Trevor Clark

For early-stage founders one of THE most important parts of your GTM motion needs to be understanding the HIGH-PRIORITY PROBLEM(S) you solve for your prospect. However, even that is too much of a simplification... Because when you've mapped out your key stakeholders, you need to understand the problem you're solving, the answer to the question 'What's in it for me?' for EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. In your deal you will have an Economic Buyer, a Champion, User Buyers and Technical Buyers, and you need every one of the to say YES (or at the very least from your User and Technical Buyers, not a 'no') to get your deal done. And for them to say YES, you need to be solving a high-priority problem for each them. This problem might be a different by stakeholder, or might be the same problem, just seen through a different lens. Obviously, for different solutions those problems will be different, but there are some commonalities on the types of things they will usually care about. ➡️ User Buyers - for your User Buyers, the problem is usually around features and functionality. What does your product do that makes their lives much easier, better, more efficient, more effective? ➡️ Technical Buyers - usually for Technical Buyers, they want to know you don't break anything or that you're in line with whatever compliance infrastructure they have. Essentially, you want your Technical Buyers not to say 'No!' ➡️ Champion - you're going to ask your Champion to advocate for your solution. They're going to be putting their reputation on the line for you, and may even be putting their jobs on the line, so you really need to be solving a HIGH-PRIORITY problem for them. For it to be a high-priority it usually needs to be related to their targets / KPIs /OKRs - so you need to understand what these are and show how your solution helps them hit these targets in a way they cannot do without you. ➡️ Economic Buyer - as your EB is likely more senior, they usually care more about strategic projects as well as the cold hard cash of the commercial benefit of your solution. So you need to understand what these strategic projects are, and how your solution gets them to where they need to be, in a way they cannot do with their incumbent solutions. That last part is key, EBs are usually change adverse, so you need to show how hard - or ideally impossible - it will be for them to hit their targets without you. And commercial benefits for EBs come down to reducing costs, maximising revenue and reducing risk. So how does your solution move these needles? Even if they don't have a target for these, EBs will always be thinking how they will justify the use of their budget in buying your solution. And there's no better justification than a rock solid ROI. Much more on this in our booklet Value Creation Explained where we go through the Value Pyramid of understanding the PROBLEM you solve and the VALUE you create for every one of your stakeholders. Link in the comments below ⬇️

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Before diagnosing missed revenue targets Many B2B SaaS companies only look at: - Overall CAC - General LTV - Surface-level metrics To dig deeper, here's what you should track: • Time to impact • Pipeline velocity • LTV by segment • Sales cycle length • Lead quality score • Expansion revenue • Net revenue retention • Feature adoption rates • CAC by customer segment • Customer acquisition cost payback period These metrics reveal hidden insights. Combining these metrics give you the deeper meaning.

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No one taught you solid GTM fundamentals It's no wonder your pipeline looks so sad right now Everyone defaults to more volume of leads. The math totally makes sense. But .... Have you revisited your segmentation and messaging? Defining your market segments can't be an afterthought. It's the most mission-critical task for revenue. Companies look generic in the market, because they're thinking generic. Here’s how to do it right: 1) Define Clear Objectives: - Why are you segmenting the market? - New logos? - Marketing efficiency? - New product launch? 2) Use Multiple Segmentation Criteria: - Demographic - Psychographic - Geographic - Behavioral - Firmographic This is a true complete picture. 3) Conduct Thorough Research to Understand: - Characteristics - Preferences - Behaviors Short on time? Use Perplexity. (seriously, 75 minutes yesterday I blew the doors off a business model) 4) Ensure Segments are Measurable and Profitable: - You can only do this when you have segments ;) 5) Test and Iterate: - Experiment on your segments and follow data. - Then, adapt or double down. Avoid these mistakes: 1) Overly Generic Segmentation: - You can't describe a segment in less than 10 words. - That's not granular enough if you can. 2) Ignoring Data and Insights: - Very few companies use data correctly. - Go take a class or hire someone to help. 3) Lack of Alignment with Business Goals: - Is this aligned with your GTM motion? - Retention is different from new logos. 4) Neglecting to Reassess Segments: - The market changes faster than ever. - This is not a set-it-and-forget-it exercise. If you really understand your market, your messaging becomes easy breezy. When your messaging is easy breezy, it's easier to buy from you. Is 75 minutes spent worth a healthier pipeline?

