Grow Your B2B SaaS

When it comes to achieving accurate and insightful revenue attribution, mastering the right approach is crucial for the success of your business. In this episode, Joran Hofman hosts Steffen Hedebrandt the Co-founder of Dreamdata. In this episode, our guest expert helps us to understand How to do revenue attribution the right way. Revenue attribution isn't just about tracking where your customers come from; it's a strategic process that involves understanding the entire customer journey, identifying successful tactics, and optimizing your marketing efforts. To do revenue attribution the right way, start by implementing a comprehensive data collection strategy that encompasses various touchpoints, from CRM and marketing automation to website tracking and ad platforms. By creating an account-based timeline and connecting it to revenue outcomes, you gain valuable insights into what's truly driving your sales. Investing in reliable tools like Dreamdata can streamline this process, ensuring you're equipped with the accurate data you need to make informed decisions and replicate winning strategies. With precise revenue attribution, you'll be empowered to allocate resources effectively, enhance your marketing efforts, and ultimately drive sustainable growth for your B2B SaaS business. Key Timecodes (1:23) Why you should listen to Steffen Hedebrandt (1:58) What is revenue attribution in relation to B2B SaaS (3:22) The bare minimal requirements for starting revenue attribution  (4:47) When to start thinking about revenue attribution  (7:15) The important metrics to check out for attributions (10:14) Mistakes companies make while doing revenue attribution  (13:50) Effective processes and strategies for revenue attribution   (16:52) The benchmarks for what works and what doesn't (18:34) Which review sites works best for B2B Saas? (22:27)The importance of aligning sales and marketing (24:30) How to grow to 10k MRR (25:40) How to grow to 10M ARR (26:35) What Steffen Wishes he knew 10 years ago

The most important and sustainable avenue for long-term growth is SEO. The big question is how to leverage SEO as a B2B SaaS? Long-term growth frequently depends on this investment. Maeva Cifuentes, CEO of Flying Cat Marketing, a startup that helps B2B SaaS companies with their SEO and content strategy, is our special guest today. Maeva has extensive knowledge to impart based on her three years of expertise and track record of working with over 40 B2B SaaS firms. Immediately, let's begin! Thank you for coming, Maeva. Defining SEO: Maeva defines SEO as transforming your website into a self-sustaining ecosystem that attracts users organically throughout their buyer's journey, from awareness to becoming a customer. Without SEO, your website relies solely on brand searches or paid ads for traffic. Preparation for SEO: Before diving into SEO, Maeva emphasizes the importance of having a solid product-market fit and ensuring that your website can convert visitors effectively. This way, your investment in SEO will yield better results. Understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Maeva stresses the significance of having a well-defined ICP before creating SEO-focused content. Understanding your audience and addressing their specific needs is crucial for successful SEO. Common Mistakes: One common mistake businesses make is focusing on the wrong metrics for SEO success. Maeva advises aligning SEO KPIs with business goals, such as demo requests, free trial sign-ups, or revenue, rather than just rankings and traffic. SEO Strategy: Maeva introduces four website archetypes - Builder, Optimizer, Scalar, and Wild One - each with specific SEO objectives. For beginners (Builders), the focus is on ranking for easy keywords to build topical authority, while more established businesses (Scalers) create thought leadership content and attract external interest. Content Optimization: Maeva recommends optimizing existing content to increase click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates, as it can yield quicker wins compared to focusing solely on new content creation. Fresh Content and Rankings: Refreshing and updating content periodically, especially for pages on the second page of search results, helps maintain relevance and appeal to both readers and search engines. Should You Include Last Updated Dates in Your Blog Posts? The podcast begins with a practical question on whether including the "last updated" date in a blog post is necessary. Maeva advises that having the date on the blog post is considered best practice. For industries where information changes rapidly, it benefits users to know when the content was last updated to assess its relevance and accuracy. Considering user experience is essential, and including the date ensures transparency and builds trust with your audience. Key Timecodes (1:25) Why you should listen to Maeva (2:00) What is SEO? (2:55) What you need to have before starting SEO (4:50) Mistakes companies make while implementing SEO (7:29) What to do to get the most out of SEO (10:34) The best SEO practices (15:25) The bottom of the funnel example (16:50) The importance of refreshing content (19:17) Maeva’s success story (23:45) Does duplicate content hurt your SEO? (25:46) AI effect on SEO (28:37) How to grow to 10K MRR (30:01) How to grow to 10M ARR (31:05) What does Maeva wish she knew 10yrs ago?

