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14 Jul 2024
💥 Crappy Sales Response Times to Marketing Leads 💥
00:05:37
Excited to kick off the launch of SaaS CMO Pro with a timeless B2B topic: why sales often has crappy response times to marketing-generated leads. I discuss 🤔...
🚀 My name is Bill Macaitis and I am your host for the SaaS CMO Podcast. I am a seven time marketing leader, with 3 CMO tours of duty and five tech exits. I'm hear to help you learn about marketing in a fun and easy to understand way.
In this video, I dive deep into the classic tug-of-war between sales and marketing in B2B SaaS and AI companies. Why does it seem like it takes an eternity for sales to follow up on those precious marketing-qualified leads? ⏳📞
🌟 We'll explore the historical friction where marketing feels sales is snoozing on the job, while sales gripes about the quality of the leads. Is it really a case of "your leads are junk" vs. "you're not trying hard enough"? 😅
💡 Discover how implementing shared metrics focused on closed business can bridge the gap and turn foes into friends. Teamwork makes the dream work, right? 🤝
🔥 Plus, I'll emphasize the critical importance of quick follow-ups. Spoiler alert: the faster sales reaches out, the higher the conversion rates. 🚀📈
Join me for some laughs, insights, and actionable tips to get sales and marketing on the same page. Don't miss it!✨
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
14 Jul 2024
🚀 3 Game-Changing Metrics SaaS CEOs Overlook: Are You? 📊
00:16:52
🎯💡 Are you tracking the right metrics? It is always interesting when I work with different AI and SaaS founders and what metrics they choose to track and put importance on. In this video, I delve into the top 3 overlooked metrics that every SaaS & AI leader should monitor. These aren't just any metrics; they're the game-changers that can supercharge your growth and maximize capital efficiency. 🚀📊
If you're a CEO, founder, or VC, these insights are crucial for fostering sustainable and capital-efficient growth. Don't miss out on the metrics that could define your success in the competitive SaaS landscape. 🌟📈
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
#b2bmarketing #saas #ai #founder #startup #ceo
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
15 Jul 2024
🚫 Career Killers 🚫 Common Mistakes New Marketing Director Makes
00:17:09
🚫 Avoid these common pitfalls that many new Directors of Marketing face. I've seen many new managers or directors of marketing make these mistakes, and often their careers stall or even cause them to lose their jobs.
And often, these are good people. I don't want to see that happen to anyone watching a SaaS CMO Pro video! So buckle in for an important marketing career video, and hopefully, this will help you or someone else down the road. 🙏
As always, I appreciate all of your support for SaaS CMO Pro! 🙌 Btw, if shorts are more your style and you are a TikTok, Instagram, or X regular, make sure to follow me there too!
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
16 Jul 2024
Billboard Ads for Tech Companies 🚀 Brilliant Move or ❌ Big Mistake
00:11:48
💬 Speaking as someone who was a bit skeptical about these and from someone who actually ran billboard ads, I’ll give you my 2 cents on this age-old question. 💭
Also if you are a fan of SaaS CMO Pro and want to see more subscribe to our social channels:
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
19 Jul 2024
Unlocking Hidden Revenue💰 The Power of Customer Marketing in SaaS 💰
00:11:00
Unlocking the Power of Customer Marketing in SaaS: Let’s Dive Deep! 🚀
Hey folks, today I’m talking about something crucial that I see too few SaaS marketing teams focusing on: customer marketing. I’m going to break down what customer marketing is, why the metrics often work against it, and why we need to do more of it. Alright, let’s dive in.
What is Customer Marketing? 🤔
First off, what is customer marketing? It’s one of those terms that can mean different things to different people. For many B2B organizations, it might just mean getting customer references. But for me, customer marketing is about following the customer through their entire lifecycle—from the moment they first hear about your company, through the sales process, and beyond into their ongoing relationship with your product.
Why the Metrics Are Stacked Against Customer Marketing 📉
Many B2B SaaS marketing teams focus primarily on one metric: leads. And while leads are important, this narrow focus often limits marketing efforts to just the top of the funnel. Here’s the kicker—up to 50% of your revenue can come from existing customers through add-ons, upgrades, and expansions. So why isn’t marketing more involved in this?
The Argument for More Customer Marketing 📈
Marketing teams are incredibly talented at creating scalable, impactful content and automations. Imagine leveraging these skills not just to attract new customers but to also nurture existing ones. Here’s how we can do it:
• Shared Metrics: When marketing and sales share the same metrics, like closed deals and customer retention, it creates a unified effort towards common goals.
• Lifecycle Engagement: Marketing should be involved in every stage, from lead acquisition to customer success, driving continuous engagement and upsell opportunities.
• Capital Efficient Growth: By automating and scaling customer interactions, marketing can support sales and customer success teams, allowing them to focus on high-touch, complex deals.
