What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It

Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels
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Exploring the key go-to-market challenges that SaaS organisations face and how to overcome them to ensure success.

  1. 5d ago

    Summer Cognoscenti Series – JD Miller: The New CRO Playbook

    Episode 52 – Summer Cognoscenti Series – JD Miller: The New CRO Playbook  Welcome to What’s Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. Before getting into the main conversation, Louis shares news of the launch of the Revenue Operating Governance working paper, developed together with Kevin Brown and Travis Brown in conjunction with the Winning by Design Growth Institute, and recently presented at the Winning by Design Impact Summit Virtual. The paper addresses why well-designed revenue systems still break under pressure, arguing that while revenue architecture provides the system design and growth architecture explains how the system behaves, organisations also need a governance layer to keep the system aligned as short-term pressures and local optimisation pull it apart. Simon, meanwhile, flags two upcoming speaking engagements: the Accenture Song B2B Customer Growth Conference, where he will be discussing revenue planning, and the SME Forum for asset management distribution sales and marketing leaders, where he will be covering go-to-market measurement. Kicking off the Summer Cognoscenti Series, this episode brings a conversation at the intersection of private equity, revenue leadership, and AI, with guest JD Miller, Operating Partner at Rothschild Five Arrows and a multi-time CRO. Here’s the TL;DL: CROs can no longer rely on heroic selling, instinctive deal judgment, or a single forecast number. In a PE-backed environment, they must understand the investment thesis, translate it into the revenue architecture, and communicate early and clearly with the board. AI raises that standard further but it cannot replace trust, judgment, leadership, or the human dynamics of complex B2B buying. Other mentions in this episode: The CRO’s Guide to Winning in Private Equity by JD Miller The AI Handbook for Sales Professionals by JD Miller JD's AI Handbook bonus materials – free 90-day AI adoption plan CROs Who Succeed report and our ep37 discussion with Wayne Starritt and Andy Champion Episode 19 with Joel Harrison Episode 21 with Andy Champion Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

    56 min

  2. May 28

    When an AI-Native SaaS Bet Doesn't Work Out

    Episode 51 - When an AI-Native SaaS Bet Doesn't Work Out Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. In this episode Simon and Louis welcome back returning guest Mark Walker, Co-Founder at AI GTM Studio, who last appeared on episode five to discuss segmentation, targeting and positioning. This time, Mark generously agreed to talk through his experience as a seasoned GTM operator who set out to build an AI-native SaaS business — RevvedUp — in one of the most volatile markets in B2B software for quite some time. Louis frames the conversation not as a story about failure as an endpoint, but as an exploration of what the market teaches founders when the assumptions beneath a business change faster than the business can adapt. Here's the TL;DL: RevvedUp set out to make ABM personalization and outbound relevance scalable through AI. It gained early traction, it gained funding and it gained recognition, but the market shifted fast. Gen AI changed buyer expectations. SaaS funding became less forgiving and the boundary between software, automation, services and agentic execution began to blur. Other mentions in this episode: Mark Walker on LinkedIn: buy vs build Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

    48 min

  3. May 14

    The Story So Far

    Episode 50: The Story So Far Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. Marking the 50th episode, we reflect on the podcast’s journey before diving into the detail. Louis outlines what he sees as three defining themes that have shaped their thinking across the series: first, methodologies — from the early influence of the 95/5 concept and the 2009 HBR article “In a Downturn, Provoke Your Customers” through to Challenger, MEDDPICC and ultimately SPICED; second, leadership, and the distinction between strategic leadership and day-to-day management; and third, revenue and growth architecture, which Louis credits with bringing all of the preceding ideas into sharp relief and providing a coherent operating model for SaaS businesses. Here’s the TL;DL: Over 50 episodes, the biggest lesson is that revenue is not something you simply chase — it’s something you design, lead, govern, and systematically improve. Most SaaS companies default to more activity when things get difficult. But growth isn’t linear. It’s a system. And if that system is badly designed, adding more activity just scales the noise. Other mentions in this episode: A big thank you to the guests who have featured across the our Cognoscenti Series and other episodes, several of whom are heard in clips in this episode: Andy Champion (Atlassian), Mark Stouse (Proof Causal AI), Joel Harrison (B2B Marketing), Ian Truscott (Rockstar CMO), Nicky Briggs (Forrester), and Jon Clarke (6sense). Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig “In a Downturn, Provoke Your Customers” — Harvard Business Review, March 2009 Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

