The Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)

Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike continue their discussion on the SaaS Metrics Maturity Model which includes the below five levels:Level 1: FoundationLevel 2: TrustLevel 3: Strategic LinkageLevel 4: Metrics CultureLevel 5: TrajectoryLevel 1:  Lay the foundationDefinitions and calculationsPipeline stages, forecast categories, close dates, values, SaaS metricsSemantics - what do words like best case, forecast, commit and downside meanInstrument underlying systems (GL, CRM, Billing, HCM, etc)Consider Metrics CommitteeLevel 2:  Build trustTemplates, templates, templatesMetrics selection & presentationHistory & context - always include footnotes on how metrics are calculatedRegular Cadence:  which templates used at which meetings?Continuous improvement - fix data at the source, improve templatesLevel 3:  Link Metrics to Business StrategyIdentify your top challenges Define 4-6 strategic goals - align metrics to those goalsLink department, team and individual objectives to the company metrics (OKRs)Level 4:  Build a metrics cultureDemand numeracyManage to the regular metrics publishing cadenceMetrics conversations about the business impact NOT the metric calculation methodLevel 5:  Agree on strategic trajectoryLong-range, driver-based modelsTimeframe:  When are metrics goals targeted to be achieved, what are the milestones towards goalSequencing:  Not everything at once - what is the priority order and associated timeframe for each metric's goalIf you are a creator, user or participant in how your company uses metrics to measure performance, inform decision making and/or report performance to your boss, your board and your investors this conversation will be valuable!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the 5 root causes that created the need to develop a SaaS Metrics Maturity Model for companies as they scale.The top five root causes that lead to the 15 primary problems in how companies use metrics include:There’s no shared metrics foundationThere’s no trustMetrics are not integral to strategyThe culture is not metrics-drivenMetrics are not being used define trajectory and long-term goalsThis episode discusses the key challenges in using metrics and the approaches to address those challenges. This discussion builds up to the introduction of the Metrics Maturity Model and the 5 levels of maturity:Level 1: FoundationLevel 2: TrustLevel 3: Strategic LinkageLevel 4: Metrics CultureLevel 5: TrajectoryIf you use, develop or just are a student of SaaS Metrics - this episode is full of insights and ideas on how to accelerate your company's metrics maturity model to level 5!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the Customer Lifetime Value to Customer Acquisition Cost (LTV:CAC) Ratio - a metric many consider the ultimate compound metric that investors love.During this episode topics covered include:How to calculate Customer Lifetime ValueHow to calculate Customer Acquisition CostBenchmarks for LTV:CAC Ratio and the translation to Rate of ReturnPrimary input variables and predictive indicators to optimize LTV:CAC RatioIf you have ever heard of the LTV:CAC Ratio or just are interested in some of the details and finer points from CAC and GROWTH - this is a entertaining and information episode!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is a replay of one of the most popular SaaS Talk episodes (#5) published in season #1. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive deep into all things Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) including the CAC Ratio.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Aileen Lee, Founder and Managing Partner at Cowboy Ventures recently wrote an article entitled "Welcome Back to the Unicorn Club, 10 Years Later" (1/18/24) which was a follow up to an article she wrote in November, 2013 entitled "Welcome to the Unicorn Club: Learning from Billion-Dollar Startups".Our SaaS Talk™ with the Metrics Brothers co-hosts, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike do a deep dive into how private and public company valuations are calculate, explore the difference between Market Capitalization and Enterprise Value, and uncover a few of the "inside baseball" secrets to how $1B Unicorn may be worth much less.Topics discussed include:Market CapitalizationEnterprise ValueParticipating vs Non-Participating Preferences1x, 2x and 3x Liquidation PreferenceCommon vs Preferred Stock in a Private CompanyStock Option Re-pricing - beware the last post money Unicorn valuationOnceacorn, Decacorn, Supercorn, ZIRPicorns, Papercorn, Zombiecorn, UnicorpseThe number of unicorns has grown from 39 in 2013 to 532 in 2023 per Cowboy Ventures (1,000 according to Battery Ventures). Unfortunately ~ 40% are trading for a much lower price on secondary markets than the last post-money valuations.If you love the idea of creating or being part of a VC backed company worth more than $1B, or are just interested in the material reduction in the creation of new unicorns, this episode is full of detail, insights and a little humor!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

ICONIQ Growth recently published their "Essential Go-to-Market (GTM) Board Slides", which includes the categories and metrics that they recommend be included in the GTM portion of the board deck. The template includes slides for the each category of GTM metrics they recommend including:GTM ScorecardIdeal Customer ProfileARR FunnelLogo VelocityRevenue and Logo RetentionWin/Loss AnalysisPipelineLead and Funnel ConversionSales Capacity and ProductivityTeam Update and PlanningDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike identify and discuss their perspectives on the top slides in the template, while also highlighting a couple of additional slides that would be valuable.If you are a GTM leader, or a CEO or CFO looking on refining and optimizing the GTM portion of your board deck, this episode is full of good ideas and insights.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Metrics Brothers, Dave Kellogg and Ray Rike from Common Paper, discuss the latest SaaS/Cloud Master Service Agreement benchmarks including contract length, payment terms, liability limits, data privacy, and insurance requirements. They also share insights on negotiating strategies, vendor-customer relationships, and design partner agreements.

Nick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight joins Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike to discuss all things Customer Success and metrics! This is a "special episode" that combines deep Customer Success (CS) expertise with moments of light humor, pop culture references, and SaaS industry insider insights!Topics discussed and benchmarks shared during this episode include:ARR per CSMCustomers per CSMCustomer Success Reporting RelationshipsExpansion ARR and Renewal ResponsibilityCSAT or NPSFurther into the episode, additional topics covered include:Priority Outcome Metrics for CSPrimary Leading Indicators for CSCustomer Verified OutcomesThere has been a lot of talk across the industry regarding the future of Customer Success, including if Customer Success as a function is needed which was highlighted in Frank Slootman's book "Amp it Up".If you have a Customer Success team, are considering how to invest in Customer Success, or are just looking for an entertaining 20-minute conversation chalked full of great insights and a laugh or two this episode is a GREAT listen!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the top metrics for a Customer Service organization that span the top three goals of CS including resolving, deflecting, and/or preventing cases.During this episode, we lean heavily on CAC's background as a technical support agent for the first two years of his career, and then as the head of the Salesforce Service Cloud.The primary job of Customer Service (Customer Support) including the three below macro-level goalsResolve CasesDeflect CasesPrevent CasesWhat are the top metrics to measure the performance of Customer Service while ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction?:Cases per Agent (while maintaining a 4.5 CSAT score)CSAT Time to Resolution (mean is not as valuable - have a max)First call resolutionThere are many nuances to the above metrics including the type of call (how-to or bug fixes), the ability to effectively deflect calls that solve the customer issue, and how to measure the longer-term impact of preventing inbound cases over time.If you are thinking about or currently evaluating your customer service (customer support) performance metrics, this is a great conversation that covers a wide range of metrics, goals, and priorities for any customer service organization in a B2B technology business.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The hosts discuss top metrics for Professional Services in a B2B SaaS company, emphasizing revenue, gross margin, utilization rates, and capacity. They highlight the role of PS in maximizing ARR and customer value, rather than just revenue or margin. Strategies for successful deployment, revenue optimization, and measuring utilization metrics are also explored, providing insights on enhancing customer adoption and revenue growth in SAS companies.