Welcome to the Growing a B2B SaaS podcast, where we provide actionable advice on all aspects of growing a business-to-business software company. Whether it's customer success, sales, funding, bootstrapping, exits, or scaling, we've got you covered. In this episode, we'll dive into the topic of making your SaaS startup sellable and discuss the steps to selling your business successfully. Our special guest today is Thomas Smale, the founder and CEO of FE International, Inc, a tech-focused M&A advisory firm with an impressive track record of over 1 billion in closed transactions and more than 1200 deals completed worldwide. Getting Ready for an Acquisition Understanding the Path to Acquisition Thomas begins by emphasizing that the decision to sell a SaaS business should be considered early on in its journey. Once a business starts gaining traction, usually at around $1,000 monthly recurring revenue (MRR), founders should start thinking about their long-term goals. It's essential to be honest with oneself about what you want to achieve, whether it's building a billion-dollar valuation or a smaller, million-dollar valuation. Each path requires different strategies and efforts, and defining your goals early will help you align your business accordingly. Valuation Methods  Thomas explains that valuing a SaaS business is a complex process. While the most common approach is using precedent transactions (comparing the business to similar ones that have been sold), there are various valuation methodologies. These include discounted cash flow analysis (DCF) and multiples of revenue or profit. However, no single formula fits all businesses, and it's crucial to consider the specifics of each case to arrive at a fair valuation. Common Mistakes to Avoid  One of the most common mistakes SaaS founders make when preparing to sell is artificially inflating short-term profitability to improve valuation. This involves cutting costs or laying off staff to increase profit margins temporarily. Such tactics can backfire in the long run and are easily spotted by savvy buyers. Instead, focus on building a strong and sustainable business model with genuine profitability. Challenges in the Selling Process  One of the main challenges for founders is managing their expectations during the selling process. Unrealistic valuation goals can hinder the selling process, leading to wasted time and missed opportunities. Thomas advises being open to negotiations and realistic about the market value of your business. Additionally, founders sometimes try to handle the selling process themselves to save money, but this can result in suboptimal outcomes. Engaging an experienced M&A firm can lead to better deals and higher returns, making it a valuable investment. Key Timecodes (1:16) Why you should listen to Thomas (1:55) – What is M&A? (2:52) When should a SaaS founders consider acquiring themselves? (6:50) Different ways to value businesses. (8:27) The most common mistakes companies make before they try to sell their business or even while selling their business? (10:53) What are the most common challenges startups face while selling their business? (12:04) Set realistic expectations. (13:10) The acquisition process (17:41)– When to sell your SaaS (18:47) When to ask for help? (21:22)– 10k MRR advice (22:59)– Multi-Channel Marketing approach (26:36) 10million ARR Advice (27:33) What Thomas Wishes he knew 10years ago (30:00)– Get in touch with Thomas.

