This week on the Sales Hacker podcast, we speak with Blake Bartlett, Partner at OpenView. Blake is a partner at one of the most well known SaaS venture capital firms in the world, OpenView Venture Partners, based in Boston. He spends most of his time trying to advance the product-led growth movement, both through thought leadership and investing at pioneers like Expensify and Calendly. He's been a VC since 2007, and prior to OpenView was at Battery Ventures, where he invested in companies like Glassdoor, Wayfair, and Optimizely. What You’ll Learn     Product-led growth means focusing on the end-user   VCs differentiate by recognizing that they’re basically auditioning for the board   A key mistake of startups is a lack of focus   VPs of sales/marketing need to be flexible and willing to reinvent themselves    The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world.

98. Focus on Product-Led Growth w/ Blake Bartlett

Hosted by Scott Barker, the GTM Podcast has interviews with well-known tech executives, VCs, and founders. Dissecting a story from their past: what worked, what didn't and how things actually went down. You can also participate by sending in questions for the guests to answer on future episodes!GTMfund is our early-stage venture fund focused on B2B SaaS. We invest in startups with product-market fit, some traction, and are ready for hyper-growth.

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Linda Lian is Co-Founder and CEO at Common Room, the all-in-one customer intelligence platform that automatically surfaces signals across 30+ channels, reveals the person and account behind the signal, and automates actions like email messaging and team alerts. Linda founded Common Room in 2020 to unlock siloed, previously untrackable signals to transform how organizations connect with people. Before Common Room, Linda led product marketing for serverless computing at Amazon Web Services, where she saw firsthand the impact connected data and person-level insights had on accelerating product adoption, earning new customers, and expanding account revenue.

Discussed in this Episode:The evolution of customer intelligence from intent data to signal-based selling.Why a modern go-to-market approach requires moving beyond legacy CRM systems.How Common Room unifies siloed data to enable a 360-degree view of the customer.Lessons learned from scaling innovative products and go-to-market motions at AWS.Strategies for recruiting exceptional talent and building a customer-centric culture.The power of cold outreach and persistence in finding the right co-founders.Tactics for capturing untapped revenue by leveraging existing customer signals.Highlights:
4:36 - Linda's background and the story behind founding Common Room.
7:09 - The evolution of data collection and actionability in RevTech.
11:07 - Differences between intent data and signal-based selling.
14:38 - Is Salesforce's legacy architecture holding back the next evolution of RevTech?
21:12 - Linda's strategy for recruiting and retaining exceptional talent at Common Room.
24:25 - Transitioning from VC to operator: Linda's journey and lessons learned.
32:49 - Challenges faced and insights gained during Linda's time at AWS.
38:23 - The lightbulb moment that led Linda to found Common Room.
42:47 - Advice for solo founders on finding the right co-founders.
50:00 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Linda thinks is bull$***.
52:41 - One thing that is working for Linda in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Linda Lian):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindamlian

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsor:Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world.

GTM 91: Transforming Customer Intelligence, Leading a Company Before Managing a Team and Finding a Rockstar Co-Founder with Linda Lian

James Kaikis currently serves as the Head of Go-To-Market and Chief Solutions Officer at TestBox, an innovative company revolutionizing the way buyers interact with product demos. Before his tenure at TestBox, James co-founded the PreSales Collective with Yuji Higashi. Under their leadership, the community became a pivotal resource in the presales domain until its successful acquisition in November 2021. James also has a rich history in solution-oriented leadership roles at prominent companies including Salesforce and Showpad.

Discussed in this Episode:The power of presales in driving revenue growth and customer successStrategies for scaling a community-based business from zero to millionsThe future of B2B software demos and how TestBox is leading the chargeLessons learned from a successful startup exit in just 18 monthsInsights on go-to-market strategy, product-led growth, and customer-centricityHighlights: 6:05 - Bootstrapping a community-based business to multi-million dollar revenue. 8:35 - Secrets behind PreSales Collective's rapid growth and successful exit. 11:05 - Transitioning from founder to Chief Solutions Officer at TestBox. 13:35 - The future of B2B software demos and TestBox's innovative approach. 18:35 - The untapped potential of presales in driving revenue growth. 21:05 - Balancing product-led growth with customer-centricity. 23:35 - Lessons learned from building, scaling, and exiting a successful startup. 28:35 - The importance of aligning presales, sales, and customer success. 31:05 - James' vision for the future of presales and B2B software demos. 33:35 - Advice for entrepreneurs and revenue leaders looking to drive growth. 45:05 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that James thinks is bull$***. 48:09 - One thing that is working for James in go-to-market right now. 
 Guest Speaker Links (James Kaikis): LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameskaikis/ 
 Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker): LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/ Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/ 
 Sponsors:Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus – see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & Sales Ops tooling. From using natural language to build dashboards that will make your RevOps lead jealous, to getting forecasting, pipeline management, and lead routing from a single vendor, Synch allows you to spend more time driving the business forward. For more information, head over to withsynch.com.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world.

GTM 90: The GTM Playbook Under Attack and Bootstrapping a Community to Multi-Million Dollar Revenue with James Kaikis

Daniel Ruiz has spent his career driving growth at high-velocity startups, serving as an early employee at multiple YC companies before co-founding Synch. As CEO, he has successfully raised funding from top investors like Haystack and Jack Altman in a challenging market. With Synch, Daniel is on a mission to streamline the go-to-market tech stack, helping revenue teams spend less time on sales ops and more time actually selling. He brings hard-won insights on leveraging investors, landing crucial first hires, and scaling with in-person sales. Most importantly, Daniel is a founder who leads from the front, always eager to hop on a plane to close a big deal.

