Jim Turner

Why some SaaS companies 🚩 struggle to grow on cloud marketplaces? These 5 root causes may not be what you expect. 1️⃣ Strategic Cloud GTM Misalignment The most critical blocker isn’t technical—it’s strategic. Many companies treat cloud marketplaces as "just another channel," but success demands a fundamental GTM shift. Winning in cloud marketplaces requires embracing a partner-led, customer-centric, consumption-focused model where you align with the cloud provider’s priorities—not the other way around. You’re entering ecosystems of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud as their partner, not the reverse. 2️⃣ Cloud & Customer Centricity Gap The "build it and they will come" approach fails spectacularly on marketplaces. Successful ISVs deeply embed themselves in the cloud ecosystem by: Mapping their solution to the cloud provider’s growth areas and strategic initiatives. Understanding how and why customers discover, evaluate, and buy solutions in cloud marketplaces and on each cloud platform. Aligning GTM motions with the cloud provider’s sales cycles and engagement models. 3️⃣ Immature Co-Sell Many SaaS companies struggle with co-sell readiness, held back by ingrained direct sales cultures, concern of conflict (channel/competition) and lack of Cloud GTM understanding. Incentives: Sales teams aren’t motivated (or de-motivated) to collaborate with cloud reps or sell through marketplaces. Value Proposition: SaaS companies fail to articulate how their solution complements the cloud provider’s offerings and drives customer value. Program Knowledge: ISVs often miss out on cloud program benefits because they don’t meet requirements or focus enough on eligibility. 4️⃣ Lack of Alignment and Internal Resistance The most insidious obstacle often comes from within: Siloed Departments: Sales, marketing, product, and finance don’t collaborate effectively, hindering a unified marketplace strategy. Leadership Gaps: Executives may not fully grasp the strategic importance of cloud marketplaces, leading to misaligned priorities or underinvestment. Not leveraging marketplace data and insights and not integrating MP into your sales and company operations 5️⃣ Cloud-Native Product Reality Success on cloud marketplaces goes beyond GTM strategy—your product must also be ready... Ideally its architecture should leverage cloud-native services to enhance consumption and scalability. 📈 What This Means The gap between leaders and laggards in cloud marketplaces is widening. Those who treat Cloud GTM as a transformation, not just another sales/partner channel, are experiencing rapid growth. Others risk being left behind in what’s quickly becoming the largest software distribution channel. 💡 What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve encountered? _________ PS. Accelerate your #growth on #cloud marketplaces with Cloud GTM Leader Course. Last chance to join Cohort 9 starting Jan 14th (tomorrow) - https://lnkd.in/ejc7S4Pb

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The acquisition game is very different from 10 years ago now that 70% of SaaS acquisitions are led by private equity investors or PE-owned strategic buyers. Most SaaS founders aren't thinking about the new realities of eventually selling their SaaS companies. It's very different than the old days of "sell it for big multiples to a strategic buyer, cash out, and see ya later." Here are 5 questions for founders to consider the new realities of a potential PE-backed exit: 1) Is my company built to keep growing efficiently after I sell it? - Your SaaS metrics need to be healthy. Growing steadily with efficient CAC and solid revenue retention - You need a business that runs without you, the founder. - And you will still be responsible for fixing the problems in your business. 2) Would I invest in the new company with my hard-earned equity or cash? PE buyers don't cash you out of 100% of your equity, just a partial "first bite of the apple" prize. They buy a minority or majority of your company, so you become the major private investor in the acquiring business. This is not an earn-out. You now own shares in a new company that you don't control. You must be confident enough in the new owners, operators, culture, and vision to invest 20-60% of your hard-earned equity in this new venture. 2) Why will this acquisition work to build and sell a much bigger company? Most old-style mergers and acquisitions didn't work for either side. In this new world, founders need to find the right owner/partner with the right strategy and team to ensure their hard-earned equity pays off on their "2nd bite of the apple" when it is sold again. Founders should also do deep due diligence on their acquiring PE investors, not just pitch themselves for "sale" to any takers. 3) Do I trust the new owners and operators to do the right things? Most founders don't stay on as CEOs when they sell to PE buyers. Someone else owns your business (PEs), and they have CEOs who will run the business their way. 90% of founder-CEOs who sell to PE end up as board members with the ability to make suggestions to the new leaders. That's it. You must trust the people and their approach to your business and your precious equity. 4) How will things change now that I'm not the CEO? Maybe you continue running the business as a CEO with new owners for a while, but eventually, you won't be there. Now what? How do you spend your time now that you're only an involved board member? This is very jarring for most former CEOs, so it's worth considering before selling. 5) How will things change now that I have money? The biggest reason to sell a major part of your healthy SaaS business is to take some chips off the table and win a major cash prize. You invested 5-15 years in this business and probably some of your own cash. Now what? Will your life change a little or a lot? It's a whole new world for successful SaaS founders when they sell to PE buyers. #practicalfounders