Practical Tactics to Implement 🚀
Here are some actionable strategies that have worked wonders:
• Retargeting Existing Customers: Use retargeting not just for new prospects but also to educate current customers about new features, plans, or success stories.
• In-Product Messaging: Leverage in-product notifications to provide tips, updates, and promotional offers directly within your software.
• Content and Assets: Develop tailored content that helps customers maximize the value of your product and showcases how others are succeeding with it.
Alright, so that’s my take on customer marketing. Does your marketing team engage in it? Do you have dedicated resources for it? How do you measure success? I’m excited to hear how you’re approaching this. Drop them in the comments and let me know!
Thanks,
Bill
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
22 Jul 2024
OMG it is PLG time!! 📊 Top 5 PLG metrics! 📊
00:21:12
I am SUPER excited because we are finally diving into PLG!!!! (Product Led Growth) This is by far one of my favorite topics to talk about and I went a little crazy here. This is the first of 26 videos on PLG. That was not a typo.
Yeah. Did you know you were subscribing to a crazy growth marketer who loved PLG so much? No? Well you do now. No take backs.
So buckle up. Get your PLG headphones on. We are kicking it off with my favorite 5 metrics for tracking PLG initiatives. Whether you’re a marketer, CEO, or VC, understanding these metrics can significantly boost your SaaS & AI game.
Btw, if you want to see the video version of this podcast you can check it out via:
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
25 Jul 2024
💸 How to Build a Brand with Zero Budget 🚀
00:11:43
I’ve been doing online tech startups my entire life (past 30 years). Sometimes I had a big marketing budget, sometimes I had zero budget. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But I started with zero budget. And having nothing is the mother of invention when it comes to finding creative ways to build a brand. 🌟
So this post is for all those AI and SaaS startups that WANT to create a brand but just don’t have the budget for it (don’t worry, you are not alone). 💪 Watch the video for the WHY behind these strategies or read below for the summary on smart, sneaky tricks to do it. 🚀
Oh, and do you like snack-sized videos better than these mammoth long ones? 😅 Hey, I can’t blame ya. But rejoice, I’ve got you covered there. Get your SaaS CMO Pro fix on any of these platforms which have lots and lots of shorts. 🎥📱
To me, a brand is the sum of every single experience someone has with your company. It’s not just your logo or slogan—it’s every interaction. With this mindset, you can start creating better experiences that help you stand out.
✍️ Creating a Unique Editorial Tone and Voice
Most B2B SaaS software sounds the same—boring and monotonous. At Slack, we created a unique, witty, and charming voice that we used everywhere, not just on our website. Train your team to use this voice in all customer interactions, from support tickets to release notes.
🎨 Unique Visual Identity
Don’t be afraid to be bold with your visual identity. At Zendesk, we embraced green, which helped us stand out. Your visual identity should be consistent across your website and product. Remember, users spend most of their time in the product, so make it visually engaging.
🌟 Put that brand INSIDE your software Too many times as marketers we spend all our time on the top of funnel (website, content, ads) and ignore the product itself. I get this is harder as you need to work with product and engineering to make changes (whereas you normally have full control over the other areas). But it is such an easy win to infuse your brand into your AI and SaaS software.
😃 Having Fun with Your Brand
Create fun, delightful moments within your product. For example, Carta adds a fireworks display when you receive a stock option grant. These moments make the experience memorable and enjoyable. Measure how fun your product is by sending simple surveys to users.
💡 Small, Delightful Moments
Small gestures, like handwritten notes, can make a big impact. At Slack, we sent Slack socks with handwritten notes to customers, which generated a lot of positive buzz online. These little things can create a strong, positive perception of your brand.
🦥 Using Mascots
Mascots can add personality to your brand. At SaaS CMO Pro, we have a sloth mascot that adds a fun element to our communications. Consider incorporating a mascot into your user experience to make it more engaging.
📊 Measuring Success
It’s important to measure the impact of your branding efforts. Use surveys to gauge brand sentiment and see how users feel about their experience with your product. Adjust your strategies based on this feedback to continually improve.
🚀 Final Thoughts
Building a brand with zero budget is possible. Focus on creating unique, engaging experiences and measuring their impact. Start with small steps, like improving your signup flow or adding fun moments to your product.
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
29 Jul 2024
Credits 💡 The SaaS Growth Hack You Aren't Using Yet 💡
00:04:28
Cash 💵, Moolah 💰, Chedda 🧀, Benjamins 💸, Bread 🍞
Who doesn’t want some? And when it is free money … ooooooh baby, now we are talking. So today, I’m going to talk about CREDITS and how to use them effectively in your SaaS company. We’ll dive into the history of credits, how we used them at Slack to grow faster, and I’ll share some practical tips on implementing them in your own SaaS or AI startup. Let’s go!