Want to build a strong for your startup? In the third episode of season two of Growing a B2B SaaS, host Joran Hofman delves into building a strong company culture to foster growth in a B2B SaaS organization. Joined by Mads Wedderkopp, CEO of Dream Influence, an influential marketing SaaS platform, they explore the significance of recruiting and retaining top talent to accelerate SaaS growth. Mads, drawing from his experience in scaling a SaaS company from zero to 6.5 million ARR, emphasizes the power of a strong culture in unlocking a team's potential. He shares invaluable insights on identifying core values and aligning team members to nurture a thriving culture. The episode also delves into the challenges and advantages of maintaining a strong culture while transitioning to remote work amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Tune in to discover practical strategies for cultivating a robust company culture that drives B2B SaaS success. Timecodes (00:29) Guest intro (1:21) Why you should listen to Mads (2:53) What Mads determines as a strong culture? (4:28) What else needs to be in place before you can really start building a culture? (5:54) Can you have a strong culture while working remotely? (9:15) Common mistake companies make while trying to build a company culture? (14:26) The effective hiring structure (14:54) Other Processes or strategies for building a strong culture.(Mads secret) (26:56) Why leveraging somebody else's network is important as a B2B SaaS company? (30:15) Advice on how to grow to 10K MRR ad then to 1m ARR (32:44) What Mads wished he knew 10 years ago (35:37) Mads contact info

In this episode of the "Growing a B2B SaaS" podcast, host Joran Hoffman interviews Michael Humblet, author of the books "Why Now" and "Nobody Knows You," and founder of Chaomatic, a service company aiding VW sales companies in generating more leads through creative content. Michael shares his insights on why businesses should invest in B2B software tools right now and how to overcome common challenges in sales and marketing. The conversation begins with Joran asking Michael why people should listen to him and why the timing is crucial. Michael explains that most businesses struggle with lead generation and lack trust-building strategies. He emphasizes the importance of fixing the "nobody knows you" problem by creating content, gaining attention, and building trust with prospects before engaging in sales conversations. Michael further discusses the sales process, focusing on techniques to move deals forward. He highlights the significance of simplifying complex solutions, demonstrating the interface, and showcasing the value of a single feature that can bring significant benefits. He also emphasizes the need to structure sales pitches effectively and reduce the initial meeting time to increase the likelihood of progressing to the next step. The conversation then delves into Michael's book, "Nobody Knows You," which addresses the challenges of building trust and gaining attention. He emphasizes the use of social proof, such as logos or faces, to establish credibility. Michael also explains the importance of attention and provides tips for structuring content and presentations effectively to guide the audience's focus. Finally, Michael shares insights from his book "Why Now," which focuses on accelerating deals. He emphasizes the importance of using the right sales methodology for different situations, injecting doubt or certainty depending on the prospect's needs, and providing a clear structure to alleviate concerns and promote faster decision-making. He suggests incorporating action steps at the end of each interaction to keep prospects engaged and move them closer to conversion. The episode concludes with a discussion on potential challenges when implementing the strategies outlined in the books. Michael advises seeking feedback from others and existing prospects to gain valuable insights and ensure effective communication. Simplifying messaging and aligning it with the language prospects use is key to successful implementation. Overall, this episode provides actionable advice and strategies for B2B SaaS companies to overcome common sales and marketing challenges, establish trust, and accelerate deal closure. Key Time codes [00:01:13.620] Why you should listen to you Michael today? And indeed, why now? [00:06:05.230] Why Michael wrote the book Nobody Knows  [00:07:00.590] - The content quality vs quantity analogy [00:09:08.440] - Understanding people’s interests. [00:10:03.360] - How long should you keep talking in a sales call? [00:10:48.160] - What really initiated Michael to start writing the book Why Now? [00:15:15.310] - How do you create doubt?  [00:18:20.080] – What is sales?  [00:19:24.200] - All the sales techniques to pull them very quickly to a closing. [00:21:26.560] - What are the biggest reasons sales get stuck? [00:25:13.670] – Knowing the exact words [00:25:40.410] – What is a good content Machine? [00:29:54.300] – Affiliate Marketing [00:34:16.280] - The five steps to the three steps. [00:37:53.470] – The future of AI? 