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This is the number 1 mistake 90% of GTM leaders make when trying to scale their Revenue Engine. How many GTM motions are you actively running in your business? 2 weeks ago we discussed during the Revenue Architecture Summit the challenge of adding more GTM motions vs narrow done on 1 or max 2 GTM motions. Choosing the number of GTM motions is a real struggle for many of us leaders. Agree 👍🏼 or disagree 👎🏼 You enter a new rol as Head of Sales, VP Sales or CRO and get the assignment to scale the business. Your board and c-level obviously want to see short term impact from you as a new leader. So what do you do? You are simply adding new GTM motions. The more GTM motions the better, right? ↳ More motions. ↳ More opportunities. ↳ More potential customers. ↳ More potential revenue distribution. 𝗦𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝗚𝗧𝗠 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: ✔️ Let’s add Mid Market on top of SMB. ✔️ Let’s add Outbound on top of Inbound. ✔️ Let’s add a PGL motion next to Inbound. ✔️ Let’s add Enterprise on top of Mid Market. ✔️ Let’s add the Partner channel next to Inbound. According Dave Boyce from Winning by Design we are simply trying to manage too many GTM motions at the same time. Before you scale the business to a new GTM motion, you need to understand your current motion(s) as a Revenue Architect. Don’t experiment with new channels if you havent scaled your first motion. How do you know if a GTM motion works? Use the Data model of Winning By Design and analyse the entire bowtie BUT separate per motion. When moving to your next GTM motion? Rule of thumb according to Dave is at 10M ARR (6M ARR in Europe). You don’t want to add chaos (new experimental GTM motion B) on top of chaos (existing not performing GTM motion A). Before experimenting with a new GTM motion you want to have seen repeatable proof points from your current running GTM motion. Don’t run multiple experiments at the same time. And 1 key tip on how to scale towards new GTM motions if your current has proven successful? When you build your next GTM motion, build it next to your existing one: ✅ When running a SMB motion at 10K ACV, experiment with 15K/20K. ✅ When running a Mid Market motion at 50K ACV, experiment with 75K/100K If the new motion is so far off from your current motion you need to build all processes and systems from scratch. Besides, it will take a significant amount of time and investments before you will see any proof if it is actually working. And you won’t get the time, resources and patience of your board and CEO. So don’t move too fast towards your next GTM motion. How many GTM motions are you actively running?

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From a spreadsheet to $100M+ ARR and a $2.5B valuation. Vanta didn’t start with fancy software. They started scrappy — manually guiding startups through SOC 2 compliance with a simple Excel spreadsheet. Why? Because SOC 2 was a massive hurdle for startups trying to land big customers. Their early approach wasn’t glamorous, but it worked. Doing the hard work manually validated the need for something better. Over time, they turned those manual workflows into software — automating the pain points they saw firsthand. Today, Vanta is valued at ~$2.5B, generates $100M+ ARR, and helps thousands of companies simplify compliance. The takeaway? ↳ You don’t need a perfect product to start. ↳ Solve one painful problem, do it scrappily, and keep building from there.

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Tons of new business owners are missing out. You can get up to $100,000 in AWS credit (as in, no-payback) to build a proof-of-concept if you have an idea and a website. AWS Activate is the program. If you're a founder and you're looking to build cost-effectively before you have paying clients, check it out.