Discussed in this Episode:The shifting landscape of bundling vs unbundling in the go-to-market tech stack.Key lessons and tactics from Daniel's successful fundraising process.Extracting maximum value from VCs by making specific requests and following up.Why in-person sales and remote work philosophies are crucial considerations for startups.The misguided belief that "outbound is dead" and what's working in outbound sales.How to find and land a critical first sales hire as an early-stage startup.The power of "fake travel plans" for accelerating growth through in-person sales.
Highlights: 
(04:10) - Bundling vs unbundling in the go-to-market tech stack.

(08:36) - Daniel's fundraising process and lessons learned.

(13:39) - Extracting value from investors.

(17:57) - Daniel's "lightbulb moment" on leveraging investors.

(21:10) - In-person meetings and building trust with investors.

(24:35) - Synch's in-person vs remote work philosophy.

(29:52) - When to let go of sales as a founder.

(32:48) - Finding the right first sales hire.

(36:52) - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Daniel thinks is bull$***

(41:14) - One thing that is working for Daniel in go-to-market right now. 
Guest Speaker Links (Daniel Ruiz):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-ruiz-a73818aa/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsors:Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus – see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & Sales Ops tooling. From using natural language to build dashboards that will make your RevOps lead jealous, to getting forecasting, pipeline management, and lead routing from a single vendor, Synch allows you to spend more time driving the business forward. For more information, head over to withsynch.comThe GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world.

GTM 89: Bundling the GTM Stack, Secrets of Winning Investors & Landing Key Hires with Daniel Ruiz

Kyle Lacy spent the last 17 years building, scaling, failing, and winning in high-growth software. He is currently serving the Jellyfish team as their CMO, and before joining the Jellyfish ‘bloom’, He had the pleasure of building a company called Lessonly, employing over 230 people and changed the lives of many more after the acquisition. He has also been fortunate to lead teams at Seismic, OpenView, Salesforce, and ExactTarget. Most importantly, he is the father of two wonderful boys, an energetic dog, and one too many books on World War II. 
Discussed in this Episode:Aligning marketing and sales is crucial for the success of a company, and marketers should focus on numbers and pipeline models from the early stages.Creativity in marketing should be balanced with alignment to sales goals and objectives.Building personal brands can be beneficial, but it's important to be mindful of what is shared on social media and how it may impact professional relationships.When choosing advisors, look for individuals with relevant experience in the stage and industry of your company.Curated dinners and high-quality content are effective strategies for building relationships and engaging prospects and customers.
Highlights:
(04:37) The importance of pipeline models and numbers for early-stage companies.

(06:23) How Kyle gains equal footing with sales leaders

(08:01) Winning over individual sales reps

(09:57) Balancing proactive and reactive marketing

(11:45) The story of winning a 7-figure deal against an incumbent

(15:39) Using donor-choose gift cards in the sales process

(17:00) Converting prospects by asking for feedback and interviews

(18:18) Building a personal brand as a marketer

(21:27) A personal branding misstep that got Kyle in trouble

(24:30) What to look for when bringing on company advisors

(29:10) A widely held belief Kyle thinks is BS

(32:41) A marketing tactic that's working well now

(34:55) Using Lego sets in the sales process

(36:07) Roles Kyle is hiring for at Jellyfish

(31:12) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Kyle thinks is bull$***.

(34:51) One thing that is working for Kyle in go-to-market right now. 
Guest Speaker Links (Kyle Lacy):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kylelacy/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus - see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & Sales Ops tooling. From using natural language to build dashboards that will make your ReThe GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world.

GTM 88: Know Your Numbers to Create Alignment and Unlock Scale with Kyle Lacy

Prior to founding AudiencePlus, Anthony Kennada served as the CMO of incredible companies like Hopin and Front. He was the founding CMO of Gainsight where he and his team are credited with creating the Customer Success category -- a novel business imperative, profession and software category that helps subscription companies grow sustainably by becoming customer obsessed. By focusing on human first community building, content marketing, live events and creative activations, they developed a new playbook for B2B marketing that built the Gainsight brand and fueled the company’s growth from $0 to $100M+ ARR, and eventual acquisition by Vista Equity at a $1.1B valuation. 
Discussed in this Episode:Owned media is a crucial component of go-to-market strategies, allowing companies to build direct relationships with their audience.Transitioning from a product-first approach to a distribution-first approach can lead to more effective marketing and audience building.The future of media lies in guided journeys and providing value to networks through relevant and personalized content.Building an audience and collecting subscribers can lead to higher conversion rates and provide valuable first-party data for better attribution.It is important to connect brand messaging to the software or product being offered to ensure a cohesive and effective marketing strategy.
Highlights:
(02:58) The Gainsight story: Creating a category and building a brand.

(05:46) The power of owned media in B2B marketing.

(17:51) The evolution of media: from content to software.

(20:41) The challenge of measuring media's impact on revenue.

(27:08) Learning from Gainsight: Successes and missteps.

(38:12) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Anthony thinks is bull$***.

(41:00) One thing that is working for Anthony in go-to-market right now. 
Guest Speaker Links (Anthony Kennada):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/akennada/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsor:Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus - see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & Sales Ops tooling. From using natural language to build dashboards that will make your RevOps lead jealous, to getting forecasting, pipeline management, and lead routing from a single vendor, Synch allows you to spend more time driving the business forward. For more information, head over to withsynch.com.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world.

98. Focus on Product-Led Growth w/ Blake Bartlett

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