Scale Your SaaS

127 : Into the Mindset Of A Venture Capitalist - with Preston Tucker

127 : Into the Mindset of a Venture Capitalist - with Preston Tucker

I really enjoyed hearing from a VC what he's looking for in a software startup. Preston Tucker is sharp and has made some great moves, so understanding what he sees was particularly insightful. Specifically, we discussed: Ways a startup can position themselves for investment How long a due diligence process takes What to look for when evaluating investors Preston was gracious with his time and I learned a lot. I hope you do too. To learn more about Preston and PMT Ventures, visit: https...

126: Startup Fundraising Strategies - with Melinda Elmborg

What an education session for me with Startup Action Founder, Melinda Elmborg. Her experience and insights around startup fundraising is really helpful to early stage founders. In particular, we talked about: How a company knows they have achieved product-market fit When the right time to seek funding is Ways startups can set themselves up for success when they look for investors Melinda is sharp and makes a complicated process understandable, which is really helpful for those of us who ...

125: Outbound & Inbound Sales Techniques - With Collin Stewart

125: Outbound & Inbound Sales Techniques - with Collin Stewart

To learn more about Collin and Predictable Revenue, visit: https://predictablerevenue.com/ Find Collin on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collinstewart/ -- For more about how host Matt Wolach helps software companies achieve maximum growth, visit https://mattwolach.com/. As part of the founding team in his first SaaS product, Matt owned the sales & marketing processes. But he struggled to sell and gain traction for the company. It took years of learning and tweaking before Matt ...

124: Content Marketing Best Practices - with Steve Pockross

I had a terrific chat with Verblio CEO, Steve Pockross. Steve has done an excellent job building and scaling his company, which provides content market services to help companies generate inbound leads. In particular, we talked about: The advantages and disadvantages of a SaaS/Services hybrid company How content marketing should fit into your overall marketing strategy Why investing in your people and culture can make all the difference I really enjoyed Steve's philosophies on marketing ...

123: What Most Miss in Their SEO Strategy - with Geoff Atkinson

Geoff Atkinson, the Founder and CEO at Huckabuy, explained some very interesting things to me about how companies should be fixing their SEO issues. I was surprised to learn about the things they're doing to help their clients get ahead. Specifically we discussed: The one thing most people forget that Google will factor How to pivot at just the right moment What it takes to get ahead of the competition Geoff is a smart guy and has successfully navigated the move from e-commerce to SaaS, ...

122: The 3 Huge Legal Mistakes Startup Founders Make - with Assaf Ben-David

I was amazed to learn at all the tragic mistakes software founders make that can cost them their company. Assaf Ben-David is a world-renowned legal advisor to software startups and he's an expert at the DOs and DONTs of launching your business.  The stories of founders who have lost everything or paid huge sums of money because of these errors that they didn't know about are crazy. Make sure you are protected by learning what to avoid and using an expert like Assaf. To learn more about Ass...

121: Marketing Strategies for Turbulent Times - with Garrett Mehrguth

I received a crash course in SaaS marketing as I spoke with performance marketing expert and CEO of Directive, Garrett Mehrguth. In particular we talked about: How SaaS companies can leverage data to reach new heights Which strategies work best for going to market What to aim for when creating content I really enjoyed the depth at which Garrett went to explain a scenario - he truly knows his stuff. To learn more about Garrett and Directive, visit: https://directiveconsulting.com/ Find ...

120: Enterprise Sales vs SMB Sales, Important Differences - with Joe Escobedo

When it comes to building brands and helping large companies improve, not many are better than Joe Escobedo. As an international branding consultant, he's worked with many Fortune 500 companies to help them improve their processes and achieve better results. In this insightful discussion, we discuss: Methods for getting your foot in the door of giant companies Differences in approaches for different sized organizations How to define where you want to focus your efforts Every time I talk ...

Ep 119: Should Founders Sell Their Product Initially? - Solo Rant

Lately I've heard a lot of people wondering if founders should be the people selling their product initially. There's some concern, especially in the software world, that if a founder is a technical founder, they may not be "born to sell". Garbage. Selling is about formulas and frameworks. I know engineers are great at those. It's just about knowing what to do. In particular I talk about: The 3 key reasons why founders should sell when they launch Why you may get into trouble early if you ...