💡 What Are Credits?
When I mention credits, I’m not talking about accounting terms like debits and credits. Instead, I’m referring to the practice of giving credits to new users to reduce friction and encourage them to use your product or paid plans. At Slack, we tested different amounts of credits—like 50 or 100 credits—to see what worked best. These credits were given to users when they signed up, and the idea was to reduce the barriers to trying out our paid plans.
🚀 How We Used Credits at Slack
In the early days at Slack, many users signed up on the free plan. While I’m a big fan of the freemium model, we wanted to reduce friction for users moving to a paid plan. So, we’d calculate how many credits a team had and let them use the pro plan for free for a certain period. For example, if a team had 100 credits and the pro plan cost $7 per month per user, they could use the pro plan for a month and a half or two months for free.
This approach was all about reducing friction—whether it was adoption friction (the product being hard to use), cognitive friction (confusing pricing and packaging), or pricing friction (high cost). Removing these barriers helps you grow faster, which is a key tenet of Product-Led Growth (PLG).
🤝 Encouraging Virality with Credits
Another strategy we used at Slack was a referral program. If a user got someone else to sign up, both parties would receive credits. We called it “Give a hundred, get a hundred.” This not only reduced the cost barrier for new users but also turned our existing users into marketers, helping to spread the word about Slack.
🛠 Practical Tips for Implementing Credits
1. Start Small: Test different amounts of credits to see what works best for your users.
2. Reduce Friction: Use credits to lower the barriers to trying out your paid plans.
3. Referral Programs: Encourage existing users to bring in new users by offering mutual credits.
4. Measure Results: Track key metrics to see the impact of your credit program.
5. Iterate: Be prepared to tweak your approach based on what you learn from your measurements.
💬 Share Your Thoughts
I’d love to hear your experiences with using credits in your SaaS strategy. Have they worked for you? What challenges have you faced? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
🦥 Tiny SaaS CMO Pro Sometimes we want to sit down to a long fancy dinner. My wife loves these. Me, I’m a quick eater. If you fall into the latter group and are too impatient for these long ass podcasts and videos, I've got ya covered my friend. Get your SaaS CMO Pro fix on any of these platforms which have lots and lots of shorts. 🎥📱
🚀 Visit SaaSCMOPro.com for fun, easy-to-understand videos on SaaS and AI marketing. 🚀
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
01 Aug 2024
🚀 How to Hire the Right CMO for Your SaaS Startup! 💡
00:01:19
🔍 Introduction to the Challenge
Hey folks! Hiring the right Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) can be a daunting task for any CEO, especially in the fast-paced world of SaaS and AI startups. But fear not, because today, I’m breaking down the key lenses you need to consider to make this critical hire. From understanding your go-to-market motion to identifying whether you need a creative or a quant, I’ve got you covered. So grab your popcorn, sit back, and let’s dive into this! 🍿🚀
🏢 Understanding Your Go-to-Market Motion
First up, what kind of beast is your company? Are you a Sales-Led Growth (SLG) juggernaut or a Product-Led Growth (PLG) ninja? This isn’t just corporate jargon. Knowing whether your company is all about those enterprise sales or if you’re more into getting users hooked on your product right away is crucial. SLG companies need CMOs who can charm their way into a CEO’s heart, while PLG companies need those who can get users addicted faster than a TikTok dance trend. 🏢💼 vs. 📲💻
🎨 Creative vs. Quant: Finding the Right Balance
Next, let’s talk about the age-old debate: Do you need a creative genius or a data-driven quant? A creative CMO can spin a tale so captivating that even your dog will want to buy your product. Meanwhile, a quant CMO can crunch numbers so fast that they make your head spin. Which one suits your company’s current needs and long-term vision? 🎨🖌️ vs. 📊🧮
📚 Modern vs. Traditional Playbooks
In today’s fast-evolving market, you don’t want to be stuck using a playbook from the 90s (unless you’re bringing back grunge, then by all means). You need a CMO who knows the latest tricks of the trade. Think of it as choosing between using a flip phone and the latest iPhone. One will get you strange looks, and the other will get you ahead. Modern marketing strategies like AI first tools, Account-Based Marketing (ABM), content marketing, and mobile video. 📚✨📱
👥 The Importance of Leadership
Now, let’s talk about leadership. Because having a CMO who can juggle flaming swords while balancing on a tightrope is impressive, but not quite what you need. You want someone who can set clear priorities, provide constructive feedback, and inspire their team to climb Everest (or at least hit their KPIs). Great leaders attract and retain top talent, which is essential for your company’s growth. 👥🧗♂️💪
🌟 Key Strengths and Complementary Teams
Finally, focus on the one or two strengths that are most critical for your company’s success. No one’s a unicorn at everything (unless you actually find a unicorn, in which case, call me). Prioritize your needs and hire a CMO who meets those criteria. You can complement their strengths with a team of directors and managers who excel in other areas. 🦄🌟
🦥 SaaS CMO Pro Shorts Sometimes we want to sit down to a long fancy dinner. My wife loves these. Me, I’m a quick eater. If you fall into the latter group and are too impatient for these long ass videos, I got ya covered my friend. Get your SaaS CMO Pro fix on any of these platforms which have lots and lots of shorts. 🎥📱
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
05 Aug 2024
Top 8 CMO interview questions (for founders & CEOs)
00:24:58
Are you looking to hire a CMO but unsure where to start? I share my top eight interview questions that can help you find the right fit. Whether you’re seeking a creative genius or a data-driven strategist, these questions will guide you to the best candidate for your company’s needs.
