
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.
Latest episodes

Oct 26, 2023 • 36min
Ep. 93 - Can Your SaaS Business Find Gold in the Data You're Already Collecting? - with Dan Miles, COO of TVEyes
Even in a very healthy business, you must keep looking for innovation.That’s the gist of this episode’s message with Dan Miles, Chief Operating Officer of TVEyes.TVEyes is a search engine for impactful video and audio measured by audience and level of information and newsworthiness. Historically, that was primarily broadcast TV and radio, but over the last few years as audiences migrated to online platforms like podcasts and streaming video, TVEyes has innovated its software platform to capture all the data. And AI is certainly playing a big role in that today. But even though their business is focused on data mining, Miles and host Ken Lempit talk about how companies should pay more attention to the data that they’re collecting. It might be worth something.Key Takeaways The importance of alignment around pricing and packaging, especially as it extends through the sales process.How to scale marketing and sales efforts strategically.Why you should constantly reevaluate pricing strategies to stay competitive.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Not Getting Enough Demos? Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch. 🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations. And the best part? 💡 It’s completely free. No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos. Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.

Oct 19, 2023 • 33min
Ep. 92 - SaaS Personalization at Scale—Can We Finally Get Rid of the Templates? With David Howard, VP Marketing at Buzzboard
We all know that personalization, context, and relevance are necessary to get a cold email opened.But that takes a lot of time and energy to customize each communication, and when only 3% of your target audience is in-market at any given time.And that’s where Buzzboard comes in.The company has developed a platform that utilizes AI and proprietary data to create personalized content and conversation starters for sales organizations. This platform leverages a data set of 30 million businesses and 6,000 signals, allowing sales organizations to generate hyper-personalized content such as emails, cold call scripts, and social media messages.In this episode, David Howard, Buzzboard’s VP of Marketing discusses how AI is helping sales reps minimize much of the research and strategizing work by analyzing prospects and generating a response. Key Takeaways from this episode:How aligning marketing and product teams has yielded an increase in engagement from customers and prospects.How shifting to shorter, product-centric content has helped potential customers visualize the benefits of driving more free-trial signups.Why Hyper-personalization is the future of sales and how AI is helping do it at scale. Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Not Getting Enough Demos? Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch. 🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations. And the best part? 💡 It’s completely free. No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos. Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.

Oct 13, 2023 • 28min
Ep. 91 - The Value of In-Person Events for SaaS Leaders Post-Covid – with Fred Rockwell, Founder of the Ascent Conference
In this episode, we talked to Fred Rockwell, owner of the upcoming Ascent Conference in New York (Oct 30) about the advantages of attending events in-person, how they’ve changed in a post-covid world, and why he structures his events to create more bottom of the funnel opportunities through private invites. The SaaS Backwards Podcast is also excited to be the official podcast sponsor of the Ascent Conference and will be recording episodes at the show.Key takeaways from this episode: The importance of building connections in-person as opposed to only online.The challenges of bootstrapping a business and how to be resilient How to remain relevant, even when the market changes rapidly.---Not Getting Enough Demos? Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch. 🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations. And the best part? 💡 It’s completely free. No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos. Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.

Oct 5, 2023 • 38min
Ep. 90 – Why Most SaaS Companies Get Positioning Wrong – with Anthony Pierri
Anthony Pierri, Partner with Fletch PMM, discusses how most SaaS companies get positioning wrong. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on product marketing and differentiation, using specific benefits to stand out. Pierri outlines their process for effective messaging and aligning with target audience's struggles and pain points.

Sep 29, 2023 • 38min
Ep. 89 - SaaS Tips: Learn Why Cybersecurity is a Behavioral Problem – With Dr. James Norrie, CyberconIQ
Criminals have developed efficient business models that make it cost-effective to attack even small enterprises.No company is too small, and the need for awareness and understanding of the evolving threat landscape, particularly with generative AI is at an all-time high.But simply training staff not to click on this or not to write down their password on post-its isn’t going to be enough.Our guest, Dr. James Norrie, CEO of CyberconIQ, realized that the key to changing behavior is through personalized education—and by understanding individuals unique characteristics, preferences, and vulnerabilities it becomes possible to tailor educational interventions.Now with a rapid evolution in the marketplace, emerging SEC guidelines, and changes to NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) everybody is beginning to realize that when technology has created a problem, it can’t always be used to solve it.Key Takeaways:The important difference between raising capital and running a business—they’re both full time jobs.Why the recent SEC Guidelines requiring the disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents and risk management, strategy and governance by public companies is important for all SaaS companies to map to. Why they developed free training at techellect.com to enhance confidence in AI applications. Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Not Getting Enough Demos? Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch. 🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations. And the best part? 💡 It’s completely free. No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos. Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.