119: Should Founders Sell Their Product Initially? - Solo Rant

Lately I've heard a lot of people wondering if founders should be the people selling their product initially. There's some concern, especially in the software world, that if a founder is a technical founder, they may not be "born to sell". Garbage. Selling is about formulas and frameworks. I know engineers are great at those. It's just about knowing what to do. In particular I talk about: The 3 key reasons why founders should sell when they launch Why you may get into trouble early if you ...

118: How to Make Yourself Attractive to Investors - with Katie Bronnenkant

I learned a lot about early stage SaaS finance with investment and finance expert Katie Bronnenkant. Katie has had a very successful career helping startups raise money, to the tune of over $250 million, so she certainly knows her stuff! In this chat, we discuss: How to set your company up for investment success The mistakes early stage SaaS companies make when it comes to finance When the time is right to seek investment I really enjoyed hearing Katie's perspective, as she has so much k...

117: What NOT to Say in Sales - with Kyle Coleman

I had wonderful chat with Clari VP of Revenue Growth & Enablement, Kyle Coleman. Kyle is incredibly gifted as a leader and as someone who understands the finer points of the sales process. He astutely recognizes what's important for a buyer, and he knows how to train his team to reach prospects in order to drive revenue. In particular, we discussed: The common everyday words you should stop saying immediately What success metric you should have at the top of the funnel How the entire team...

116: How to be a Negotiation Ninja - with Mark Raffan

I had the pleasure this week to be joined by master negotiator, Mark Raffan. Mark knows his stuff when it comes to negotiations as he advises some of the top companies in the world on how they can improve their negotiation skills, and he's the founder and host of the world's #1 negotiation podcast, Negotiations Ninja. In particular, we talked about: How people negotiate themselves out of great opportunities Why it's important to role play prior to a big negotiation How the military uses "...

115: Go for Broke or Land and Expand - with Vijith Kumar Nandanam

This week my guest is Vijith Kumar Nandanam, the super smart sales leader at Routematic. In this episode, we really focused on one important strategy decision that leaders need to make: should you 'Go for Broke' and sell as much as possible up front? Or 'Land and Expand' - just sign people up so that your foot is in the door, even at low levels, then you can upsell them later. I have found this topic fascinating for some time now, so I loved the opportunity to discuss it at length with a se...

115 - Go for Broke or Land and Expand - with Vijith Kumar Nandanam

This week my guest is Vijith Kumar Nandanam, the super smart sales leader at Routematic. In this episode, we really focused on one important strategy decision that leaders need to make: should you 'Go for Broke' and sell as much as possible up front? Or 'Land and Expand' - just sign people up so that your foot is in the door, even at low levels, then you can upsell them later. I have found this topic fascinating for some time now, so I loved the opportunity to discuss it at length with a se...

114: Marketing 534: Expert Level Marketing Secrets - with Chris Walker

Chris Walker, the CEO of Refine Labs and the expert marketing visionary, was my guest this week. I love that Chris comes at challenges from such a completely different angle than everyone else. His approach is so smart - yet so few do it. Among other things, we discuss: What marketers should really be focusing on Chris' 4-step process for generating a ton of leads Why companies are losing so many deals they should be winning I called this Marketing 534 because it's not Marketing 101 - th...

113: Designing a Buyer-focused Sales Process - with George Brontén

I loved what George Brontén from Membrain CRM had to say in this week's episode. Sometimes my guests say things and I have to sit back and think over it to see if I agree or not with their viewpoint. This week, I loved everything George said. It was so on point, and so in line with my experiences and learnings over the years that I had to stop myself from shouting "YES!" at every turn. Among other things, we discuss: That people are not born salespeople The big skills gap that many compani...

113 - Designing a Buyer-focused Sales Process - with George Brontén

I loved what George Brontén from Membrain CRM had to say in this week's episode. Sometimes my guests say things and I have to sit back and think over it to see if I agree or not with their viewpoint. This week, I loved everything George said. It was so on point, and so in line with my experiences and learnings over the years that I had to stop myself from shouting "YES!" at every turn. Among other things, we discuss: That people are not born salespeople The big skills gap that many compani...

