Jen Shelby

Our recent Product & Technology Summit mirrored the hottest topics in B2B SaaS Product & Engineering today – AI, team productivity, Voice of the Customer and more. Shannon Bauman reflects on the key takeaways in our latest blog post. Read more here- https://lnkd.in/g3s6y9RQ A quick preview: • Product leaders delved into the nuances of leveraging AI-powered features within their products to enhance CX, while also exploring AI-powered engineering dev tools to boost productivity. Find out what AI tools they recommend. • Bob Freeburg of Centerbase, shared how “The Empowerment Dynamic” (TED) leadership approach can help impact an entire company’s mood and behavior by focusing on being an emotionally intelligent and self-aware leader. By shifting your mindset as a leader, you can create high-functioning teams. • Jessica Chaset Bicknell, VP of Customer Experience at Mainsail, emphasized cultivating a Voice of the Customer (VoC) program and reinforced the value of building a communication loop between Product/Engineering teams and customer-facing teams to drive continuous feedback and product refinement — all of which can drive retention (the ultimate goal). • Adam Keys of JobNimbus and Marko Djukic of LinenMaster explored the value of ancillary products, highlighting how these add-ons can not only increase revenue but also enhance the overall value proposition and customer retention rates. And that’s just scratching the surface! From sharing lessons learned to swapping ideas on great tools to use right now, the Summit provided a valuable platform for peer networking for our Product & Engineering leaders. #B2BSaaS #ProductManagement #Engineering

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Many OSS startups use outdated frameworks for measuring and optimizing their GTM efforts. Tomorrow at the Open Source Founders Summit, Avi Press will lead a workshop on Metrics for a Data-Driven Open Source GTM Strategy. Avi will discuss why relying solely on distant proxy metrics isn’t enough for driving reliable growth. Learn more about this session: https://lnkd.in/dAG3g8Xk

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Hear how SaaS companies are managing the growing demand for AI (both in products and internal tools), the adoption patterns inside of enterprise companies, and more in this SaaStr Europa session featuring Eleanor Dorfman, Retool's Head of Sales, Dominic Grillo of OpenAI, and Harry Stebbings of 20VC: https://bit.ly/4crpi3d

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Modulate hosted a great conversation on the main stage at #GBsummit this week! CTO & Co-founder Carter Huffman chatted with Jeremy Joiner (Pragma), Stefan Ideler (i3D.net) and Amy Jo Kim on the must-haves for developers getting ready to launch live services games in 2024: 🤲🏽 Partners, not just providers: Think about the longevity of the relationships you are building and be diligent in deciding which back-end services providers you decide to work with. A great services provider should be a partner in guiding the technical design of a game. 🚀A little goes a long way: Consider what kind of community you want to build in your live services game. How will players communicate with the developer team and with one another? How can you build in safety protections from the outset? Even a little thought and planning in the beginning can go a long way in mitigating bigger problems down the road. 🤔 Get to know your players: From beta testing to launching and beyond, create listening mechanisms and choose metrics to understand why your community is growing or not. Is there an issue with cross-platform connectivity, negative community culture, latency issues? The faster you can assess and understand issues, the better you'll be able to adapt. GamesBeat VentureBeat

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In today's competitive landscape, maximizing profitability is crucial for sustainable growth. This article shares valuable strategies and actionable tips to enhance gross profit margins, empowering SaaS businesses to thrive in a dynamic (& competitive) marketplace. Optimizing pricing strategies, streamlining operational efficiencies, and leveraging technology to drive profit growth is key. #saas #startups #profitability #pnlmanagement #margins #growth #crunchbase

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Exciting read on the transformative power of AI in the SaaS landscape! This article from Duncan McGillivary at ANSA Insight sheds light on how AI is revolutionizing data dominance in legacy vertical SaaS industries. From optimizing operations to enhancing customer experiences, AI is unlocking new possibilities.  #ai #verticalsaas

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We are seeing a big pick up in transaction activity at Catalant Technologies, and therefore "First 100 Days" planning and implementation. A BIG thank you to our partners in the Expert community below (Who combined have led hundreds of First 100 Days Value Creation Plans and Implementations) for collaborating on the playbook and deep dives on the critical factors you need to get right.   (1) Setting up the Integration Management Office: Michael Scherer (2) FP&A Investments: Benjamin Lehrer (3) Talent and Culture: Sapna Harichand (4) Change Communication: Niki St Pierre, MPA/MBA (5) Capitalize on Commercial Opportunities: Rob Lekai   Download the asset below: https://lnkd.in/euh8UJWu

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This Week in GTM focused on Harry Stebbings' interview with Mark Roberge, which provided a framework for how startups should scale to the enterprise. Openprise emphasized the critical role of data quality in effective segmentation. Anthropic and Menlo Ventures launched a $100 million fund to support early-stage startups using Anthropic’s AI technology. #TGIF #AI #segmentation https://lnkd.in/e_tb6Bj5