#CMO #Hiring #MarketingLeadership #SaaS
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
If you want to up-level the professionalism of your Zoom setup, then this video is for you. Have you ever had a project that got a little out of hand? That you obsessed over and wanted to make sure every detail was right? Well, that may or may not have been me.
Okay, it was me.
I spent about a year and a half building out the “Ultimate Zoom Setup.” To be honest, I wasn’t trying to build out the “ultimate” setup. I don’t really care about that stuff. Like many folks during the pandemic, I started doing a high volume of Zoom calls, most of them on my laptop… in our kitchen… with a bright window behind me… using my laptop’s speaker and microphone.
The poor folks on the other end couldn’t see me (I was completely whitewashed with the strong light coming from the window behind me). They couldn’t hear me (the laptop microphone wasn’t very good and I had a lot of noise coming from the house – think pets, kids, construction, air conditioner). You could clearly tell I was in the kitchen and it didn’t look very professional.
I remember I was on a board call at one point. There were about six people on the call, all joining remotely over Zoom. Most of us, still novices at remote call setups, had pretty crappy setups. Five of the windows on the Zoom call of the board members looked and sounded pretty bad.
And then there it was. Jaw drop. The last board member’s picture looked crystal clear. The resolution looked insane. The picture was so good. And he sounded amazing. No static, no background noise.
The rest of us were kind of confused, like how the heck did he do this? What dark arts magic was he dealing with?
And so it began. I realized that my kitchen laptop setup was delivering a really bad experience to all the folks on the other end of the call. And I didn’t want that. I wanted to up my Zoom game.
I went on a 253 channel and 1,000-hour YouTube journey. If there was a good channel talking about cameras, lighting, microphones, or soundproofing, you can bet that Bill watched it. Consumed it.
I emerged from that dark tunnel after about 18 months. I had taken over a room in the house for my dedicated Zoom studio (the wife was not really happy about that). There were now nine cameras, three microphones, enough studio lights to light up a football field, and a prompter that let me finally, finally, look people directly in the eyes on these Zoom calls.
Now was it worth it? Was I crazy for doing this?
Maybe and yes. My line of work is helping founders, CEOs, and C-suite members from all over the world grow their startups faster. More capital-efficiently. More customer-centric. Zoom calls were an every day, essential item. I wanted them to have a good experience on these Zoom calls with me.
It was time to move on from kitchen laptops and into the big leagues. So this video is the story of that journey. During this 67-minute video, I’m going to give you the cliff notes on how to build out the ultimate Zoom setup. I’m going to pass along all the knowledge I gained on cameras, microphones, lighting, and soundproofing.
I’ll show you what worked, and what didn’t work. The first part of the video is all about a “simple setup” that I think will get you 95% of the way there. The second part goes a little more into the “ultimate” setup. And the last part shows you how to build out a green screen setup (because why not).
So get your popcorn, sit back, and enjoy crazy Bill building out the ultimate zoom setup. 🍿🎥. Maybe you will be inspired to do the same thing.
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
15 Aug 2024
Avoiding PLG Landmines ❌ 7 Mistakes That Can Doom Your Strategy ❌
00:17:27
Product-led growth (PLG) can drive incredible results, but only if you avoid these 7 common pitfalls. I break down the top reasons PLG initiatives often fail and provide strategies to ensure your success. Don’t let these challenges stand in your way—watch now to learn how to navigate the PLG landscape effectively.