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Vertical SaaS. Construction tech's next breakthrough? When it comes to vertical Saas, investors are laser-focused on three key factors: 👥 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐭: Many successful vertical SaaS exits had an industry pro on the team. Domain expertise is the secret ingredient for street cred and understanding the market inside out. 🎯 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬: Construction is a multi-headed beast. Startups need to be smart, pick their battles, and have a bulletproof plan to conquer new territories. ⏰ 𝐔𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲: Investors are hunting for startups that tackle the biggest pain points head-on with solutions that can't be ignored. Fluff? Ain't nobody got time for that. As construction finally enters the digital age, the vertical SaaS startups that can navigate the complexities and seize the growth opportunities will come out on top. And the investors who back the bold visionaries with the expertise and determination to make it happen? Well, they'll be the ones laughing all the way to the bank.

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Many SaaS CEOs express concern about silo'ed functions in Sales & Marketing. The big mistake (I think) is in separating these two out and not having them both on the same "GTM" (go-to-market) or "Revenue" team. They've shared with me that they have a robust inbound lead flow and are doing well there. But they need to build the Outbound function, and certainly don't have Allbound (new trendy name for de-anonymizing web traffic and targeting them) up and running. Or vice versa: They staffed up their Sales team early and have a solid Outbound. But Inbound is near nonexistent and they now need to build that and integrate it with the functioning Outbound team. All GTM motions require multiple steps to ensure quality lead flow (and improve conversion rates to qualified pipeline and SQOs). Here's what I typically do when working with clients. You'll notice several steps are the same but the flows are distinct. Why? Because the lead *context* is different for each scenario. So messaging segmentation is key for each of the flows. Inbound 1 - Lead requests info 2 - Lead enters CRM 3 - CRM data is enriched via Clay or Apollo.io 4 - Lead is scored 5- ICP Leads routed to Sales Allbound 1 - Lead visits website 2 - Lead info is de-anonymized via RB2B or Smart CRM LeadFinder 3 - Lead enters CRM 4 - CRM data is enriched via Clay or Apollo.io 5 - Lead is scored 6- Sales reaches out Outbound 1 - Identify ICP Lead 2 - Enter Lead info to CRM 3 - CRM data is enriched via Clay or Apollo.io 4 - Lead is scored 5- Sales reaches out Have you tried this at your org yet?

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AI could kill ARR as we know it. And, in doing so, it could kill SaaS metrics as we know them ⤵ Annual recurring revenue (ARR) is the building block of SaaS metrics. And it's the basis of SaaS valuation multiples. It's (usually) high margin, predictable and growing. Which means SaaS companies are (usually) on track to become highly profitable at scale. AI throws this off. What's not classic ARR: - Charging per successful AI resolution (Intercom, Zendesk) - Charging per credit used (Clay) - Charging per task completed (11x) - Charging per photo edited (Imagen) - Charging per demand package generated by AI (EvenUp) - Charging per conversation (Salesforce) We're moving away from charging for *access* to software and to a model of charging for the *work delivered* by AI & software. This might mean greater volatility. Variable margin profiles. Seasonal revenue. Project-based, non-recurring use cases 🤯 Welcome to the new "ARR": annual *re-occurring* revenue. Some implications of this shift: 1️⃣ Spending much more time unpacking the components of revenue. 2️⃣ Moving away from ARR multiple valuations to looking at last 12 month revenue (or, even better, last 12 month margin $). 3️⃣ Looking much more closely at revenue concentration -- I suspect there will be a far wider variance between the smallest & largest accounts. 4️⃣ Measuring newer things like "time to ramp" and "share of wallet" as predictors of future success. --- I unpacked this shift with CJ Gustafson in his Run the Numbers podcast (check the comments). And shoutout to Dave Kellogg for a great keynote on this topic 🙏 🎁 For more insights on SaaS growth & pricing, check out Growth Unhinged — my free weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/exTbjKaM #ai #saas #finance

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Great post Santosh Sharan 1. If I am reading this correctly, you were in line with what Peter Drucker repeatedly said in classes I was blessed to have taken "Focus on market share and revenue (margins) will follow". 2. I always encourage Startup Clients from Concept through Seed phases: 1. Solid Data Supported Market Analysis (Total Market, SWOT Analysis) 2. Methodical, Low Cost, Essential Features and Fast MVP 3. Traction & Market Share Naturally, I encourage building the business plan immediately and continuously strengthening it. Thanks again for this great launch testimonial!

