

The Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)
Ray Rike & Dave Kellogg
The Metrics Brothers (formerly SaaS Talk with the Metrics Brothers) is hosted by Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike. The Metrics Brothers provides unique insights, strategies, tactics and the metrics that are relevant to Native-AI and B2B software and SaaS companies.Each 20-minute episode will cover a topic critical to leading a B2B software company, and chalked full of practical advice that can be introduced and applied in most Native-AI, Agentic AI and B2B software and SaaS companies.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 3, 2024 • 22min
2024 SaaS Metrics Predictions
Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike go out on a limb and share their predictions on the Top 5 SaaS Metrics in 2024 - some are old friends and two are brand new for 2024!!!2023 was a year focused on efficient growth, extending cash runways and making progress towards profitability. Simultaneously, certain metrics became more important in correlation to enterprise value to revenue multiples - including the re-emergence of the Rule of 40 being critical to company valuations. Which metrics are Dave and Ray predicting as the Top Five for 2024:Rule of X - a growth-weighted Rule of 40ARR/FTE - the ultimate overall productivity metric for B2B SaaS companiesGRR & NRR - Why the "&" is so important to measuring retention & expansionCAC Payback Period and CAC Ratio - The GTM efficiency metric combinationERG - a growth-weighted enterprise value to revenue growth ratioThe Metrics Brothers focused on the "SaaS Metrics" predictions for this episode - but if you would like to see the more holistic 2024 predictions - take a look at Dave's @kellblog post at: https://kellblog.com/2024/01/02/kellblog-predictions-for-2024/Happy New Year to all and here is to an improving B2B SaaS environment with a balanced approach to growth and profitability!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 29, 2023 • 22min
KeyBanc Capital Markets 2023 SaaS Benchmark Report
Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the long standing, industry standard SaaS Metrics Benchmark report from KeyBanc Capital Markets, which was released in December, 2023.If you are a long-time SaaS veteran or new to the SaaS industry - this report has been the de facto SaaS Metrics benchmarking report for 14 years. This year's report includes a total population of 106 companies, and often comes up short in comparison to previous year's report. The small population makes segmenting the benchmarks by company size or ACV much very difficult - and benchmarks that are relevant to company size and ACV is critical in making them useful.We encourage our listeners to download the report and follow along at CAC and Growth break it, and several of the metrics that are included... which are primarily for 2022, and some are based upon 2023 estimates.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 20, 2023 • 34min
Battery Ventures "State of the OpenCloud 2023" Report - Part 2
Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike continue their break down the recent Battery Ventures - State of the OpenCloud 2023 Report which includes a historic view of performance benchmarks and some predictions on how AI will impact performance metrics in the future.During Part 2 of this episode the co-hosts cover several metrics and SaaS industry trends including:Growth RatesTechnology Buyer Sentiment heading into 2024The impact of balanced growth + profitabilityBusiness model and pricing evolutionStock Option Re-pricingThe human capital impact of AI...beware Sales and MarketingThe entire report is available by clicking here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dec 12, 2023 • 20min
Battery Ventures "State of the OpenCloud 2023" Report - Part 1
Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike break down the recent Battery Ventures - State of the OpenCloud 2023 Report which includes a historic view of performance benchmarks and some predictions on how AI will impact performance metrics in the future.During this episode the co-hosts cover several metrics and SaaS industry trends including:Growth Rates Technology Buyer Sentiment heading into 2024The impact of balanced growth + profitabilityBusiness model and pricing evolutionStock Option Re-pricingThe human capital impact of AI...beware Sales and MarketingThe entire report is available by clicking here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nov 28, 2023 • 26min
OpenView Partners 2023 SaaS Benchmark Report Analysis
Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike analyze the recently published OpenView Partners 2023 Benchmark Report which was conducted in partnership with Paddle. Interesting insights into the declining growth rates and increased customer churn trends.Key metrics and the associated benchmarks segmented by company ARR analyzed include:Growth RateRule of 40Net Revenue RetentionGross Revenue RetentionCAC Payback PeriodHeadcountRevenue/FTEThe OpenView 2023 Benchmark Report is at: openviewpartners.com/2023-saas-benchmarks-report/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nov 15, 2023 • 23min
Rule of 40 - Analysis of Meritech Capital Benchmarks at SaaS Metrics Palooza '23
Rule of 40 is a long standing metric used by investors to determine the health and enterprise value of a SaaS company, that is misunderstood far too often - so CAC and Growth dedicated an episode to how the Rule of 40 is calculated and how it impact company valuations including:Calculation formulaBest variable for the operating profitability componentBalance of growth and profitability yielding the highest valuation multiplesWhen does the Rule of 40 become valuable versus a vanity metricIf you are a SaaS operator or a public SaaS company investor, this episode covers and important topic and 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.

Nov 7, 2023 • 28min
Presenting Metrics at Board Meetings
Presenting performance metrics at a board meeting is a critical skill for every SaaS CEO, CFO and executive team member - Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike share a few best practices during this episode including:First slide provides a holistic executive summarySecond slide establishes the foundation for every other slideThe importance of showing trends and establishing contextMistakes to avoidThis episode encapsulates much of the content from two different presentations shared at SaaStr annual 23' and SaaS Metrics Palooza 23'See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nov 3, 2023 • 22min
Historic SaaS Benchmarks and Trends
Delve into a decade of SaaS metrics trends, analyzing KeyBank's metrics over 11 years. Explore the challenges in meeting the 'Rule of 40' and potential shifts to the 'Rule of 60'. Gain insights on future industry trends and the evolving role of AI in outbound strategies.

Oct 18, 2023 • 26min
Bookings, TCV, ACV, Billings and Revenue
Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss all things Bookings, Total Contract Value, Annual Contract Value, Billings and revenue including:Bookings vs Total Contract Value vs Annual Contract ValueBillings - more than an invoice?Revenue - CARR, ARR and GAAPB2B SaaS companies regularly use the above terms, but unfortunately not always consistently defined, calculated and/or utilized.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oct 5, 2023 • 25min
Top Take Aways from ICONIQ | Growth 2023 Benchmark Report
Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive deep into the ICONIQ | GROWTH 2023 - The New Era of Efficient Growth Report to discussed several key report components including:Enterprise Five MetricsResiliency RubricTrade-off between Growth and EfficiencyExpansion vs New Logo contribution to New ARROperating Expenses as a % of RevenueBenchmark utilization cautions, concerns and insightsGo grab the ICONIQ | Growth Report - take it for a read while listening to this episode to see if some of the key points Dave and Ray make resonate with your own personal perspectives.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.