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/ Newsletter: https://saascmopro.substack.com/ Hire me: https://www.saascmopro.com/advisor-services Brand partner: https://www.saascmopro.com/brand-partner Speaking opps: https://www.saascmopro.com/speaking-opps
============================= 🎥 Videos Mentioned ============================= PLG Mastery 🔥 Top 5 Metrics That Fuel Product Led Growth 📈 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol6kMjzMOAs
============================= ⏰ Table of Contents ============================= 00:00 - Introduction to PLG and Common Pitfalls 00:22 - Why PLG Initiatives Often Fail 01:28 - Reason 1: Lack of Stakeholder Support 02:13 - The Risks of Holdouts 02:55 - Reason 2: Inadequate Resourcing 03:39 - The Pitfalls of Under-Resourcing PLG 04:25 - Reason 3: Misaligned Metrics 05:15 - How Competing Metrics Can Derail PLG 05:58 - Reason 4: Quarterly Pressure 06:45 - The Long-Term Nature of PLG Initiatives 08:09 - Reason 5: Narrow View of PLG 09:32 - The Importance of a Holistic Approach 10:17 - Reason 6: Sales Sees PLG as a Threat 11:17 - Educating Sales on the Benefits of PLG 13:04 - Reason 7: Company Stage and Inertia 13:49 - The Challenges for Older Companies 16:31 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts 16:53 - Call to Action: Visit SaaS CMO Pro
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
19 Aug 2024
😓 4 Strategies to Survive a Toxic Workplace 😓
00:06:06
We’ve all been there at some point. You work long enough and at some point you encounter a really bad work environment. A workplace that stresses you out, drains your energy, and makes you dread coming to work each day.
Toxic environments fester like a week old fish in the fridge. No one like them.
Unfortunately, it’s not always as simple as leaving for another job when these situations present themselves. Maybe you love parts of your job. Maybe you are loyal to your team. Maybe you are loyal to the mission.
So if you aren’t ready to leave but you still want to cope through these negative environments, listen to the four strategies that really helped me.
🚀 About Bill 🚀
Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
22 Aug 2024
Behind Slack’s Success: 🔥 The Fair Billing Policy 🔥
00:05:12
In this video, I dive into Slack’s Fair Billing policy and how it became a key part of our product-led growth (PLG) strategy. By offering credits for inactive users, we aligned our goals with those of our customers, ensuring that we only made money when people actively used the product. This approach not only built immense goodwill but also drove Slack’s hypergrowth. Tune in to learn why more companies should consider adopting a similar strategy.
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/ Newsletter: https://saascmopro.substack.com/ Hire me: https://www.saascmopro.com/advisor-se... Brand partner: https://www.saascmopro.com/brand-partner Speaking opps: https://www.saascmopro.com/speaking-opps
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
============================= ⏰ Table of Contents ============================= 00:00 - Introduction to Slack’s Fair Billing Policy 00:20 - What is the Fair Billing Policy? 01:35 - The Customer Experience Advantage 02:50 - Aligning Incentives for Users and Slack 04:10 - Evolution of the Policy: 14 to 28 Days 04:45 - Closing Thoughts and Reflections
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
27 Aug 2024
Why PLG is Your Secret Weapon in Enterprise Sales 🚀
00:13:37
In this pod, I dive into why Product-Led Growth (PLG) is a salesperson’s best friend. I’ll break down what PLG is, how it reduces friction in the sales process, and why it’s especially effective in enterprise sales. Whether you’re dealing with long deal cycles or trying to build brand awareness, PLG offers powerful tools like freemium models and internal evangelists that can help accelerate your sales efforts. Tune in to learn how PLG can transform your sales strategy.
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/ Newsletter: https://saascmopro.substack.com/ Hire me: https://www.saascmopro.com/advisor-se... Brand partner: https://www.saascmopro.com/brand-partner Speaking opps: https://www.saascmopro.com/speaking-opps
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
============================= ⏰ Table of Contents ============================= 00:00 - Introduction 00:35 - What is PLG? 01:30 - Salesperson’s Pain Points 02:50 - Seed and Grow Strategy 04:00 - Power of Brand Awareness in PLG 05:15 - Freemium as a Marketing Engine 06:45 - PLG as a Nurturer 08:00 - Focusing on High-Value Accounts 09:15 - Evangelists Within Companies 10:30 - Benefits of PLG for Sales 12:00 - Conclusion & Call to Action
#productledgrowth #salesstrategies #saasgrowth
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
04 Sep 2024
📊 Mastering Marketing Metrics for B2B SaaS 📊
00:26:21
Marketing metrics demystified.
I've spent 30 years thinking about what should be the right marketing metrics that incentivize the right behavior for the team. Here are the six categories I used at Slack, Zendesk and Salesforce for my B2B marketing teams.
1.Funnel Metrics 🔄
These are the bread and butter of every B2B SaaS marketing team. I really advocated for moving beyond just leads.
•Website visits
•Form completes
•Leads
•Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs)
•Sales Accepted Leads (SALs)
•Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs)
•Opportunities
•Pipeline
•Closed won business
•Expansion opportunities
2.Brand Metrics 🎯
Often overlooked in B2B SaaS, I loved tracking brand metrics to measure our impact.
