groundswell's latest product offering that combines product usage data and AI for tailored lead engagement emails and scheduled meetings. Role of Databases in Sales: Exploring the potential for databases like Snowflake to replace traditional CRMs and the importance of centralized customer data. Customer-Led Growth: Discussion on the concept of customer-led growth, putting the customer at the center of the buying experience for improved conversion rates. Outcome-Based Pricing: The emergence of outcome-based pricing models, where customers are charged based on successful outcomes achieved using the software. This episode was presented by TextBox. To learn more about how TextBox can help your business, visit their website at ⁠⁠www.testbox.com⁠⁠.

35 min

08/01/2023

Building Communities and Adding Value: The Keys to Software Marketing in Today's Market with Jordan Greene

In this episode, Olivier interviews Jordan Greene from Catalyst, a company focused on customer success. They dive into the concept of customer-led growth (CLG) and its significance in the current economic climate, emphasizing a shift towards sustainable and predictable growth. Jordan explains how customer success has evolved from being just a department to a business-wide priority, playing a crucial role in driving customer-led growth. The discussion explores community-building strategies, advocating for creating communities around methodologies rather than just products. Highlights: Understanding the rise of customer-led growth and its importance in today's economy. The evolving role of customer success as a pivotal business focus, not limited to a single department. Differentiating customer success from upselling and prioritizing value delivery. The power of building communities around methodologies and viewpoints for knowledge-sharing. Challenges and considerations in pricing and packaging to achieve sustainable growth. Leveraging executives' presence on social media to enhance brand awareness and audience engagement. The impact of providing a world-class buying experience on customer acquisition and loyalty. This episode was presented by TextBox. To learn more about how TextBox can help your business, visit their website at ⁠⁠www.testbox.com⁠⁠.

42 min

07/25/2023

Sales Reps, AI, and Pricing: Exploring the Evolving Landscape of Software Sales with Jason Widup

In this engaging podcast episode, Olivier interviews Jason Widup, a seasoned marketer and founder of Peak B2B Marketing, who shares valuable insights on customer-led growth (CLG) and the unique challenges faced by B2B startups in the current market. Jason emphasizes the importance of bringing customers closer to the product, offering product tours, free trials, and templates to empower prospects in making informed decisions. The conversation delves into the effectiveness of various demand generation strategies, including paid advertising, email marketing, and social media, while striking a balance between sales-led and product-led growth approaches. The discussion also touches on the role of AI in marketing, pricing strategies, and the future of SaaS. Jason provides valuable takeaways on implementing customer-centric growth strategies and how companies can thrive in the dynamic landscape of software sales and marketing. Highlights: Bringing customers closer to the product: The power of product tours, free trials, and templates. Focused demand generation strategies: Utilizing paid advertising, email marketing, and social media for growth. Striking the right balance: Sales-led vs. product-led growth approaches. The potential of AI in marketing: Insights from a late adopter. Customer-centric pricing: The key to success in the software market. The future of SaaS: Considerations for different growth strategies. Real-life experiences with customer-centric software companies: Learning from successful examples like Hockey Stack. This episode was presented by TextBox. To learn more about how TextBox can help your business, visit their website at ⁠⁠www.testbox.com⁠⁠.

40 min

07/19/2023

Resonating with Stakeholders and Navigating Product Marketing Challenges with James Winter and Brendan Weitz

In this podcast, host Olivier Labbé welcomes Brendan Weitz, founder of Journey, and James Winter, head of marketing at Telescope Partners. Brendan shares Journey's product-led growth (PLG) approach, while James provides insights into the mix of PLG and sales motions in the companies he works with. They also discuss the challenges of product marketing, segmenting messaging for different user types and use cases, and the competitive landscape of the "digital sales room" category. The conversation also provides valuable advice for marketers during challenging times and sheds light on the rewards and challenges of starting a company. Topics discussed: Simplifying the sales process and creating a seamless buying journey The challenges of selling in the current economic climate Putting the customer at the center of the buying process Leveraging user behavior signals for relevant information delivery Product-led growth (PLG) and its effectiveness for different companies Tailoring messaging to different stakeholders and personas Exploring the competitive landscape of the "digital sales room" category Shifting focus from sales to marketing in the founder's perspective Motivating and engaging the team in a startup environment Avoiding hype and carefully adopting AI technologies To Connect & Learn More: James Winter: linkedin.com/in/jameselliotwinter Brendan Weitz: linkedin.com/in/brendanlweitz Journey: ⁠journey.io Telescope Partners: ⁠telescopepartners.com This episode was presented by TextBox. To learn more about how TextBox can help your business, visit their website at ⁠www.testbox.com⁠.

