The Official SaaStr Podcast: SaaS | Founders | Investors

SaaStr 388: Okta CMO, Ryan Carlson on How To Measure Marketing Attribution Effectively, Why People Think About Category Creation Incorrectly Today & How You Have To Think Through The Product vs The Company Story

Oct 20, 2020

Ryan Carlson, CMO at Okta and co-founder of Sproost, dives into the nuances of marketing in the SaaS world. He shares insights from his challenging journey to Okta, emphasizing the balance between product and company narratives. Carlson explains why hiring dual marketing roles can optimize team dynamics and stresses the importance of creating a culture that fosters collaboration. He also tackles common misconceptions about category creation, ensuring that marketing strategies evolve as a company grows.

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ANECDOTE

Persistence Won The Role

Ryan Carlson chased Okta for nearly a year after a failed initial fit for a product role.
He persisted with research, ideas, and interviews until they hired him for product marketing in 2011.

INSIGHT

Company Story Outgrows Product Story

The company story must become bigger than any single product as a business scales.
Winning markets requires conveying broader significance, not just product features.

ANECDOTE

Marathon Interview That Sealed The Deal

Ryan's final Okta interview ran from 7am to 7pm on a Friday and included multiple return trips.
That marathon interview ultimately clinched the offer in 2011.

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Ryan Carlson is the CMO @ Okta, the leading independent provider of identity for the enterprise. Prior to their incredibly successful IPO in April of 2017, they raised funding from some of the best in the business including Sequoia, a16z, Greylock, Khosla and Floodgate to name a few. As for Ryan, he has spent an incredible 9 years at Okta in numerous different roles starting with running the product marketing team before moving to run the marketing team, leading to his promotion to CMO close to 5 years ago now. Before Okta, Ryan was the Co-Founder and CEO @ Sproost, a bootstrapped online expert recommendation system.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

How Ryan made his way into the world of enterprise SaaS? Why was joining Okta the most challenging interview process he has experienced? How did it impact how he assesses candidates today?
How does Ryan distinguish between the company story vs the product story? When do they align and when do they separate? How should your strategy change as they move apart? How does the structure of your marketing team need to change with the evolution?
What should the first marketing hire look like? What experience should they have? Why does Ryan believe you should hire two in marketing to start? How do you want them to work together? How does Ryan ensure cross-function working seamlessly from the very beginning with marketing?
How does Ryan think about measuring success when it comes to product marketing? How does Ryan think about marketing attribution today? How should we think through SAL vs closed revenue as indicator of marketing success? Where does Ryan believe many go wrong with regards to marketing funnels?

Ryan’s 60 Second SaaStr:

What does Ryan know now that he wishes he had known at the beginning?
What makes Frederic Kerrest the special leader he is?
What is the most challenging element of Ryan’s role with Okta?

Read the full transcript on our blog: https://www.saastr.com/saastr-podcast-388-with-okta-cmo-ryan-carlson/

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