•Aided recall
•Unaided recall
•Brand sentiment
•Share of voice
•Share of conversation
3.Experience Metrics 🏆
Good experiences = happy customers = word of mouth = fast growth
•Net Promoter Score (NPS)
•Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
•Page load time
4.PLG Metrics (Product-Led Growth) 📈
PLG isn’t just for the product team—marketing plays a huge role too.
•Daily Active Users (DAUs)
•Product Qualified Leads (PQLs)
•Time to Value (TTV)
•How simple is product
•How fun is product
5.Date-Driven Metrics 🗓️
These metrics keep teams accountable to timelines.
•Campaign deadlines
•Event timelines
•Content publication schedules
6.Stakeholder Value Metrics 🤝
Marketing doesn’t just serve external audiences—it supports internal stakeholders too.
•Stakeholder satisfaction surveys
•Internal service response times
💬 What did I miss?
#MarketingMetrics #B2BMarketing #AIMarketing
🚀 About Bill 🚀
Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
09 Sep 2024
✨ The Best Career Advice I Ever Got 🚀
00:04:01
Did you ever get a really good piece of career advice that you stowed away in your head for life? I want to hear it! Share it so everyone can learn and get a little better.
Well I got mine on my first job out of college. There was a tradition we had where we would all go out to lunch when it was someone’s last day. And I made it a habit to ask the last day person what their best piece of career advice was.
One time I got a piece of advice so good, it stayed with me for my entire career. He said “Bill, it doesn’t matter if your employed or not. What matters is if you are employable.”
He went on to explain that if you are constantly improving your skill set, you will always be in demand. Whereas if you have a nice job but let your skill set get stale, the next job will be challenging to find.
In a way, I thought the advice was very liberating. If you pushed yourself to have in demand skills, then it didn’t matter if you were employed or not. If you had a horrible boss you could just leave because you knew that you were employable.
Anyways, that little nugget always stayed with me. I love marketing and I love helping out SaaS and AI companies grow faster, more capital efficiently. But, wow, there are _always_ new techniques coming out every year. You really need to study and always be learning.
I remember when SEO was really becoming powerful in the early 2,000’s. There weren’t traditional classes you could take to learn it. But there were a ton of forums were people would discuss black hat techniques, white hat techniques, algorithm shifts, domain authority, back links, 409a redirects, etc….
For a couple months after work I would just immerse myself reading every forum and every article I could find. And slowly I started to really understand the algo and what was driving the SERP’s (search engine result page). I used these learnings for the B2C media sites I was working it and our traffic skyrocketed.
I feel like every year, though, there is a big new thing in marketing and growth. SEO, PLG, content marketing, freemium, ABM, personalization, influencer marketing, nurturing, social, mobile, hyper-targeting, video, AI tools, etc…
And every time something new comes out, I really get excited to try to learn it. Today we have so many places to learn this stuff. Articles, forums, webinars, podcasts, conferences, Youtube, social, online courses, LinkedIn posts, chatgpt/gemini/claude, etc…. It’s really a golden age of learning.
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
12 Sep 2024
What the Heck is PLG? 🤔🚀
00:34:03
Want to learn a little bit more about what Product Led Growth (PLG) is? You are in the right place. I'm the former CMO of Slack and I've helped SaaS and AI startups with dozens of PLG implementations. In this video, I give you my perspective on what PLG really is, why it matters, and how to implement it successfully. Learn about the key elements of PLG, including self-service, reducing friction, infusing sales, marketing, and customer support into the product, and how to measure success using metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Product Qualified Leads (PQLs).
Btw, if you have a question on PLG, drop it into the comments! I try to read and answer every single one. Thanks and have a great day!
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/ Newsletter: https://saascmopro.substack.com/ Hire me: https://www.saascmopro.com/advisor-se... Brand partner: https://www.saascmopro.com/brand-partner Speaking opps: https://www.saascmopro.com/speaking-opps
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
#ProductLedGrowth, #SaaSMarketing, #PLGStrategies
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
18 Sep 2024
The Weird Truth About SaaS Freemium Plans
00:29:49
Discover the weird truth about SaaS freemium plans as former Slack CMO, Bill Macaitis, dives into the pros, cons, and hidden benefits of this controversial pricing strategy. From transforming millions of free users into a powerful marketing force to creating an unbeatable defensive moat, learn why freemium might be the game-changer your SaaS company needs. Whether you’re struggling with brand awareness, tackling enterprise sales, or looking for capital-efficient growth, this video will uncover why freemium could be your secret weapon.
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/ Newsletter: https://saascmopro.substack.com/ Hire me: https://www.saascmopro.com/advisor-se... Brand partner: https://www.saascmopro.com/brand-partner Speaking opps: https://www.saascmopro.com/speaking-opps
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
#Freemium #SaaSGrowth #ProductLedGrowth
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
23 Sep 2024
Why B2B Marketers Feel Overwhelmed 😩 & How to fix it!