A profitable ad campaign is a marketing initiative that generates a positive return on investment (ROI) and achieves the desired objectives within a specified budget. In other words, it is an advertising campaign that brings in more revenue or value than the cost of running the campaign. The big question is, how do you run successful and profitable ad campaigns? The profitability of an ad campaign is typically measured by analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) such as conversion rates, cost per acquisition (CPA), return on ad spend (ROAS), and overall ROI. If these metrics indicate that the revenue or value generated from the campaign exceeds the costs incurred, then the campaign is considered profitable. In this episode 1 of season 2 on The Grow your B2B SaaS Podcast , Joran Hofman hosts Today's subject matter expert is Michael Damnjanovic, CCO of Adline, an ad SaaS that helps clients make value-driving ads by leveraging artificial intelligence. Key Timecode (0:44) Introduction of topic and guest expert (01:21) Why you should listen to Mike (02:40) Minimal requirements for running ads (11:20) What is a profitable ad campaign (12:45) Steps to running a profitable ad (18:06) Role of artificial intelligence in creating effective ads  (20:03) Multi-channel marketing strategies (21:22) Advice to SaaS founders with 10K MRR (23:24) Advice to SaaS founder with 10M ARR (23:58) What he wishes he had known a decade ago (25:13) Mike's contact information: LinkedIn, podcast, Adline.com

Growing a B2B SaaS (Software as a Service) company to $1 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) requires a well-planned strategy and consistent execution. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, On the Growth Your B2B SaaS podcast, we hosted 20 quest experts on various subject matters. We asked them for this precious advice on how to grow your SaaS to 1 million ARR. If you aren't at this stage yet, then you will greatly benefit from our previous episode, where our guest experts advised on some of the key steps to help you get to 10k MRR. To move from 10k MRR to $1 million ARR our guest experts agree on some of the critical steps to take. Listen in and learn. Enjoy!

In season 1 of our podcast, we hosted 20 guest experts on various subject matters. The goal of our podcast is to help other B2 B Saas founders to grow. We asked our guests to share with us tricks and ideas of how to grow your Monthly Recurring Revenue and each expert had his own expert advice. Growing a B2B SaaS (Software as a Service) to $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) requires a strategic approach and consistent effort. Here's a brief summary of the key advice and steps you can take to achieve this goal: Define your target market: Identify a specific niche or industry that can benefit from your SaaS product. Understand their pain points, and needs, and how your solution can address them effectively. Develop a compelling value proposition: Clearly communicate the unique value your SaaS provides to potential customers. Highlight the benefits, competitive advantages, and the specific problems it solves. This will help you differentiate your product from competitors. Build a minimum viable product (MVP): Develop an initial version of your SaaS that includes core features and functionality. Keep it simple, user-friendly, and focused on solving the most critical pain points of your target market. Launching an MVP allows you to gather feedback and iterate based on user input. Acquire early customers: Start by reaching out to your personal network, industry contacts, or potential customers who align with your target market. Offer them free trials, pilot programs, or discounted pricing to encourage adoption. Use their feedback and testimonials to refine your product and messaging. Implement a scalable sales and marketing strategy: Develop a comprehensive plan to attract and convert leads into paying customers. Utilize various marketing channels such as content marketing, social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and paid advertising. Build a sales process that includes lead nurturing, demos, and clear pricing plans. Focus on customer success and retention: Happy customers are more likely to stay and refer others. Provide excellent customer support, regular product updates, and continuous improvements based on user feedback. Implement a system to measure customer satisfaction and gather testimonials or case studies to showcase your product's value. Optimize pricing and packaging: Regularly assess your pricing strategy to ensure it aligns with the value you deliver. Consider offering tiered pricing plans or add-on features that cater to different customer segments. Experiment with pricing and monitor customer response to find the optimal balance between value and affordability. Expand your customer base: As you acquire more customers, leverage their networks and referrals to reach new prospects. Develop strategic partnerships with complementary businesses or industry influencers to expand your reach. Explore opportunities to collaborate with resellers or offer white-label solutions to penetrate new markets. Track key metrics and iterate: Continuously monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as MRR, customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (CLTV), churn rate, and conversion rates. Analyze the data to identify bottlenecks or areas for improvement. Adjust your strategies and tactics accordingly to optimize growth. Invest in scaling efforts: As you approach the $10,000 MRR mark, consider scaling your team, infrastructure, and resources to accommodate growth. Hire additional sales and marketing personnel, invest in customer support systems, and optimize your product's scalability and performance.