Sep 22, 2023 • 36min
Ep. 88 - The Journey from Chiropractor to SaaS Owner – with Brian Capra, Owner of Genesis Chiropractic Software
As a Chiropractor, Brian Capra never intended to become a software developer—but it seems like something bigger was a play.Because the healthcare system, particularly insurance companies, have historically been biased against chiropractic care, chiropractors must be more entrepreneurial. They must understand marketing, building relationships, sales, and managing a business to succeed. And they often don’t understand the game that big insurance plays when it comes to delaying or denying payments.Those frustrations led Capra to form a partnership with some individuals who had a technology solution for medical billing to create Genesis Chiropractic Software to provide chiropractors with a more efficient and effective way to manage their practices.Key Takeaways:How streamlining processes and prioritizing training to enhance the customer experience will lead to more referrals.The importance of tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) like churn rate, growth rate, and customer satisfaction.Why you should be open-minded and aware of opportunities that come your wayOther resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Not Getting Enough Demos? Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch. 🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations. And the best part? 💡 It’s completely free. No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos. Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.

Sep 15, 2023 • 37min
Ep. 87 - What SaaS B2B Sales Leaders Need from Marketing—with Benjamin Page-Fort
The B2B world is different today, and (unfortunately) there’s no one formula that works across the board. It’s not outbound versus inbound. It’s not advertising versus content.Every organization has a unique formula that will consistently drive meaningful conversations with targeted prospects.Therefore, you'll never see a productive organization where there's a lot of animosity between marketing and sales leadership.In this episode, Ben Page-Fort, who works with early and growth stage FinTechs to develop and execute go-to-market strategy, talks about how sales and marketing alignment is no longer a goal—it’s a must have.And it’s all hands on deck to find the right formula because we’re all in the same boat. Key Takeaways:Hiring for today (their skillsets match the current needs of the organization) and not by trying to anticipate future needs.The importance of setting qualitative goals and key performance indicators with all revenue growth stakeholders committing to driving results.When joining a new organization as a marketing or sales leader, it's important to understand and respect what is already working and avoid making drastic changes without fully understanding the existing strategies and successes. Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Not Getting Enough Demos? Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch. 🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations. And the best part? 💡 It’s completely free. No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos. Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.

Sep 8, 2023 • 26min
Ep. 86 – What’s Wrong with SaaS Marketing and How to Fix it – with ALG’s Ken Lempit
There’s nothing like an economic slow-down to thin the herd. Companies take longer to buy, consolidate resources, and rethink their go-to-market strategy.So why are companies doubling down on yesterday’s strategies?Normally the host of SaaS Backwards, Ken Lempit, President of Austin Lawrence, sits in the guest seat this week to answer questions about how SaaS leaders need to approach marketing to engage today’s buyer. Key Takeaways from this episode:Demand generation involves both demand capture (or lead generation), which is a short-term focus, and demand creation, where you’re creating relationships over the long term with potential customers not yet in a buying motion.Creativity is back. With the proliferation of content and generative AI, it’s the creatives that are going to figure out how to stand out from the crowd. Why all B2B SaaS marketers should read "The Challenger Customer" if they’re using thought leadership content. Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Not Getting Enough Demos? Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch. 🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations. And the best part? 💡 It’s completely free. No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos. Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.

Sep 1, 2023 • 30min
Ep. 85 – When SaaS Companies Should Specialize – with Corey Quinn, fractional CMO and GTM Strategist
When a company starts out, verticalization may not be the best thing. In fact, today’s guest Corey Quinn, fractional CMO and GTM strategist prefers to work with companies who went broad first, since there’s value in exploring different verticals and learning the nuances in the different markets.But at a certain point, verticalization becomes necessary to scale. It reduces complexity, improves marketing, and helps to differentiate from the competition.In this episode, host Ken Lempit and Quinn discuss how to narrow down and exploit areas of specialization.Key Takeaways:Understanding your best fit customer by conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses of your business.The role of thought leadership content and the importance of ensuring subject matter expertise within the chosen vertical.Ensuring that your marketing efforts align with your sales process and provide valuable insights to potential customers during sales conversations. Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Not Getting Enough Demos? Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch. 🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations. And the best part? 💡 It’s completely free. No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos. Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.

Aug 25, 2023 • 34min
Ep. 84 - The Decline of Inbound and the Rise of Owned Media in SaaS – with Anthony Kennada, founder of Audience Plus
It’s never been harder for marketers generate an audience where you can have impact than it is today.The media landscape has exploded and the number of choices we have as marketers has never been more varied.In many ways, we’re now paying for the sins automating a process of building trust and relationships.In this episode, Anthony Kennada, Co-Founder and CEO of Audience Plus talks with Ken about how the marketing pendulum is swinging back from marketing automation, inbound, and maximizing SEO to its original intent—creating value for an audience in a more authentic way.Key takeaways:How to create the authentic content that B2B buyers care about today. Why first party data will be crucial to personalize content and prove impact in the face of changing data privacy regulations and the decline of third-party cookies.How the shift towards owned media will help marketers regain control over their lead-to-revenue process and reduce reliance on third-party platforms and algorithms.Other resources to check out:Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publish a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting.---Not Getting Enough Demos? Your messaging could be turning buyers away before you even get a chance to pitch. 🔗 Get a Free Messaging & Conversion Review We’ll analyze your website and content through the eyes of your buyers to uncover what’s stopping them from booking a demo. Then, we’ll give you a personalized report with practical recommendations to help you turn more visitors into sales conversations. And the best part? 💡 It’s completely free. No commitments, no pressure—just actionable advice to help you book more demos. Your next demo is just a click away—claim your free review now.
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