44 min

07/12/2023

Unleashing Growth Potential in Today's Evolving Market with Pouyan Salehi & Kris Rudeegraap

In this discussion, we are joined by Pouyan Salehi, Founder & CEO of Scratchpad and Kris Rudeegraap, Founder & CEO of Sendoso, as well as Olivier to explore the undeniable impact of building strong relationships in driving revenue growth. They challenge the notion of purely transactional sales approaches and shed light on the importance of personalized engagement, PLG strategies, and understanding customer motivations. Discover how gifting, direct mail, and innovative go-to-market motions can redefine your sales strategy and cultivate long-term customer loyalty. Episode Highlights: The Complexity of Driving Pipeline Efficiency: Olivier and Pouyan kick off the episode by highlighting the challenges faced by sales teams in building and optimizing their pipelines. They explore the tension between a seller's time in the market and the company's need for data and process standardization. Building Better Relationships through Gifting and Direct Mail: Kris, the founder and CEO of Sendoso, shares his company's unique approach to driving pipeline and building relationships with prospects and customers. He emphasizes the importance of personal connections in today's business landscape. PLG vs. Sales-Led Approach: Olivier raises the topic of Product-Led Growth (PLG) and its impact on sales strategies. Kris and Olivier engage in a lively discussion, highlighting the various ways PLG and sales-led approaches can work together to drive revenue growth. Adapting Go-to-Market Strategies: Kris explains how Sendoso implemented a PLG strategy alongside their traditional B2B go-to-market approach. They discuss the benefits of driving signups through the website and focusing on lifecycle marketing to maximize pipeline and revenue from existing customers. Measuring Success in a Shifting Economic Environment: Kris and Pouyan delve into the importance of measuring ROI and showcasing value to prospects. They share their approaches, including leveraging ROI calculators, involving CFOs in sales meetings, and showcasing success stories from customers. Transitioning to a PLG Motion: Olivier seeks advice from Kris and Pouyan for go-to-market leaders who are considering transitioning to a PLG motion. They provide insights into evaluating whether a company is suitable for a PLG approach, aligning company priorities, and managing potential challenges during the transition. Tune in to this thought-provoking episode of Customer Led Growth to gain valuable insights from industry leaders in sales, marketing, and corporate finance. Discover how to drive pipeline efficiency, build stronger relationships, and adapt your go-to-market strategies in the era of Customer Led Growth.

44 min

07/05/2023

The Art of Top-of-Funnel Pipeline Generation with Sydney Sloan & Scott Wilder

In this episode of Customer Led Growth from Testbox, host Olivier welcomes two special guests, Sydney Sloan, CMO of Drata and Scott Wilder, Head of Digital Success at Clari, who share their insights and experiences in customer-centric approaches for founders and sales executives. Sydney discusses her journey and the importance of a unified customer experience. Scott shares his expertise in putting customers at the center of the buying process. Together, they explore topics such as co-creation with customers, digital self-serve strategies, cross-functional alignment, and the role of communities in driving revenue. Tune in to discover their secrets for success and learn how to implement customer-led growth strategies in your own business. Episode Highlights: Scott highlights the importance of co-developing programs with customers and helping them master their craft to accelerate their careers. Sydney discusses the need for a unified customer experience throughout the entire journey, emphasizing the power of educating the market and leveraging benchmark data and best practices. Scott shares the concept of digital success and how it saves customers time and provides them with the information they need to learn and excel. Sydney explains the success metrics for their initiatives, including time to answer, engagement, and system consolidation. The guests emphasize the significance of cross-functional collaboration and shared metrics to drive success. They discuss the differentiation of customer experiences based on market segments and potential revenue, cautioning against solely using ARR as a segmentation factor. Sydney highlights the role of communities in driving engagement, revenue, and customer satisfaction. Join Olivier, Sydney, and Scott in this episode of Customer Led Growth to discover the power of customer-centric strategies. Gain insights into co-creation, digital self-serve, unified customer experiences, and the role of communities in driving revenue. Learn from their experiences and unleash the potential of customer-led growth in your own business.

