Harini leads customer success at AWS, which is arguably the most important enterprise technology vendor today. She says customer success needs to play proactive offense more than reactive defense. By starting with your customer’s customer, you can align your strategic initiatives with your customers’ to achieve win-win outcomes. Key Takeaways:[ 00:07 ] Overview of episode[ 02:47 ] What customer centricity means to Harini[ 06:44 ] Customer success as offense vs. defense[ 15:50 ] How customer success should partner with other teams, and should they partner with customer success?[ 22:54 ] How to get a good interface between CX and product, and correctly prioritizing what needs built[ 27:27 ] What you can do to move from defense to offense in your CX org

A lot of PLG talk is focused on operational strategies and tactics. But what does PLG mean for the CEO of a company? What should your mindset be? How do you address common objections you might hear from your team (especially if transitioning to PLG for the first time).Key Takeaways:[00:04] Fully supporting product level growth[00:39] Investing in sales, self-service, and not optimizing for the local maximum[02:27] KPIs and linking to revenue[03:18] Growth teams need support and buy-inMentioned in this episode:Sign up for OpenView's weekly newsletterMartin Gontovnika, Co-Founder and General Partner at HyperGrowth PartnersHyperGrowth PartnersSubscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.Podcast produced by OpenView.View our blog for more context/inspiration.OpenView on LinkedinOpenView on TwitterOpenView on InstagramOpenView on Facebook

“Community” is a major buzzword today, and for good reason. Community creates leverage, and lots of it. Gonto ran marketing and growth at Auth0 for 7 years before the $6.5 billion acquisition by Okta. He cuts through the buzzword noise to give us his perspective and playbook on why (and how) to win with a community strategy.Key Takeaways:[00:27] Overview — Building a community[02:24] Defining community, and why is it trending[04:56] Creating communities through open source products, enterprise solutions, and other methods[08:55] How to identify members to target if you're building from scratch[13:31] Tapping into existing communities and identifying communities to target[21:17] Doing research with a user, interviewing developers, and engaging on Twitter[26:30] What does a community team look like, and who owns the effort in a PLG company?[30:02] KPIs and measuring the business value of building communityMentioned in this episode:Sign up for OpenView's weekly newsletterMartin Gontovnika, Co-Founder and General Partner at HyperGrowth PartnersHyperGrowth PartnersSubscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.Podcast produced by OpenView.View our blog for more context/inspiration.OpenView on LinkedinOpenView on TwitterOpenView on InstagramOpenView on Facebook

Cliff has a secret learning strategy: recruit the best people in the world at a skill to personally train you. It’s easier than you think. They’re just a DM away. Check out this quick pro tip and try it out yourself!Key Takeaways:[00:34] Rule 25 — How to find the best people in the world at a skillMentioned in this episode:Sign up for OpenView's weekly newsletterCliff Weitzman, Founder & CEO of SpeechifyCliff's YouTube video, 28 Lessons for Turning 28SpeechifySubscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.Podcast produced by OpenView.View our blog for more context/inspiration.OpenView on LinkedinOpenView on TwitterOpenView on InstagramOpenView on Facebook

Cliff is the Founder CEO of Speechify. He’s also a “full-time” YouTuber, with an awesome channel that features startup advice, life hacks, and self-improvement philosophy. He explains the why and how behind his personal brand strategy on YouTube, and we dive deep into one of my favorite videos of his, “28 Rules for Turning 28.”Key Takeaways:[02:45] Meet Cliff, CEO of Speechify, and his YouTube channel[06:31] Connecting with an audience, and thinking "will this be interesting to someone?"[08:15] 28 Rules for Turning 28[12:27] Rule #10: Lead with Love[15:55] Rule #22: Speed is critical[21:36] How to begin writing your own rules for your ageMentioned in this episode:Sign up for OpenView's weekly newsletterCliff Weitzman, Founder & CEO of SpeechifyCliff's YouTube video, 28 Lessons for Turning 28SpeechifySubscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.Podcast produced by OpenView.View our blog for more context/inspiration.OpenView on LinkedinOpenView on TwitterOpenView on InstagramOpenView on Facebook

Adding a top-down sales motion is a make-or-break moment for PLG companies. If it’s done right, it can make you the next big thing in your category. If it’s not done right, it can break your team and ultimately compromise your position in the market. The answer? All-in commitment from the founders and key leaders. Enterprise PLG is a team sport!Key Takeaways:[00:06] The most common mistakes John sees PLG founder make when adding sales to a bottom-up or self-service motion [02:15] The hidden subtext to be helpfulMentioned in this episode:Sign up for OpenView's weekly newsletterJohn Eitel, Former Global Vice President of Sales & Success at CanvaCanvaSubscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.Podcast produced by OpenView.View our blog for more context/inspiration.OpenView on LinkedinOpenView on TwitterOpenView on InstagramOpenView on Facebook

John built the global sales team at Canva, which allowed the company to expand further into the enterprise. He walks us through everything a PLG founder needs to know about adding a top-down motion to a bottom-up, product-led foundation. When should PLG companies do this? Why is it necessary? What is the strategy? And how do you do it IRL? Key Takeaways: [4:35] Repeatability in enterprise customers and understanding where these deals stall out[8:01] Stall points in enterprise spending and getting purchase approval[10:30] Embracing a top-down motion for PLG companies[14:17] Combining bottom-up and top-down to scale business using customer success stories[17:24] Communicating to executives the story of what software adoption saves[20:24] A broader context and story of how the platform improves customer lives[22:47] How the data component can make or break sales efforts[27:40] Where is adoption happening and using data to determine who gets involved[30:10] How to get the entire company working with salesMentioned in this episode:Sign up for OpenView's weekly newsletterJohn Eitel, Former Global Vice President of Sales & Success at CanvaCanvaSubscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.Podcast produced by OpenView.View our blog for more context/inspiration.OpenView on LinkedinOpenView on TwitterOpenView on InstagramOpenView on Facebook

A product professional’s role changes dramatically over time as a company and product scales, and as the individual develops additional skills and experiences. Annie says you need to “product manage” your own career as a PM in this highly dynamic environment.Calendly is an OpenView portfolio company. For a full portfolio list please visit ov.vcKey Takeaways:[0:13] What it's like for Annie to product manage her career as a PMMentioned in this episode:Sign up for OpenView's weekly newsletterAnnie Pearl, Chief Product Officer at CalendlyCalendlySubscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.Podcast produced by OpenView.View our blog for more context/inspiration.OpenView on LinkedinOpenView on TwitterOpenView on InstagramOpenView on Facebook

Learn how PLG businesses can transition to enterprise, the importance of simplicity in product development, building tailored solutions for different personas, and the foundational steps towards enterprise success. Insights from Annie Pearl, Chief Product Officer at Calendly.

Founders often shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to running an M&A process. Andrew points out the most common mistakes he’s seen, and how to avoid them.Key Takeaways:[0:23] The Biggest Mistake Founders Make Selling Their BusinessMentioned in this episode:Sign up for OpenView's weekly newsletterAndrew Gazdecki, CEO of MicroAcquireMicroAcquireSubscribe to Blake Bartlett on YouTube.Podcast produced by OpenView.View our blog for more context/inspiration.OpenView on LinkedinOpenView on TwitterOpenView on InstagramOpenView on Facebook