112: How Customer Success has Shaped the Future of SaaS - with Nick Mehta

I really enjoyed talking with and learning from Gainsight CEO, Nick Mehta. Nick is a very skilled leader, and what he's done at Gainsight- from creating the Customer Success category, to building an excellent team that is upwardly mobile, to getting an industry to re-think how we view customer service - is nothing short of incredible. In particular, Nick and I discuss: Why it's about the people, not the product 3 things that SaaS has changed in the software world Key advice for founders s...

111: How to Be a Value SaaS - with Rajan Maruthavanan

This week I spoke with Rajan Maruthavanan from Upekkha. Rajan is an expert at helping SaaS founders get off the ground successfully and do it with little to no cash investment. In fact, he has helped over 100 startups build and launch their product. In particular, we talk about: How SaaS has changed the sales paradigm Why product and sales have to work really closely The 4 milestones on the road to product/market fit Rajan is crazy smart about startups and achieving traction on the way t...

110: Prioritizing the Customer Experience - with Nick Hague

I enjoyed taking another perspective this week, as I spoke with Customer Experience thought leader and influencer, Nick Hague of B2B International. Nick and his firm work with companies around the world to help them better understand their markets through data. In particular, he is an expert in how to deliver an excellent Customer Experience (CX). We discuss: The 4 key dichotomies in B2B markets What will happen if you de-prioritize CX How Nick was able to create a "bomb-proof" culture to...

109: What Software Buyers Look For - with Chad Stewart

This week we had a different perspective, the buyer's perspective, as I talked with Chad Stewart from SmartThoughts. Chad is a professional software buyer - organizations hire him to determine which software platform they should adopt. So he has seen every sales process imaginable and has a special insight we can learn from. In particular, Chad and I talk about: The biggest mistake software sales people make Why he is a fan of great salespeople What is most important to be sharing with yo...

108: How to Think Outside the Box in Prospect Outreach - with Braydan Young

I had a great chat with my guest, Braydan Young, Co-founder of Sendoso. As a fully integrated direct mail and gifting solution, Sendoso helps companies acquire new customers and retain existing customers. In particular, Braydan and I talk about: How to cut through the digital noise in today's world of low response rates Why you should learn and grow with your customers What to do to increase your ROI from a direct mail campaign The Sendoso story is a great one - they found a gap, and fil...

108: How to Think Outside the Box in Prospect Outreach - With Braydan Young

I had a great chat with my guest, Braydan Young, Co-founder of Sendoso. As a fully integrated direct mail and gifting solution, Sendoso helps companies acquire new customers and retain existing customers. In particular, Braydan and I talk about: How to cut through the digital noise in today's world of low response rates Why you should learn and grow with your customers What to do to increase your ROI from a direct mail campaign The Sendoso story is a great one - they found a gap, and fil...

107: Employee Engagement - with Jasper Deprez

My guest this week is Jasper Deprez, the CEO of Tradler, an employee engagement solution. Tradler helps organizations reduce turnover and increase engagement by allowing employees to instantly get rewarded and recognized for the work they do. In particular, we talk about: What Tradler did with one client to reduce turnover by 39% How software founders can find people for their team to fill skill holes  Ways to effectively appreciate people for the work they do Jasper is really smart at m...

107: Employee Engagement with Jasper Deprez

My guest this week is Jasper Deprez, the CEO of Tradler, an employee engagement solution. Tradler helps organizations reduce turnover and increase engagement by allowing employees to instantly get rewarded and recognized for the work they do. In particular, we talk about: What Tradler did with one client to reduce turnover by 39% How software founders can find people for their team to fill skill holes  Ways to effectively appreciate people for the work they do Jasper is really smart at m...