44 min

06/28/2023

From Clicks to Conversions with Bethany Stachenfeld & Ben Wright

In this episode of Customer Led Growth from Testbox, we delve into the world of customer-centric strategies that drive business growth. Join our host, Olivier as we engage in an enlightening conversation with Bethany Stachenfeld, Co-Founder & CEO of Sendspark, and Ben Wright, an expert in partnerships as they reveal invaluable insights for founders and sales executives seeking to optimize their sales processes. Learn how to transform your approach from clicks to conversions and harness the power of customer-led growth to propel your business forward. Episode Highlights: Bethany shares her journey as a sales executive and highlights the importance of customer-centricity in driving growth. Discover the key elements of a customer-led growth strategy and how it can revolutionize your sales processes. Uncover effective techniques to align your sales team's efforts with the needs and preferences of your customers. Learn how to leverage customer feedback and data to optimize your product or service offerings. Gain insights into the challenges faced by founders and sales executives when implementing customer-led growth strategies and how to overcome them. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights from Ben & Bethany and discover how customer-led growth can transform your business. Don't miss out on this opportunity to unlock new levels of success!

40 min

06/21/2023

Explosive Growth Unleashed: Insider Strategies from Marketing Titans with Manuel Rietzsch and Andrew Davies

In today's hyperconnected world, marketing has transformed into a multidimensional powerhouse, driving companies to new heights of success. Are you ready to discover the secrets behind fuelling your company's growth? Join us as we dive into the captivating journeys of marketing gurus Manuel Rietzsch and Andrew Davies, uncovering their game-changing tactics and approaches that propel organizations to extraordinary results. Episode Highlights: Discover the revenue rocket fuel of Paddle and why it's highly effective Unlock the process of transitioning from a sales-led to a product-led approach Maximize retention by aligning internal resources strategically Unravel the true meaning of customer-led growth Gain invaluable advice and insights tailored for marketers Explore a plethora of powerful marketing tools at your disposal Timeline: (00:00-02:35) Intro (02:36-04:14) Effectiveness of PLG motion in growing revenue for Paddle (04:15-06:08) Paddle’s transition from sales-led to product-led (06:09-09:56) Leveraging the growth of Hopin (09:57-13:07) How account executives at Paddle decide on which account they should focus on (13:08-14:49) Aligning the resources internally to maximize NRR (14:50-17:00) Manuel’s insight on how to adjust from a sales-led to PLG companies (17:01-20:51) What customer-led growth means to Andrew (20:52-23:59) What motion does Manuel see when engaging with companies (24:00-26:46) Andrew’s advice on vendors that are trying to figure out PLG (26:47-33:22) Leveraging AI capabilities as a marketer (33:22-35:37) Manuel’s advice for marketers (35:37-38:26) The software that impressed Manuel (38:26-39:57) Andrew’s advice for marketers (39:58-41:51) The tools that Andrew find helpful (41:52-43:04) Andrew and Manuel’s upcoming events and how to connect with them (43:04-43:39) Outro Links: Learn more about the vibrant SaaStock community: SaaStock Connect with Andrew Davies on LinkedIn: Andrew Davies Connect with Manuel Rietzsch on LinkedIn: Manuel Rietzsch Get ready to accelerate your company's growth and leave a lasting impact in the marketing landscape. Tune in now!