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ServiceTitan, the "operating system for the trades," has filed for its IPO. Here's what you need to know about this vertical SaaS pioneer: 🔑 Key Figures: ARR: $685M (+25% y/y) GTV: $62B (+23% y/y) Net Dollar Retention: 110%+ Customers: ~8,000 (+18% y/y) 💡 What They Do ServiceTitan provides an end-to-end SaaS platform for home and commercial service pros (plumbers, electricians, HVAC specialists). They're the "center of gravity" in vertical SaaS tech stacks, offering: -Automated scheduling -Integrated payments -CRM capabilities 🚀 7 Key Themes 1. Vertical SaaS Pioneer: Tailored solution creating deep customer lock-in 2. Founders' Deep Customer Ties: Intimate understanding of industry pain points 3. Stacking Niches: Expanding TAM through strategic acquisitions 4. Mid-Market & Enterprise Focus: Avoiding "down-market" trades businesses 5. Add-On Products Driving Growth: Pro Products and FinTech Payment add-ons 6. Economic Resilience: 75%+ of trades jobs are non-discretionary 7. Tech Lifeline for Aging Workforce: Attracting tech-savvy workers, boosting efficiency 💭 My Take ServiceTitan has the hallmarks of a vertical SaaS leader in a massive, underserved market. Their success post-IPO will hinge on TAM expansion, margin improvement, and continued product innovation. As a fan of vertical SaaS, I'm rooting for ServiceTitan to pave the way for other VSaaS pioneers helping small businesses thrive. What's not to like about that? What's your take on their IPO? Full S1 breakdown: https://lnkd.in/eYyavKE5 #ServiceTitan #VerticalSaaS #TechIPO #TradesTech

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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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If you're a startup, inbound from VCs should be seen as an opportunity to build leverage for your GTM. For example, FTV Capital tracks 20k companies a year and speaks with ~5k, resulting in around 8 investments/yr from ‘21-’23. That's a ton of connections! Ultimately, this matters because you want a warm intro from the VC in order to arrange a top-to-top call between a very small selection of your C-Suite and a prospect's. Partners on company boards are typically best positioned to provide such an intro, but partners are rarely outbounding. Who is regularly leveling with CXOs in the portfolio and outbounding? Firms vary(!), but often VPs and typically Principals. Principals are usually seen as being on the path to Partner and have more influence, but VPs should not be overlooked. They’re essentially super-niche project managers who manage sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio support. Due to the nature of their jobs, they’re also engaged with a much broader set of companies who they view as investment prospects OR who they’ve built a rapport with but did not invest in. Things can get complicated here, but if your company receives inbound from a VP or Principal you should view it as an opportunity to receive a prospect intro. But what to do? (1) Determine whether your Co-Founder(s) or another designated team member should take the call (If you’ve done your homework, this should be an easy choice.) (2) Schedule a call to pitch, include 1-2 companies from their portfolio who fit your ICP. (3) Manage questions without over-sharing. (4) Ask *them* what next steps they’d like to take. If they say, “I’m going to bring this back to my partners…” OR "Let's check in in a couple quarters" it’s unlikely you’ll receive any prospect intro. If they say, “Let’s get (Your Co-Founder) and (My Partner) on the phone by (This Date)” OR “This seems like a great fit for (X Company). Let me talk to (X Company Co-Founder) and email you by (date within 2 weeks) if relevant,” you have a chance. This is only one part of the broader VC GTM. but have a system in place for handling this kind of inbound. These folks are often hustlers with influence, and treating them with conscientiousness and integrity can go a long way. #vc #pe #gtm #partnerships #fintech #saas