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How should startups structure compensation for their first GTM hires? I recently discussed GTM hiring with Taylor Wells, and we touched on an aspect that many founders overlook: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 *early* 𝐆𝐓𝐌 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭. Many startups default to the 50-50 salary & commission split for frontline sellers. This is the norm for established companies, viewing it as the market standard. BUT… Established companies face fewer risks and have robust frameworks in place and GTM maturity. And so, sellers get paid to meet a number. Period. Your early-stage startup might be in a different league. GTM roles, including sales and marketing in very early stages, Need to do more than just drive revenue. They define and refine the sales process, They close the product/customer feedback loop, They help you find PMF/GTMF, creating invaluable institutional knowledge that shapes the company's operational blueprint. (or you can say, they help you figure out the best way to do their job). Therefore, their compensation should reflect this expansive impact. a16z has this concept of the *renaissance rep* A rep that is responsible for many things outside of just revenue growth. I’ve written about early hires at Hubspot spending up to 40% of their time doing customer interviews. These are very important initiatives for your org. And incentives should align. If you're in a position to make these decisions, consider a customized compensation structure, like a 70-30 or 60-40 split favoring salary. OR build in soft targets/objectives that help an early hire hit their OTE. ‘Show me the incentives, and I’ll show you the outcome’ Make sure to prioritize these early activities that will help lay the foundation of your GTM program. P.S. Need help hiring GTM talent for Data, AI/ML, Compute, and Cloud Infra? DM me. We've assisted successful early-stage startups (backed by Insight Partners, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, GV, Accel, and more) in finding A+ hires.

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Sequence is absolutely *crushing* its GTM content engine. Worth checking out their most recent report "Sequence Principles" detailing tactical revenue lessons from 100+ B2B companies. Some highlights: 1. Clear ICP messaging (B2B sales leadership) 2. Easy scrolling/skimming ability across sections 3. Real-time founder testimonials (like Sasha Orloff) 4. Highly tactical advice (i.e. packaging, bundling, metrics) 5. Simple design without overwhelming folks w/ dense content Highly recommend taking a look - big s/o to the Sequence team ⚡

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If you are a founder at an early stage healthcare startup, IMO should be the one doing sales until you get your first customer It's very easy to feel the urge to hire a sales person you think has a deep rolodex or experience doing the sale, but what you'll find is that they don't feel the same passion about the product that's necessary to get the first sale over the line and convince champions internally about what your'e doing. On top of that, many experienced sales people work well when they have all the tools they're used to (e.g. case studies, people focused on building a pipeline, etc.) that you might not have when they start But if you're a first time founder, you also might not know at all where to start with the sales process or who you should be targeting. That's why we're trying to build a set of courses just focused on sales for different stakeholders in healthcare. They're 1/10th the cost of a consultant/outsourced sales person and will get you 80-90% of the way there on what you need to know. "How to sell to health systems" starts tonight. You can buy a last minute seat here: https://lnkd.in/efGT9Pi7

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Let’s talk SDR Health. A good SDR team would be running 7 to 35 sequences total. Much more than that and you’re not controlling your messaging enough. Much less and you’re not using sequences the right way… they’re supposed to be built for different scenarios, it’s imposible to have so few scenarios. I’ve now met a handful of companies with 10,000+ sequences on Outreach. If you have a content team that is looking for better data (yes, beyond reply rate) to optimize sequences, tag them below. I’ll be doing a small group Q&A in October for 10 content leaders on how to optimize their sequences. Let’s go! PS. Some data below, just so people see that this is real, and I mean real good.

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Monday's Bessemer Venture Partners Event (Making your first $1M when Driving early Stage SaaS) GTM call was telling... Seed/A companies are deprioritizing VP of Sales hires. Why? - Founder-Led Sales, First - Prefer to Identify patterns, build playbooks, and create a solid foundation. Experimentation and flexibility is crucial - A misstep with a VP of Sales can set the company back 1-2 years - Cost-Efficiency Instead, these companies are focusing on: - Fractional Revenue Hires: Gather insights, refine ICP, and establish processes before hiring full-time leadership - Marketing/BDR Support: Generate leads and gather feedback which will yield shorter deal cycles and help refine strategies - Hands-On Salespeople: Focus on active sellers who will be feet-on-the-ground Bonus Tip: Consider hiring a CS rep first. They can create case studies / gather insights from the initial deals closed by the founder and help establish a strong foundation for growth For some, a VP Sales hire may work really well early on. The icp is nailed down, the process is in sync, and you're generating tons of leads. This said, most early stage companies don't have this.