44 min

06/07/2023

Future-Proofing Sales and Marketing: Revenue-Centric Strategies and Product-Led Growth Insights with Alex Poulos & Sahil Mansuri

Is your sales, marketing, and product alignment strategy ready for the future? Discover how adopting a revenue-centric approach can transform your sales and marketing strategies in this insightful podcast episode featuring Alex Poulos (Cross Beam) and Sahil Mansuri (Bravado). As product-led growth continues to influence sales tactics, learn how companies can adapt to new customer expectations and provide a positive buying experience. Explore the importance of pricing transparency, the future of cold calls and emails, and the value of partnerships and ecosystems in driving business growth. As product-led growth (PLG) continues to impact sales strategies, we examine the future of cold calls and emails, and discuss alternative methods for reaching new customers. Learn the significance of partnerships and ecosystems for growth, as well as tips for maximizing marketing impact and pricing optimization. Don't miss this opportunity to hear expert advice for go-to-market teams in 2023 and beyond! Highlights 3:30 - Sales, Marketing, and Product Alignment 8:18 - Product-Led Growth and Customer Expectations 15:26 - Enterprise Software Pricing Transparency 27:19 - Cold Calls and Emails' Demise 32:14 - Maximizing Marketing Impact and Pricing Optimization 39:25 - Sales and Partnerships: What's Coming Up in the Tech Community To Connect & Learn More: Alex Poulos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poulos/ Crossbeam: https://www.crossbeam.com Bravado: https://bravado.co/ Sahil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahilmansuri/ This episode was presented by TextBox. To learn more about how TextBox can help your business, visit their website at www.testbox.com.

51 min

05/31/2023

Measuring & Optimizing the Buying Experience for Growth with Eli Rubel & Samantha McKenna

Perhaps you've heard of the term customer-led growth before, but what does it mean? Is it a concept that exists only in the realms of abstract marketing theory or is it something you can put into practice and use right now? We understand that businesses are growing rapidly and there are many different data points that help us understand how to predict future demand. We are here with Eli and Sam to help you understand the meaning of customer-led growth and see the future of SaaS buying. Find out: - How to make SaaS product more compelling to buy - Who should own the buying experience of SaaS company - How to measure marketing, sales, product, teams, and customer success - How the best marketers are being measured - The meaning of customer-led growth - Best ways to get as many users as possible - Best SaaS products - How to incorporate a mutual success plan to get deals done Highlights (00:17) What did Eli and Sam want to do when they were younger (02:16) How to make SaaS products more compelling to buy? (03:44) Eli and Sam’s “I couldn’t” software platform (04:11) The irreplaceable features of LinkedIn (05:01) Should PLG or SLG motion own the buying experience of a SaaS company? (08:16) How to measure your marketing, sales, product, customer success, teams, to ensure that the feedback loop is active and working well (12:13) How the best marketers now being measured (16:29) The meaning of customer-led growth (18:26) Should LinkedIn sales navigator remain the way it is? (19:46) The best way to get as many users as possible before having a pricing conversation (22:46) Eli and Sam’s best SaaS purchasing experiences (29:26) How to incorporate a mutual success plan to ensure that you can get deals done in today’s environment (36:07) Advice for people in revenue team This episode was presented by TextBox. To learn more about how TextBox can help your business, visit their website at www.testbox.com.

51 min

05/24/2023

Unlocking the Secrets to Sustainable Growth: Product-Led, Sales-Led, and Customer-Led Strategies with Tim Davidson and Adam Goyette