What is affiliate marketing? And why is it important for you to set up an affiliate program for your business? On The Grow your B2B SaaS Podcast , Joran Hofman hosts ⁠John Wright⁠ the Co-Founder at ⁠StatsDrone⁠. Having been in the industry for the past couple of decades, John leverages his academic engineering background to use data for business intelligence. He is keen to share his knowledge in affiliate marketing and business intelligence, which are increasingly important areas for SaaS founders in the digital business environment.  Key Timecodes (0:40) Introduction of today's topic and guest expert (01:27) Why you should listen to John (02:42) What is affiliate marketing (03:53) Why a B2B Saas should set up an affiliate program (07:44) Common mistakes for SaaS when establishing an affiliate marketing program (12:08) Strategies for scaling an affiliate program: (16:35) Ideal sources of affiliates for a B2B SaaS: (21:29) Challenges in growing an affiliate program (22:34) The future of affiliate marketing (28:00) Advice to SaaS founder with 10K MRR: (31:08) Advice to SaaS with 1M ARR (35:53) John's contact information

How do you Set up a Multi-Channel Marketing Tracking strategy? Are you doing the proper multi-channel tracking for your business? The key to business growth is tracking what is working and not working. In today’s episode, we discuss how to track all your marketing efforts across various channels. Julia Draghici is our guest expert today. She is the founder and CEO of CPV Lab, a bootstrapped tracking tool that helps businesses to manage their multi-channel marketing efforts. Why you need to listen to Julia: Julia has been a SaaS co-founder for the last 5 years with a computer science and economics background. In the previous 15 years, she has gained much experience in different work areas, including Project Management and Software Development. As such, she is skilled in customer support, affiliate marketing, sales, and strategic planning. What is multi-channel market tracking: Julia starts by unpacking omnichannel marketing to establish business visibility on all channels where the target audience is found. In this regard, multi-channel tracking entails monitoring the performance of your efforts across various channels. A SaaS can figure out the best-performing channels and thus place greater priority on them. In addition, tracking helps to understand customer behavior and affiliate partners. Minimum requirements for tracking multi-channels: According to Julia, the natural starting point of tracking them is defining them first. Defining a channel enables a SaaS to determine its target audience. Instead of following trendy channels by competitors, it is better to target channels with your ideal customer profile. Secondly, you should define your budget for the tracking effort. When bootstrapping, Julia advises splitting your budget across the various selected channels and testing them for about 3 months. It also helps to run display ads and engage partners to leverage their established marketing networks. Common mistakes in multi-channel tracking: Julia points to the failure to compare data between and across the various channels as the main mistake by most companies. Given that each traffic source has its tracking system, it is crucial to compare the data results to figure out the best-converting ones. She suggests that a SaaS should utilize a single tracking platform for the multi-channels to avoid the danger of wrong attribution. Time Stamps (0:40) Introduction of today’s topic and guest expert (1:27) Why you need to listen to Julia  (03:12) What is multi-channel market tracking  (04:45) Minimum requirements for tracking multi-channels:  (07:37) Common mistakes in multi-channel tracking: (10:21) Most suitable model for attributing conversion  (12:45) How multi-channel tracking helps determine performance  (15:05) Common pitfalls to avoid during multi-channel tracking:   (17:21) How to start multi-channel tracking:  (19:15) Winning strategies for top affiliate marketers:  (23:15) Advice to SaaS founders with 10K MRR:  (25:06) Advice to SaaS business with 1M ARR:  (27:21) Julia’s contact information