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Is your positioning specific enough? Think about the risks: Anthony Pierri said it best: "Which is the bigger risk? 1) potential customers think your products do less than they actually do 2) potential customers have no idea what your products do at all If you polled executives of large SaaS companies, I would bet lots of money they think option 1 is worse than option 2. It's really the only explanation as to why they choose to position their companies with the vaguest, broadest, most inscrutable messaging possible. They would truly prefer that people have ZERO idea what their company is—than risk feeling smaller than what they believe they've earned. But not every company is like this. Take Stripe (valued at $50B): → they have 19 products → they sell to both startups and enterprises → they have a vast partner ecosystem → they offer professional services → they have a huge app marketplace And yet, what do they say in their website hero? "Millions of companies of all sizes use Stripe online and in person to accept payments, send payouts, automate financial processes, and ultimately grow revenue." Read that again: → "accept payments" → "send payouts" → "automate financial processes" Three VERY SMALL use cases. They don't try to summarize all 19 products. They don't try to cast some vague brand message. They list three crystal clear use cases. They give a reference point. They meet prospects where they are. They know that there is still a big portion of their TAM that doesn't know what Stripe is. They aren't afraid of people (temporarily) thinking Stripe is a simpler product than it really is. They invite them into a conversation by telling them a little bit about themselves. If Stripe is worth $50B and still doing this, maybe it's worth trying for you — who AREN'T yet worth $50B. Because my guess is... you've still got a lot of TAM left that doesn't know what you do. And if they don't know what you do, they'll never think to buy from you." -- 👀 P.S. What's your take? Make sure to give Anthony a follow!

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TODAY: Lydonia & Pienso webinar - "Unlocking AI Excellence: Strategies for Organizational Success" Time: 2:00 - 3:00 pm EST Speakers: Todd Foley, CDO/CISO, Lydonia and Dan L., Head of Sales & Alliances, Pienso Gain invaluable insights and actionable guidance to drive innovation and effectively scale your AI projects for business success. Don't miss out - https://hubs.ly/Q02wqZ_D0 #Hyperautomation #Automation #AI #Analytics #Data #Security #GoLydo #Webinar

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Struggling to navigate economic turbulence in tech? Managing costs while preserving quality amid inflation, recession fears, and market saturation is daunting. Scaling teams becomes a puzzle. Discover 5️⃣ proven strategies to dodge budget traps and expand teams wisely in an article on CTO Craft's blog by Glyn Roberts: https://ow.ly/zLM550Rz9m1 #CTO #techinsights

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This guide by Michael Applebaum is one of the best product marketing guides that I've seen written. Concise and practical. Thanks to Stage 2 Capital as well. #ProductMarketing #PMM

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The cheat code to a successful cross-functional #productcouncil? ⬇️ 🔷 Prioritize a regular communication cadence 🔷 Establish co-ownership among Product, Sales, and Sales Engineering teams 🔷 Incorporate multiple perspectives via data-based insights, not opinions 🔷 Ground product feedback in use cases to aggregate outcomes Get the comprehensive guide to putting this into action: https://lnkd.in/g5tAKqrB

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While SFTP isnt quite carryer pidgeon it doesn't feel like the most modern integration option, we acknowledge that SFTP integrations, despite not providing feedback during transfers, are still the only option for integrating with some SaaS products. Our latest blog dives into how we utilize Make to streamline CSV file creation, integrating traditional methods with innovative automation. Explore our step-by-step guide to enhance your data processes, even when working with longstanding technologies like SFTP. https://lnkd.in/e-QYCNC5

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WEBINAR: "Unlocking AI Excellence: Strategies for Organization Success" Todd Foley, CDO/CISO at Lydonia, and Dan L., Head of Sales & Alliances at Pienso, will discuss the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and the critical need for thoughtful, yet swiftly development within your organization. Register now and gain invaluable insights and actionable guidance to drive innovation and effectively scale your AI projects. https://hubs.ly/Q02ts2ZQ0 #Hyperautomation #Automation #AI #Analytics #Security #Data #GoLydo

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As an advisor to early-stage enterprise startups at Greylock, I see companies struggle with all types of GTM challenges during growth periods. Many of the challenges stem from the same issue: trying to do too much at once. Understandably, most companies don’t believe they have the luxury to focus on just one or two things at a time. But without that discipline, you risk driving down standards across every aspect of your GTM process. In this post, I’ve shared some advice for early-stage startups when building a cohesive GTM strategy. This first part focuses on building the foundations, from establishing a set of Leading Indicators to team alignment and establishing a development culture that prepares people for leadership. Stay tuned for the second part, where I’ll explain best practices for startups when executing during the sales process. https://bit.ly/3ReTdmK

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Looking for the secret sauce to doubling your funnel conversion rates? Terminus VP of Marketing Anne Murlowski joined Oana Manolache on Sequel.io's Game Changer webinar this week to share the transformative power of Account-Focused Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies. Check out the on-demand session to learn about: 🎯 Crafting targeted messaging for high-value accounts 🎯 Optimizing the revenue flywheel to enhance GTM 🎯 Data-driven strategies for account prioritization 🎯 Leveraging automation to drive pipeline acceleration 🎯 Measuring and optimizing account-focused initiatives

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Symbio, in partnership with Tackle.io, is delighted to present our upcoming webinar: "Navigating the Cloud Alliances GTM Journey" Join us on June 18th at 1 PM ET for a 45-minute session with cloud experts Justin Eddy, Garry Young, and Patrick Riley. We'll talk about: + Best approaches to your Cloud GTM strategy + How to establish your joint messaging and positioning + Scaling Cloud GTM operations + and more! See the registration link in comments!

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