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Every GTM motion has a strategy. We're running 5 GTM motions for new business: 👉 Inbound 👉 Outbound 👉 Event-led 👉 Partnership/Referrals 👉 Community Revenue Growth leaders need to be disciplined and not "blend" the data. Yep, each motion has its own data and KPIs that is part of our overall GTM strategy. Getting granular is necessary to allocate resources properly but what needs to be improved, dropped or double downed on. And spoiler alert, it can vary. This year, we had more inbound than the last 2 years combined. This is why there is NO magic bullet, and the best leaders let the data and market guide decisions on strategy. You need to be able to connect the dots and pivot. How many motions are driving your Revenue Engine? Thanks to GTM Partners for the graphic in a recent newsletter. #GTM #leadership

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Jason Cohen's WP Engine hit $100M ARR in under 7 years — screen shot of pre vs post PMF revenue growth below. At SaaSOpen last month, he shared some key insights he learned along the way: 🚀 Initial Sprint: From $1M to $5M ARR in just one year. 📊 Hiring a CEO: What he calls his "second-best decision." 🔧 Operational Shifts: Transition from exploratory tactics to focused, scalable strategies. 🛠️ Shifting gears from rapid experimentation to solidifying operations. 🎯 Focusing on fewer, larger bets to maximize resources. 📑 Redefining roles: From developers to managers, transforming how teams operate to ensure scalability. Watch the keynote and download the full slide deck: https://lnkd.in/e55yJFCN

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As time goes on and I experience more, there are fundamental business building values & priorities that I believe can & will work across any industry. I say this all the time, popular opinion or not, physical therapy and most healthcare providers operate in the service-based industry. In todays world, consumers want more control over the services they seek. Healthcare especially could benefit from retention strategies SaaS companies implement to better serve consumers who want to be healthy, and stay healthy. Making consistent & effective efforts to show value can give you more opportunities to validate what we all know as healthcare providers, but it can be challenging to show when we’re busy - WE CARE ABOUT YOU!

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The more startups I work with, the more I believe having a distribution advantage from the early days matters. If you build it, they will not always come. If you build it AND market it, they will. We're hosting a GTM Summit at Pear VC in early Sept focused on how to build your GTM from zero to 1. If you're a founder working on this stage, I'd love to see you there. We have a great lineup of speakers (including some of my favorite GTM experts like Armando, Rosie, and Alexa) that will share their hard earned lessons and mistakes in scaling GTM. RSVP link in the comments.

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Niche doesn't mean single-product. Data from TideMark's 2024 Vertical & SMB SaaS Benchmark Report backs this up. The sauce for Vertical SaaS is owning a niche and layering new products over time to grow 'share of wallet'... Here’s what I’ve learned from acquiring and operating Micro SaaS: // Product Expansion: - Start with your core offering, but always be mapping out adjacent pain points - Look for low-hanging fruit - features users are cobbling together with spreadsheets or third-party tools - Aim for products that increase switching costs and make your solution "stickier" // Acquisition vs. Development: - Sometimes it's faster to acquire a complementary product than build in-house - Look for small, bootstrapped tools in your vertical that solve adjacent problems - Assess potential acquisitions based on tech stack compatibility and integration ease // Pricing and Packaging: - Bundle strategically - not all products need to be sold separately - Use add-ons to increase ARPA without scaring off smaller customers - Consider usage-based pricing for auxiliary products to lower the barrier to adoption // Sales and Marketing: - Retrain your sales team on solution selling rather than product pitching - Develop clear ideal customer profiles for each product combination - Use your existing customer base as a testbed for new products // Technical Considerations: - Plan for integration from day one - whether building or buying - Prioritize a consistent user experience across products - Consider a modular architecture to facilitate future expansion // Metrics to Watch: - Track product adoption rates within your customer base - Monitor support ticket volume as you add products - Keep a close eye on churn rates for single-product vs. multi-product customers The multi-product approach isn't just about making more money. In smaller verticals, it's often the only path to building a substantial business. It's about creating an ecosystem that comprehensively serves your niche, making it harder for competitors to dislodge you. Depth plus breadth. But don’t diversify for the sake of it — be strategic, based on actual user needs and market dynamics. Follow me if you want to learn more about my journey of acquiring & operating Micro SaaS. For the love of the game 🏴‍☠️ ⚡ #Growth #Product #Strategy #Sales #Marketing