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Here's my 2024 LinkedIn Rewind, by Coauthor: 2024 confirmed what many CEOs and CFOs already suspected: GTM effectiveness continues to erode. One dollar in three spent on GTM is now ineffective - not because teams aren't working hard, but because they're not calibrating investments to take market volatility into account. The evidence is clear: Marketing acts as a nonlinear multiplier of Sales effectiveness (8x) and efficiency (5x). Yet most companies can't see this because they're looking quarter by quarter instead of understanding time-lagged causality and the effects of marketplace headwinds. At ProofAnalytics.ai we've focused on helping companies understand and optimize their true GTM multiplier effect: • Achieved a unique MASB certification for our causal AI platform • Expanded role in developing modern GTM organizational standards • Joined MarTech as columnist and Forbes Business Council as commentator • Conducted extensive CEO/CFO interviews on their understanding and misunderstanding of GTM effectiveness Four posts that sparked crucial conversations: "Brand and Brand Reputation - The ROLEX Example" Your brand is what you say and do. Your brand reputation is what others believe about what you've said and done. https://lnkd.in/g-D2WUCD "Conversation with Upset F1000 CFO" Marketing is a nonlinear multiplier of Sales... but everyone was like 'we've never heard this before!' https://lnkd.in/gY7viNQf "CEO's Airplane Conversation About B2B Marketing" On the dangerous disconnect between marketing practices and customer needs https://lnkd.in/gqNVZ-fT “Sell Me the Pen on Marketing Impact” Call with a CEO and CMO illustrated the fundamental gap in understanding Marketing’s unique contribution to Sales outcomes. https://lnkd.in/gmjXa8eT 2025 will be pivotal. The pressure for marketing accountability will intensify as AI brings unprecedented transparency to GTM effectiveness. Teams that can't demonstrate their multiplier effect will face existential challenges. But those who embrace causal analytics to prove and improve their impact will thrive. To every marketing leader preparing for 2025: The tools exist to prove your value. The question is no longer whether marketing drives growth – it's whether you can demonstrate how much, when, and why. #CausalAI #GTMEffectiveness

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The average successful exit for a bootstrapped SaaS company happens around the $5–10M ARR mark. Contrast that with VC-backed companies, where anything less than a 10x return is often considered a "failure." And while slow and steady wins the race for some, let's be realistic here — how long will it actually take? Years of grinding, reinvesting every penny, and hoping for that shmillion dollar outcome. So, here's a thought: 𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀 the outcome you should be optimizing far all along.... Here's why: First off, it makes sense. You get immediate value realization.   No need to wait years for a 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 IPO.   There's a clear and high probability off-ramp. Unlike VC, which often dilutes your control, strategic buyers actually want your expertise and want to preserve your vision. You might even get to lead your "baby" into its next growth phase. This means lower stress, higher satisfaction.   No more sleepless nights worrying about making payroll or prepping for the next funding round. Skip the exhausting cycle of pitches, term sheets, board meetings, and no pressure for unrealistic growth either. You get to focus on what you love—building and improving your product. Plus, you get to tap into the buyer's resources, distribution channels, and customer base. Your product could scale faster than you could ever do on your own. But what about the unicorn dream?   For every 1x unicorn, 1000x startups never make it big. Strategic acquisition offers a bird in hand—tangible success you can bank on. The real question here is: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲? Do you want to build an empire? Create something valuable and move on to your next adventure? Is your goal financial security? Or do you just like the constant hustle of startup life? The choice is yours to make. If you're a SaaS founder with $40k+ MRR and curious about what's possible, let's talk! For the love of the game 🏴‍☠️ ⚡ #Fundraising #Investing #VentureCapital #Startups 

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During my career as a solutions architect, I scoped millions of dollars worth of projects. Here's a little secret: building within GTM systems isn't as hard as it seems. Roughly 70% of the work is what happens before and after the actual build. 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱: • Creating a sold business case • Conducting thorough discovery • Defining precise requirements • Aligning with your team  • Designing a robust solution architecture 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱: • Rigorous QA • Debugging and troubleshooting • User Acceptance Testing (UAT) • Continuous enablement • Change management • Ongoing support People often have sticker shock over project costs (whether in consulting dollars or internal hours). But taking shortcuts often leads to project failures or significant rework. Remember: slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. (Credit to Carey Picklesimer for teaching me that golden phrase 🥇 )

