SaaS Backwards - Reverse Engineering SaaS Success
Join us as we interview CEOs and CMOs of fast-growing SaaS firms to reveal what they are doing that’s working, and lessons learned from things that didn’t work as planned. These deep conversations dive into the dynamic world of SaaS B2B marketing, go-to-market strategies, and the SaaS business model. Content focuses on the pragmatic as well as strategic, providing a well-rounded diet for those running SaaS firms today. Hosted by Ken Lempit, Austin Lawrence Group’s president and chief business builder, who brings over 30 years of experience and expertise in helping software companies grow and their founders achieve their visions.
Episodes
147 episodes
Ep. 147 - How to Discover What Really Drives Customer Decisions
Guest: Bob Moesta, Author of “Demand-Side Sales 101”In this episode, Bob Moesta, author of Demand-Side Sales 101, reveals why uncovering your customers’ “struggling moments” is the single most efficient step for...
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Season 3
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Episode 47
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34:58
Ep. 146 - Why Your Demos May be Costing You Deals
Guest: Peter Cohan, Author of “Great Demo!”Have you ever walked into a software demo, hoping to learn something new, only to sit through a “Harbor Tour” of irrelevant features? You’re not alone – and neither a...
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Season 3
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Episode 46
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35:44
Ep. 145 - The Death of the MQL: A New Playbook for SaaS CROs
Guest: Randy Likas, Head of North America Go-to-Market at NektarTraditional marketing tactics are losing their edge, with MQLs falling short as costly, outdated signals of real buyer intent.In this week’s episode, ...
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Season 3
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Episode 45
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31:23
Ep. 144 - Why Your GTM Strategy Breaks Without Alignment
Guest: Isabelle Papoulias, Fractional GTM & Business Operations ExecutivePipeline isn't just a metric—it's a team sport.But when marketing, sales and customer success work in silos, it creates a fractured buyer...
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Season 3
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Episode 44
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29:01
Ep. 143 - Is the CRO the Key to Aligning Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success?
Guest: Warren Zenna, Founder of The CRO Collective Scaling a SaaS company is no walk in the park. At a certain point, operational complexity demands more than just growth—it demands cross-functional align...
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Season 3
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Episode 43
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34:02
Ep. 142 - Why SaaS Pricing and Packaging Matters More Than You Think - with Dan Balcauski, Founder & Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility
Pricing and packaging can either bog down your go-to-market engine or fuel it to peak performance.This week’s SaaS Backwards podcast features Dan Balcauski, Founder and Chief Pricing Officer at
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Season 3
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Episode 42
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39:37
Ep. 141 - How Gifting Helps SaaS Companies Break Through the Noise - with Kris Rudeegraap, Co-CEO and Co-Founder at Sendoso
Gifting can be a powerful outbound strategy that captures attention far more effectively than an email. In this week’s SaaS Backwards podcast episode, we spoke with Kris Rudeegraap, Co-CEO and Co-Founder at
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Season 3
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Episode 41
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22:27
Ep. 140 - Why Traditional ABM is Failing Your SaaS Business - with Dmitri Lisitski, Co-Founder & CEO at Influ2
Building meaningful connections with individuals using different channels can be more effective than running an ABM program that only provides a shallow understanding of what’s happening within an account. In this week’s SaaS Backwa...
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Season 3
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Episode 40
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31:15
Ep. 139 - How SaaS B2B Companies Can Leverage Sales Calls for Content Creation - with Parthi Loganathan, Founder & CEO of Letterdrop
We often emphasize the importance of understanding what’s being talked about in sales conversations to shape content strategy and tell unique, compelling stories.In this week's SaaS Backwards podcast episode, we talk with Parthi Loganath...
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Season 3
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Episode 39
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30:32
Ep. 138 - Prioritizing and Enriching Data for SaaS Enterprise GTM Success - with Elio Narciso, Co-Founder & CEO at Scalestack
The ability to leverage data and prioritize sales and marketing efforts is essential to the success of enterprises with broad addressable markets.Recognizing the struggles enterprises face in managing vast amounts of data, this week’s Sa...
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36:01
Ep. 137 - Why SaaS Companies Should Unify GTM under the CRO - with Cliff Simon, CRO of Carabiner Group
Consolidating sales and marketing into the office of the CRO might be a controversial topic, but it can be healthy for demand and sales functions to become enmeshed.In this episode of the SaaS Backwards podcast, our guest Cliff Simon, CR...
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Season 3
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Episode 37
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27:04
Ep. 136 - Going Back to Personality-Driven Sales in SaaS - with Alex Grace, Founder & CEO of Velocity Sales Consulting
With all the current tools and technology available to salespeople, many have naturally slipped into a less personal approach than what used to be the norm. As a result, their calls and emails are ignored, and they struggle to get quality leads...