106: Messaging on Landing Pages that Converts - with Pedro Cortés

I'm joined by Pedro Cortés from Cortés Design. Pedro helps B2B SaaS companies turn more landing page visitors into customers through better messaging and positioning. In particular, we talk about: The 3 questions you need to answer for your visitors to your landing page How to win by knowing your customers  Why absolute clarity on your message is necessary Pedro is famous for his landing page breakdowns on LinkedIn, and here he gives us a peek behind the curtain into why messaging is so ...

105: Why You Don't Need Product Maturity to Pitch Your Product - with Gloria Chou

My guest is Gloria Chou, PR mentor and pitch guru. She helps B2B SaaS companies understand how to leverage PR and get maximum ROI for their business. She is also the creator of the first "PR in a Box" tool for solo entrepreneurs. In particular, we talk about: Why investors care about reputation more than functionality  That you shouldn't be afraid to pitch your product, even in the early stages  Why Gloria transitioned from a career as a US diplomat to helping tech founders show up in a b...

105: Why You Don't Need Product Maturity to Pitch Your Product - With Gloria Chou

My guest is Gloria Chou, PR mentor and pitch guru. She helps B2B SaaS companies understand how to leverage PR and get maximum ROI for their business. She is also the creator of the first "PR in a Box" tool for solo entrepreneurs. In particular, we talk about: Why investors care about reputation more than functionality  That you shouldn't be afraid to pitch your product, even in the early stages  Why Gloria transitioned from a career as a US diplomat to helping tech founders show up in a b...

104: Quick Tips to Scale a SaaS Business - with Ved Rasic

Ved Rasic, the COO of Autoklose knows how important process is to growing a successful software company. In particular, we talk about: How to put "People Before the Tools" That you need a process if you want to build and scale a business Why you need to know when to spend money, and when to spend time Ved is really sharp about how to implement systems and process and it has led to Autokose being a leader in the industry. Follow Ved on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vedranrasic/...

104: Quick Tips to Scale a SaaS Business - With Ved Rasic

Ved Rasic, the COO of Autoklose knows how important process is to growing a successful software company. In particular, we talk about: How to put "People Before the Tools" That you need a process if you want to build and scale a business Why you need to know when to spend money, and when to spend time Ved is really sharp about how to implement systems and process and it has led to Autokose being a leader in the industry. Follow Ved on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vedranrasic/...

103: Using Data and Process in Order to Be Proactive - with Piyush Parikh

Piyush Parikh, the Co-founder of Equinox Agents is my guest and he has a lot of smart thoughts on how software sales and support can be improved. Specifically, we discuss: How to make your support team help your sales How being proactive will take you further Why setting up automation will help you win While heavily involved in the SaaS world for a while now, Piyush came from an engineering background which has aided his efforts in the software game. His knowledge of data and process all...

102: Marketing Your SaaS System in Today's Ecosystem - with Greg Head

Greg Head and Matt Wolach discuss how sales and marketing need to work together and be in sync in order for a software system to thrive. We discuss: Greg's "The Myth of More" How marketing and selling software has changed over time What you need to do now in order to win Greg is world famous for his marketing talent, and he has the resume to prove it. Not only has he created, built, and scaled globally, he has several exits to his credit including going public. His extremely popular and...

101: Selling Your Software: Separating Fantasy from Reality - with Stewart Marshall

With guest Stewart Marshall, who is the Co-founder of SaaSAccelerator in Australia and author of Doing IT for Money. We discuss: How to use partners to accelerate Separating software sales fantasy from reality Where to focus if you want to scale Stewart is a sharp guy who has been helping some of the best software companies scale for a long time. You can learn more at https://saasaccelerator.com.au/ or he can be found on LinkedIn here. ------ For more about how host Matt Wolach helps so...

101: Selling Your Software: Separating Fantasy from Reality - With Stewart Marshall

With guest Stewart Marshall, who is the Co-founder of SaaSAccelerator in Australia and author of Doing IT for Money. We discuss: How to use partners to accelerate Separating software sales fantasy from reality Where to focus if you want to scale Stewart is a sharp guy who has been helping some of the best software companies scale for a long time. You can learn more at https://saasaccelerator.com.au/ or he can be found on LinkedIn here. ------ For more about how host Matt Wolach helps sof...