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One thing that stands out when studying high-performing RevOps teams: they do more than simply enable the different GTM functions. They also serve as a critical bridge between them and as a conductor of multiple go-to-market motions and activities. Consider Zapier, a profitable company generating over $250 million in revenue. They’ve built a massive self-service business and four years ago added a cross-functional sales-led motion supported by marketing. Combining product-led with sales-led growth is, in many ways, an ideal business model. The product flywheel builds a vast database, effectively forming a private ecosystem for sales prospecting, full of granular first-party data. No problems with lead flow here—their only challenge is how do they identify the most promising accounts. With the PLG motion handling top-of-funnel activities, sales-led team can focus on • Crafting micro-segments within their extensive user database • Identifying the most valuable first-party product signals for sales-led expansion efforts • Running experiments that blend automation with human input • Analyzing results and iterating based on findings   However, there’s also challenges when combining multiple motions this way. There is a high risk of channel conflict, mixed messaging, or teams stepping on each other’s toes. This model only works when you have tight collaboration among GTM functions and a unified RevOps team. RevOps plays a pivotal role here by: • Designing a CRM architecture that integrates product signals • Leading a cross-functional "tiger team" to driveGTM experiments • Crafting custom automations to scale these experiments, driving significant incremental revenue • Providing an impartial perspective to diagnose funnel issues without finger-pointing For a deeper dive into these strategies, check out my recent conversation with Lindsay Rothlisberger, Director of Revenue Operations at Zapier.

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UPDATE: For anybody who hasn't received the link: https://bit.ly/3ZwEGaQ How does a B2B SaaS company making ~$18M ARR forecast its revenue? Ambient.ai's CFO Noah Barr shared the exact model you can use. What's the point of forecasting your revenue? To work backward. Back in Feb, Evan from Attuned Partners joined SaaS Academy. He was able to grow from $0 to $66K MRR in just six months. One of the first things we did was set a clear revenue target. We then worked backward to identify how to achieve it. - the outbound activities - the sales demos - the conversions We built a strategic plan based on that revenue goal. And Evan executed it with discipline. So start with a clear goal and forecast if you're on the way there. If not, identify what you need to adjust in order to achieve it. - How many leads will you need? - Actual sales needed each month - Factor in growing sales expenses Comment “REVENUE” below, and I’ll send you the SaaS revenue forecasting model.

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Is Partner Sourced Revenue the 💎 Holy Grail, or are we missing the bigger picture with hyperscalers? As Cloud GTM evolves, a crucial question emerges: Should we fixate on Hyperscaler Sourced Revenue, or are Partner Influenced deals already major wins? The answer shapes expectations for both sellers and executives. Mike Marzano, Head of Global Cloud Alliances at Contentsquare, shared his insights with us. 🏆 Mike has an exceptional track record in Cloud GTM. Under his leadership, Contentsquare has leaned into #cloud alliances and, over the last two years, achieved incredible traction on cloud marketplaces: ✔️ It won the Microsoft ISV 2023 Partner of the Year Award. ✔️ Amazon Web Services (AWS) just published a case study showcasing Contentsquare's remarkable cloud #marketplace traction. Mike highlighted three non-negotiables for successful co-selling: 1️⃣ Approach hyperscalers with a clear value proposition, robust pipeline, and registered deals. 2️⃣ Position your product as a solution to specific customer challenges, emphasizing how it helps hyperscalers win more deals or sell more first-party services. 3️⃣ Align with strategic cloud technologies. If you can fit your product into AI or co-pilots narrative, showing how you enhance the value of cloud solutions or drive first-party service consumption, you'll stand out. 💡 But here's where it gets interesting. Many companies new to cloud marketplaces aim straight for Partner Sourced deals - the elusive 100/100 hit rate. It's tempting, but is it the right approach? Aim too high, and you risk disillusionment. Aim too low, and you're leaving money on the table. The lucrative sweet spot? Partner Impacted Business. 🥇 Hyperscalers have unique superpowers in co-sell, because they can: Provide insights to your sellers about target customers  Engage directly with customers to drive solutions including your products Assist in selling your product through the marketplace, benefiting the customer, hyperscaler, and you Brainstorm joint solutions that will better fit customer use cases and sell faster 💰 The outcome of this: shorter sales cycles,  increased deal sizes,  closing a higher percentage of deals through the marketplace. As a result hypercalers can influence a significant portion of your pipeline, making the marketplace route highly strategic for your company. So, is Partner Sourced Revenue the end-all-be-all? Or are we overlooking the transformative power of Partner Influenced deals? 💡 Follow for daily insights on Cloud GTM & share this with others Learn top Cloud GTM strategies with my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/er4haEq2

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