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Our Micro SaaS portfolio company just hit ARR / FTE productivity rivaling $50M SaaS firms. Here are 4 lessons we learned along the way: Focus on operating leverage, not just revenue growth. EBITDA/FTE is an excellent scoreboard. Lean teams move faster and punch harder. Return on effort matters more than chasing scale or deal size. Where have you most recently created operating leverage in your business? #ARR #MicroSaaS #BusinessEfficiency

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The average SaaS growth rate is a statistic that every founder should keep front and center. Did you know that startups can see growth rates between 15% and 45% year-over-year? If you're opting for anything less, you might as well hang up your entrepreneurial hat. The article dives into more than just numbers; it breaks down the critical importance of understanding your company's growth rate, especially when vying for investment. Investors aren't just looking for a good story; they want to see solid numbers proving your potential. If you can't articulate your growth rate, you're running on borrowed time with investors. Additionally, while early-stage companies often ride high on initial momentum, this growth is deceptive. Many will experience a slowdown as they mature. Thus, founders need to set realistic expectations, and it’s crucial to anticipate future growth based on solid financial forecasting. How are you measuring and planning for your company's growth? Let's hear your thoughts. https://lnkd.in/eSrmqagz

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The 10 steps to 360-degree audit your SaaS GTM 👇 Your way to diagnose the GTM health & challenges. The first step for me to work with a new SaaS founder on GTM is getting a full overview of the status quo. It's my assessment. My way to diagnose the GTM health & challenges. I call it a GTM Audit. This involves 👇 GTM STRATEGY 1️⃣ Ideal Customer Profile --> Do they have a clear ICP --> What are the criteria to qualify/disqualify --> How is this applied in lead gen & CRM 2️⃣ Positioning --> Do they have a clear positioning against direct & indirect competition --> What sets them apart from the status quo 3️⃣ Messaging --> How do they communicate what they do and for whom they are doing it? --> How is the messaging applied on homepage, sales deck and emails? 4️⃣ Pricing --> Packaging & Value Metrics --> POC, Free Trials or Freemium 5️⃣ GTM Motion --> PLG, Sales Led or Hybrid --> Does it fit the ICP, Pricing & Product? 6️⃣ Sales Funnel & Forecast --> Review the last 12 months of performance --> Understanding high-level the progress over time --> Focus on Leads, MQL, Deals, Customers, € --> and especially conversion rates --> Do we have a Top or Bottom of the Funnel issue GTM EXECUTION 1️⃣ Sales Process --> Do they have a well-defined & executed sales process --> What needs to happen to move deals through the pipeline --> Is there a sales methodology? SPIN, MEDDIC etc. 2️⃣ Sales Activities (Demo Recordings) --> Reviewing recordings of discovery calls and demos --> How do they qualify prospects --> How do they demo the tool? (hope no feature f*****) 3️⃣ Channels --> What are they doing to get new leads? --> How are they performing? Usually working with early-stage founders this includes: --> Outbound campaigns --> organic social --> (paid social) --> (paid search) --> (partnerships) 4️⃣ GTM Assets --> Website Review --> Sales Deck Review --> Lead Magnet(s) Review --> Content (Social, Blog) Review --> Case Studies Depending on the stage, some goldmines of insights: 🌕 Lost Deal Analysis 🌕 Product Usage Insights 🌕 Customer Analysis/Segmentation 🌕 CRM Audit After the initial audit, we know the bottlenecks and set priorities.

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This is a fabulous memo from Bessemer Venture Partners regarding scaling SDR/BDR teams. I urge all B2B SaaS founders to dig into this one. #founders #entreprenuers #startup #seedfunding

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The skills to be an effective SaaS CRO have changed. That's not my opinion, but that's basically the crux of what bona fide CROs, and those that hire them, are telling me. Just a few years ago these were 5 desired skills when hiring a CRO. --Proven "scaler", which often meant doing more with MORE (people) --Willing to take calculated risks to and set ambitious goals --Ability to thrive in unpredictable environments with frequent changes (sadly lots of change was caused by literal CRO changes) --Laser focus on achieving revenue targets no matter the cost  --Inspire and motivate large sales teams These are 5 desired skills when hiring a CRO today: --Analytical with the ability to interpret data and identify trends to make decisions --Deep understanding of sales methodology, customer segmentation, and pricing strategies  --Financial acumen to understand unit economics --Customer focused to build long term relationships and loyalty  --Cross-functional relationship builder That said, in MY opinion, the skills needed few years ago are still necessary, but the trick is finding people, or becoming, the person, who straddles both profiles. Those people are also known as The GOATS of Growth, or at least well on their way.

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