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Season 3
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Episode 36
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35:43
Ep. 135 - Why B2B SaaS Companies Should Spend More on Brand - with Vinay Bhagat, Founder & CEO of TrustRadius
According to this year’s B2B TrustRadius Buying Disconnect Report, where they surveyed 200 B2B brands and over 2000 tech buyers...
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Season 3
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Episode 35
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33:05
Ep. 134 - Measuring Marketing Effectiveness: Strategies and Insights for SaaS Success - with Steve Oriola, CEO of Unbounce
In this episode of the SaaS Backwards Podcast, we spoke with Steve Oriola, CEO of Unbounce, a landing page platform empowering marketers by combining their expertise with AI insights to create and optimize hi...
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Season 3
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Episode 34
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30:53
Ep. 133 - Why Efficient B2B SaaS Advertising Requires a Holistic Approach
Paid advertising is often one of the largest budget items for SaaS companies, making it a critical channel for facilitating sales and driving growth.In this episode of the SaaS Backwards Podcast, we flipped the script and had our very ow...
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Season 3
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Episode 33
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29:27
Ep. 132 - Overcoming SaaS Sales Challenges in Financial Institutions - with Will Robinson, CEO at Encapture
To drive sales and growth, SaaS companies need to have clear messaging, target the right prospects, and leverage industry expertise.In this episode of the SaaS Backwards Podcast, we spoke with Will Robinson, CEO of
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Season 3
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Episode 32
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30:37
Ep. 131 - Scaling SaaS Companies: SEO Strategies, ICP Expansion, & Product Marketing - with Janet Jaiswal, Global VP of Marketing at Blueshift
Listen, assess, plan, execute, iterate. This week’s podcast guest Janet Jaiswal outlines these as the essential steps in developing and implementing successful marketing strategies in the SaaS industry.Janet Jaiswal is
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Season 3
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Episode 31
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32:11
Ep. 130 - Building and Leveraging Communities for SaaS B2B Success - with Kathleen Booth, SVP of Marketing and Growth at Pavilion
A community can be a "cheat code" for rapid learning and career advancement, and this week’s guest knows that better than most.In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Kathleen Booth, SVP of Marketing and Growth at
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Season 3
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Episode 30
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43:12
Ep. 129 - Scaling SaaS: Shifting from PLG to Enterprise - with Juan Jaysingh, CEO of Zingtree
The transition from product-led growth (PLG) to an enterprise sales motion is a strategic shift that many SaaS companies are making in order to accelerate growth and enhance profitability. This transition is driven by a variety of f...
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Season 3
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Episode 29
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30:24
Ep. 128 - From PLG to Enterprise: Strategic Shifts in SaaS Marketing - with Karen Budell, CMO at Totango + Catalyst
Transitioning from a Product-Led Growth (PLG) motion to an enterprise sales motion requires strategic alignment and effective change management within a SaaS Marketing team.In this week’s episode, we discussed the challenges and consider...
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Season 3
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Episode 28
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30:33
Ep. 127 - Navigating the Challenges of User Acquisition in SaaS - with Mo Hallaba, CEO of Datawisp
SaaS entrepreneurs must be adaptable and willing to pivot based on feedback and market needs.In this episode of the SaaS Backwards Podcast, we spoke with Mo Hallaba, the CEO of Datawisp, a company ...
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Season 3
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Episode 27
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35:25
Ep. 126 - Driving SaaS Growth with Audience Research - with Rand Fishkin, Co-Founder of SparkToro
With the growing frustration among marketers with traditional pay-per-click and social media advertising, what can a SaaS CMO do to get their message in front of the right people at the right time?In this episode of the SaaS Backwards Po...
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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32:21
Ep. 125 - Harnessing the Power of Network Effects in SaaS Growth - with Doug Heckmann, Chief Solutions Officer at Surefront
Utilizing the network effect by onboarding partners of customers simultaneously can lead to organic growth and increased platform adoption in SaaS companies. In this episode, Doug Heckman, Chief Solutions Officer at
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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37:01
Ep. 124 - From Content Overload to Quality: The Future of SaaS Thought Leadership
The role of thought leadership is changing in content marketing, especially for SaaS companies. In this special episode hosted by Jason Myers, our usual host Ken Lempit, President and Chief Strategist of Austin Lawrence, takes the g...
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Season 3
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Episode 24
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33:22
Ep. 123 - Mastering SaaS Growth: Insights from a Fractional CMO - With Amy Osmond Cook, Co-Founder & CMO at Fullcast
In SaaS companies, there’s a need for sales and marketing teams to work together closely toward common goals and understand each other’s perspectives.Amy Osmond Cook, co-founder and CMO at Fullcast...
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Season 3
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Episode 23
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33:51