    47 min

  4. Apr 30

    Growth Architecture pt4

    Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. As we bring to a close our topic arc on growth architecture, in this episode we arrive at the critical shift from insight to action — and specifically at the question of why most SaaS revenue leaders are solving the wrong problem. Here's the TL;DL: Most SaaS leaders think their problem is forecasting. It isn't. The forecast is just the output. If the number is wrong, it's because the system producing it is broken. Stop trying to predict the number, start designing the system that produces it. Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition of Louis' What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter. Other mentions in this episode: Episode 40 on causal analytics with Mark Stouse, CEO at Proof Causal.ai Episode 48 when we covered Monte Carlo simulations in depth Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

    35 min

  5. Apr 16

    Growth Architecture pt3

    Episode 48 - Growth Architecture pt3 Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each episode, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. Louis has been organizing the inaugural Winning By Design Growth Institute UK London chapter meet-up taking place on the 22 April. Some existing Winning By Design revenue architects will be coming along and introducing a number of the concepts we've been talking about on the podcast, making for an interesting evening. Get in touch to apply for an invitation. Meanwhile the Accenture Song Rethink Replay series has now concluded, featuring full sessions from last year's conference that are available for anyone to watch. As we near the conclusion of our growth architecture topic arc, in this episode we arrive at forecasting. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: Most forecasts assume certainty when none exists. The problem though isn't bad data, it's bad assumptions about how systems behave. The reality is that revenue is not a fixed outcome, it's a range of probabilistic outcomes. Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter. Other mentions in this episode: Matthew Codd's BDR hiring LinkedIn post Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

    35 min

  6. Apr 2

    Growth Architecture Part 2

    Episode 47 - Growth Architecture Part 2  Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.  Louis is in the process of reviewing a new book that's out by JD Miller, called the AI Handbook for Sales Professionals. JD is actually, now an operating partner for Rothchild and Co Five Arrows, and he's exited about five different businesses successfully as CRO, which gives him a unique lens to be able to look at how companies really grow revenue and what they need to be doing. Louis will let is know what he thinks about the book after he’s finished reading it!  In this episode we continue our topic arc on growth architecture, turning our attention to revenue systems. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode:  Most SaaS companies think they have one revenue engine when in reality they have many, and each one behaves differently. If you try to forecast them as one system, you don't get accuracy, you get averages, and average is hide reality.  Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter.  Other mentions in this episode:  Ian Truscott’s Hope in a Strategy LinkedIn newsletter article that Louis and Simon mention  BONUS LINK! Simon’s April Fool LinkedIn post!  Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

    31 min

  7. Mar 19

    Growth Architecture Part 1

    Episode 46- Growth Architecture Part 1 Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. Louis explains why, in a change to our scheduled programming, we won’t be covering forcasting after all and instead returning to it at the end of our new topic arc, Growth Architecture, leading on from Revenue Architecture that we've been discussing recently. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode:  Most SaaS companies think growth is a pipeline problem, so when revenue slows, they focus on generating more activity. SaaS growth doesn't behave linearly like that though, it behaves multiplicatively across the entire customer journey. That means if the system is broken, adding more volume just scales that inefficiency. Growth architecture helps solve that problem. Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter. Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

    36 min

  8. Mar 6

    Revenue Architecture Part 4

    Episode 45- Revenue Architecture Part 4 Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. Louis has recently taken on the role of UK Chapter Lead for Winning by Design's Growth Institute and was buzzing from his first official Impact Roadshow in London. The event saw a real shift in revenue‑leadership thinking, from “do more” to “do better (and sometimes smarter)” and noted how this will shape future conversations around growth architecture and the rising role of AI. Louis and Simon also note the recent, infamous Citrini Research blog post on the future of AI and the impact on SaaS, and agree to circle back to it in a future episode. We roll on to part four of our Revenue Architecture topic arc, this time discussing growth methods and the benchmarking model. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode:  Growth is not about adding levers. More levers don't fix weak mechanics. Benchmarks don't mean what you think they mean. A benchmark without context is just theatre. Read more on this topic in the corresponding editions (part 7 and part 8) of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter. Other mentions in this episode: Winning by Design's Bowtie Benchmarks Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

    33 min
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Exploring the key go-to-market challenges that SaaS organisations face and how to overcome them to ensure success.

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