00:08:24
Are you a B2B SaaS Marketer? Do you feel a bit overwhelmed? Don't worry, you are not alone. There are just so many internal stakeholders that all want a laundry list of things from marketing. I share my best tips on how to handle the chaos and focus your marketing team.
============================= ⏰ Table of Contents ============================= 00:01 - Feeling Overwhelmed in B2B SaaS Marketing 00:57 - Common Challenges Faced by CMOs 01:37 - Focus on Mastering a Few Channels 02:41 - Building a Marketing Team with Strengths 03:21 - Leveraging Video for B2B SaaS Marketing 04:06 - Capitalizing on Team Expertise 04:42 - Managing Priorities as a CMO 05:20 - Stack Ranking Marketing Priorities 06:01 - Using the V2MOM Framework for Focus 06:46 - Handling Requests with Limited Resources 07:34 - Strategies to Prevent Overwhelm in Marketing
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/ Newsletter: https://saascmopro.substack.com/ Hire me: https://www.saascmopro.com/advisor-services Brand partner: https://www.saascmopro.com/brand-partner Speaking opps: https://www.saascmopro.com/speaking-opps
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
30 Sep 2024
10X Your SaaS Growth: Advanced Pricing Strategies
00:30:13
Supercharge your SaaS growth! I reveal six advanced pricing secrets I've used to help ignite your y/y ARR growth to new levels. These are advanced strategies but can be leveraged by any SaaS and AI company. Go get em! Carpe diem my friends.
============================= ⏰ Table of Contents ============================= 0:00 - Introduction to Advanced Pricing Strategies for SaaS & AI 0:11 - Why Pricing & Packaging Matters for SaaS Growth 0:40 - Common Pricing Mistakes in SaaS Companies 1:26 - Who Owns Pricing in Your Organization? 2:08 - Choosing the Right SaaS Pricing Models 2:49 - Keeping Pricing Simple for Prospects 3:39 - Innovating Your Pricing & Packaging Approach 4:14 - Slack’s Fair Billing Policy Explained 5:01 - Aligning Customer Value to Pricing 6:01 - Embracing Freemium Plans for SaaS Companies 8:00 - Creating the Right Incentives for Upgrades 8:53 - Using Thresholds to Encourage SaaS Upgrades 10:28 - Example: Slack’s 10,000 Message Limit 13:12 - Maximizing Value Before Purchase with Pricing Thresholds 16:42 - Long-Term Thinking in Pricing for AI & SaaS 18:04 - Enterprise-Level Pricing Requirements Explained 20:39 - Unlocking Widespread Adoption with Enterprise Pricing 21:38 - The Role of Enterprise License Agreements (ELA) in SaaS Growth 23:11 - Reducing Friction in Enterprise-Level SaaS Sales 24:48 - Using Credits to Incentivize SaaS Adoption 26:10 - Final Thoughts on Pricing & Packaging Strategies
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
03 Oct 2024
How I handle work mistakes. The simple 3 step process 🛠️
00:03:49
Mistakes happen. It's just the truth. And at some point you or your team will make the mistake and it will get called out in a big meeting. Here is my simple 3-step formula that my Dad taught me on how to communicate the problem.
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/ Newsletter: https://saascmopro.substack.com/ Hire me: https://www.saascmopro.com/advisor-se... Brand partner: https://www.saascmopro.com/brand-partner Speaking opps: https://www.saascmopro.com/speaking-opps
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
10 Oct 2024
PLG 100% ❌ Does Not Work for This Industry 🏭
00:05:51
Ok you teased me Bill with that title. I'm a PLG fan. What the heck industry doesn't work for PLG?!?.
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
16 Oct 2024
7 tips for more customer references 💬🤝✨
00:15:02
Great customer references are always hard to get. I spill the beans on my top 7 strategies to get more and better customer references. These help even if you are going after the elusive enterprise segment.
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
23 Oct 2024
The 🔒 HIDDEN Potential of 💬 In-Product Messaging in SaaS 🚀
00:09:18
Spend a little time learning about In-Product Messaging (IPM) and why I'm such a huge fan of it. IPM is an incredible way to educate and nurture your users within your SaaS or AI tool.
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
30 Oct 2024
🔑 Two words took Zendesk from zero to IPO 🚀
00:08:40
I had the great pleasure of working with a spectacular team at Zendesk. I joined at an early stage (about 65 people) and came on as their first CMO. I built out the marketing team and in a couple years we took Zendesk IPO.
We had a guiding principle at Zendesk and it could be distilled into two words: Beautifully Simple. This video dives into how those two words manifested into practical strategy that helped propel Zendesk to huge heights.