What is product-led growth and does it lead to long term conversion of leads? What does customer-led growth mean? How can all teams in a company align to ensure they achieve shared goals? In this first episode of Customer Led Growth, two leading marketers Tim Davidson and Adam Goyette join our host Olivier Labbe to answer these questions. Tim Davidson is the senior director of marketing at Directive. He has a wealth of experience, worth over 10 years, in marketing. Adam Goyette is the founder of Curdis and formerly worked in G2 and Help Scout in marketing roles. In this episode, they share deep insights into the dynamics of product-led growth in marketing covering issues such as; The effectiveness of free trials Building alignment across teams to improve buyer experience Key performance indicators for a good buying experience Highlights (3:47) How to make a SaaS product more compelling to buy in today’s world (6:42) Product-led growth versus sales lead 8:50 Does free trial conversion have a high conversion rate? (13:25) Free trial with limited access to certain functionality for buyers (14:44) Should sales, marketing, and product teams be involved in the buying process? (17:45) KPIs for developing a good buying process (19:13) What does ‘customer-led growth’ mean? (23:13) How to ensure there is alignment across teams in the buying process (31:24) Tim & Adam’s best SaaS purchasing experience (35:56) A piece of advice from Tim & Adam for marketers Quotes ‘Most people aren't relying on all the companies that save. They all say the same thing; ‘we’ll save you time, we’ll save you money’. And that's the pitch. It's like everyone comes with that pitch, so people trust other people. Figuring out ways you can create superfans and people that are in these communities who are singing the praises of this company is going to be key.’ -Adam ‘You don’t have to be better, you have to be different’ -Tim ‘I think one of the keys to having a good conversion is product lead growth. Let's just spin up a way for people to get access to the product and start a trial. There's two big problems that you have to solve. One is; what is the main thing they're trying to accomplish within the product that you need to get to that moment and how do you build experiences around that.’ -Adam ‘You need all the aspects of it. The buying experience needs to have marketing because marketing can't just be dishing in 1000 bad leads if the sales team can't do anything with it. They need to have that message, they need to have the website optimized. Like everything needs to be selling the product the right way.’ -Tim ‘You need to figure out how to let someone become a customer. Everything should be around what the customer actually cares about. And if you do that, you're going to see immense growth. Right now, there's a lot of friction on the B2B buying process on how to do marketing because of expectations from a lot of companies. So at the end of the day, what matters is how we make it so the customer actually likes buying a product and likes being a customer.’ - Tim ‘Looking at the way you're doing your marketing, you just say; ‘How do we approach this a little bit differently?’ Whether it's direct mail, ads, or the brand itself, or the type of content you're putting out there.’ -Adam Learn more about Tim & Adam: Tim’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tadavidson41/ Tim’s Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_tim_davidson Adam’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-goyette/ Adam’s Website: https://www.curdis.co/ This episode was presented by TextBox. To learn more about how TextBox can help your business, visit their website at www.testbox.com.

40 min

SEASON 1 TRAILER

Welcome to the Customer Led Growth podcast by Testbox

Welcome to Customer Led Growth, a podcast where we explore the strategies and insights needed for businesses to achieve growth through putting their customers first. Join hosts Olivier Labbe and Sam Senior as they dive deep into topics like product-led growth, customer-led growth, and sales-led growth, and meet with some of the top sales and marketing leaders in SaaS to discuss topics like: - Sales and marketing alignment - Product-led, sales-led, and customer-led growth models - The future of tech sales - How buyers want to buy software today

9 min

Customer Led Growth

Episodes

Leveraging Data and AI for Customer-Led Growth with Brendan Short

Building Communities and Adding Value: The Keys to Software Marketing in Today's Market with Jordan Greene

Sales Reps, AI, and Pricing: Exploring the Evolving Landscape of Software Sales with Jason Widup

Resonating with Stakeholders and Navigating Product Marketing Challenges with James Winter and Brendan Weitz

Unleashing Growth Potential in Today's Evolving Market with Pouyan Salehi & Kris Rudeegraap

The Art of Top-of-Funnel Pipeline Generation with Sydney Sloan & Scott Wilder

From Clicks to Conversions with Bethany Stachenfeld & Ben Wright

Explosive Growth Unleashed: Insider Strategies from Marketing Titans with Manuel Rietzsch and Andrew Davies

Future-Proofing Sales and Marketing: Revenue-Centric Strategies and Product-Led Growth Insights with Alex Poulos & Sahil Mansuri

Measuring & Optimizing the Buying Experience for Growth with Eli Rubel & Samantha McKenna

Unlocking the Secrets to Sustainable Growth: Product-Led, Sales-Led, and Customer-Led Strategies with Tim Davidson and Adam Goyette

Welcome to the Customer Led Growth podcast by Testbox

Trailer

Welcome to the Customer Led Growth podcast by Testbox

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