============================= 📖 Table of Contents ============================= 00:00 - Introduction 00:20 - Background 00:40 - Revealing the Key Concept: Beautifully Simple 01:00 - Traditional B2B Software Model 01:47 - Frustrations with Complex Software 02:46 - Importance of Beautifully Simple Design 03:35 - The Value of Simple User Experience 04:25 - The “Photoshop Effect” 05:13 - Focusing on Core Features 05:50 - Minimally Viable Product vs. Polish 06:29 - Example: Slack Emoji Reactions 07:09 - The Power of Beautifully Simple 08:00 - Call to Action 08:20 - Closing Remarks
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/ Newsletter: https://saascmopro.substack.com/ Hire me: https://www.saascmopro.com/advisor-se... Brand partner: https://www.saascmopro.com/brand-partner Speaking opps: https://www.saascmopro.com/speaking-opps
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class marketing teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
06 Nov 2024
Scale Your Marketing Team: In-House 🏠 vs. Agency 🤝 Guide
00:06:26
When I built marketing at Slack, Zendesk and Salesforce, I always had to make a fundamental decision. Which functions should we hire internal marketers for and which should we outsource to agencies? In this video I walk you through the pros and cons of in-house vs agency in this ultimate battle royale!
============================= 🎥 Chapters ============================= 0:00 Introduction to In-House vs. Outsourcing 0:46 Key Factors for In-House vs. Outsourcing in Marketing 1:32 Advantages of Outsourcing for Speed 2:10 Common Marketing Functions to Outsource 2:52 Weighing the Costs of Outsourcing 3:39 Building Core Competencies In-House 4:21 Benefits of Outsourcing Creative Work 5:01 Flexibility and Fresh Perspectives with Agencies
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/
============================= 🎥 Key items in Zoom/Youtube setup ============================= FULL 150+ item gear listing: https://www.saascmopro.com/gear
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
21 Nov 2024
The Golden Rule of Professional Communication ✨📜💼
00:04:56
Hey folks. Today, I want to share one crucial lesson I learned the hard way: never put anything in writing that you wouldn’t be comfortable with everyone at your company seeing. Let's dive into this topic and I'll share some strategies I used to help avoid this.
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/
============================= 🎥 Key items in Zoom/Youtube setup ============================= FULL 150+ item gear listing: https://www.saascmopro.com/gear
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
06 Dec 2024
Unlocking Hyper-Growth: The Art of Removing Friction in PLG
00:14:54
Learn how to identify and eliminate friction in your Product-Led Growth (PLG) strategy. From pricing and adoption friction to cognitive and invite friction, I’ll share actionable tips to help SaaS and AI companies grow faster and more efficiently. Perfect for founders, marketers, and product teams looking to accelerate growth. 🚀
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
27 Dec 2024
My best productivity hacks
00:04:24
When Are You at Your Best? 🔋
I didn’t always think about my peak energy hours—but once I did, it changed everything.
Here’s what worked for me:
1️⃣ Map Your Energy: Take note of when you feel most productive and energized during the day. For me, it’s 8–10:30 AM. That’s when I tackle big projects or creative work.
2️⃣ Plan Around It: Align your toughest tasks with those high-energy periods. Save low-energy times for simpler tasks or breaks.
3️⃣ Recharge Strategically: I’m a sprinter, not a marathoner. After a focused sprint, I take breaks to reset before my next burst.
4️⃣ Set Tomorrow’s Goals Tonight: Before bed, I stack-rank my top tasks for the next day. It keeps me focused and aligned with my energy levels.
💡 Some people thrive with steady energy all day, others (like me!) need to sprint and recharge.
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
08 Jan 2025
Should you skip the SMB segment?
00:11:12
Every SaaS and AI founder is forced with this question early on ... should you skip the SMB segment and go straight to the enterprise? I dive into the pros and cons here and lay my case for what I think is the clear answer.
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
29 Jan 2025
The better (and cheaper) alternative to multi-touch attribution. 🧪📊
00:07:53
Learn how to use control groups to measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts with precision. In this video, I’ll share practical examples from my time at Slack, Zendesk, and Salesforce, showing how control groups can help you evaluate ad campaigns, website changes, customer success initiatives, and more. Whether you’re a marketer, CEO, or VC, this simple yet powerful technique can save you money, improve decision-making, and provide definitive proof of ROI—all without expensive attribution tools.
============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/
============================= 🚀 About Bill: ============================= Bill Macaitis is an advisor and board member guiding aspiring AI & SaaS unicorns/decacorns. Bill works with companies to build out capital efficient go-to-market strategies and world class teams. Over his 30 year career Bill has achieved five successful exits and powered growth at three of the fastest-ever growing companies: Slack (CRO/CMO), Zendesk (CMO), and Salesforce (SVP of Marketing).
Learn marketing + watch full video at 🚀 Saascmopro.com 🚀
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