
The Revenue Formula
This podcast is about scaling tech startups.
Hosted by Toni Hohlbein & Mikkel Plaehn, together they look at the full funnel.
With a combined 20 years of experience in B2B SaaS and 3 exits, they discuss growing pains, challenges and opportunities they’ve faced. Whether you're working in RevOps, sales, operations, finance or marketing - if you care about revenue, you'll care about this podcast.
If there’s one thing they hate, it’s talk. We know, it’s a bit of an oxymoron. But execution and focus is the key - that’s why each episode is designed to give 1-2 very concrete takeaways.
Latest episodes

5 snips
Sep 12, 2024 • 47min
How to build & replicate stellar sales teams (With Collin Cadmus)
Collin Cadmus, an expert in building successful sales teams, shares his insights on crafting and replicating stellar sales forces. He discusses the crucial interplay between product quality and sales success. Cadmus emphasizes the importance of setting attainable quotas and incentivizing high performance. He also highlights strategies for scaling sales teams efficiently and aligning sales goals with financial stakeholders. A humorous biking anecdote serves as a metaphor for mastering challenges in both sales and personal growth.

Sep 10, 2024 • 30min
Is it time to merge inbound and outbound?
The discussion kicks off with amusing hunting anecdotes, leading to deeper insights on merging inbound and outbound marketing. The hosts debate the intricacies of lead attribution and the importance of seamless collaboration between sales and marketing teams. They explore innovative strategies for demand generation and the evolution of lead scoring. Finally, they emphasize the necessity of unified goals and strong leadership to bridge the gap between teams, enhancing overall marketing success.

Sep 5, 2024 • 46min
Does your data have credibility issues? (With Lindsay Cordell)
That's not the number I have. How did you calculate it? What field did you use!!?. Data promises amazing insights and great decision making.But more often than not, we tend to not trust the data. That's why we talk about data trust with Lindsay.(00:00) - Introduction
(02:24) - Data Trust Issues
(03:56) - Common Data Quality Problems
(11:27) - Impact of Data Issues on Business
(14:57) - Manual Data Correction Challenges
(19:46) - Analyzing Opportunity Age in Salesforce
(21:10) - Handling Imperfections in Data
(22:32) - Outlier Management with Advanced Technology
(25:10) - Building Trust in Forecast Numbers
(27:45) - Creating a Common Language Across Departments
(38:51) - Eliminating Friction in Go-to-Market Teams
(41:44) - The Future of Data Trust and Technology
***Connect with us🔔 LinkedIn: Toni / Mikkel✉️ Newsletter: https://www.revletter.io/📺 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@growblocks💬 Contact: podcast@growblocks.com

Sep 3, 2024 • 29min
Customer Success isn't a profit center - here's why
Customer success often gets a bad rap as a profit center, but this discussion uncovers the misconceptions behind it. The complexities of upselling reveal the risks of overreliance on customer potential. Cultural differences in sales impact how Customer Success Managers function, especially in balancing client relations and sales roles. Real examples illustrate the need to align products with client needs for better retention. Ultimately, refining the go-to-market strategy is crucial for unlocking true revenue potential.

Aug 29, 2024 • 41min
Creating a growth model for SaaS (with Anthony Enrico)
The fastest growing companies use growth models. You probably already have one - but is it fully built out? Does it really work?In this episode, we talk with Anthony who's build quite a few.(00:00) - Introduction
(02:43) - Diving into Growth Modeling
(11:39) - Challenges and Pitfalls in Growth Modeling
(16:08) - Understanding Pipeline Needs
(17:35) - Challenges in Planning and Execution
(19:49) - Involving the Right People in Growth Planning
(23:49) - Building a Comprehensive Growth Model
(27:01) - From Planning to Execution: OKRs and KPIs
(28:56) - Real-World Growth Model Case Studies
(39:41) - Final Thoughts and Takeaways
***Connect with us🔔 LinkedIn: Toni / Mikkel✉️ Newsletter: https://www.revletter.io/📺 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@growblocks💬 Contact: podcast@growblocks.com

Aug 27, 2024 • 28min
GTM Inflation & the cost of doing nothing
Yes, inflation can be boring. No, you can't ignore it even in the GTM teams. We discuss what problems inflation is creating - and what to do about it.(00:00) - Introduction
(01:20) - SaaS and GTM inflation
(06:18) - Rising Costs and Business Adjustments
(09:57) - Understanding Value Pricing in SaaS
(11:00) - Check your T&Cs
(13:50) - Using Price Increase Wisely
(18:54) - Communicating Price Increases to Customers
(25:11) - Case Study: Effective Price Increase Strategies
MentionsWil ReynoldsCarta's Peter Walker on salary & inflation***Connect with us🔔 LinkedIn: Toni / Mikkel✉️ Newsletter: revenueletter.substack.com 📺 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@growblocks💬 Contact: podcast@growblocks.com

6 snips
Aug 22, 2024 • 45min
Here's how AI is changing sales (With Kyle Coleman)
In this discussion, Kyle Coleman, CMO at copy.ai, dives into the evolving role of AI in sales. He challenges the notion that AI will replace sales teams, emphasizing the need for human interaction. The conversation explores how AI enhances Sales Development Representatives' efficiency, improves customer engagement through personalized email strategies, and offers insights for customer success. Kyle also highlights the importance of a strategic approach to AI adoption in sales, navigating both its benefits and potential pitfalls.

Aug 20, 2024 • 31min
Challenger brands: Forcing people to pick a side
What does a SaaS company, an airline and an oatmilk company have in common? They're challenger brands. And it can be a pretty powerful strategy you can take as a brand.We run through real examples and much more(00:00) - Introduction
(02:10) - Challenger Brands... what is it?
(03:50) - Salesforce vs. Siebel: The Ultimate Challenger Brand
(09:55) - Salesforce's Guerrilla Marketing Tactics
(13:22) - Reflecting on Bold Marketing Ideas
(15:12) - The Power of Brand Exposure
(15:39) - Richard Branson's Guerrilla Advertising
(17:28) - Virgin's Creative Marketing Tactics
(19:00) - The Impact of Controversial Marketing
(23:35) - Oatly's Environmental Challenge
(26:54) - Drift's No Forms Movement
SourcesVirgin Atlantic & the blimpSilverware on Virgin AtlanticAdam Robinson cease and desist on linkedinDave Cancel Hypergrowth keynote*** This episode is brought to you by Growblocks. Finding and fixing problems in your GTM shouldn't take weeks. It should happen instantly.That's why Growblocks built the first RevOps platform that shows you your entire funnel, split by motions, segments and more - so you can find problems, the root-cause and identify solutions fast, all in the same platform.***Connect with us🔔 LinkedIn: Toni / Mikkel✉️ Newsletter: revenueletter.substack.com 📺 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@growblocks💬 Contact: podcast@growblocks.com

Aug 15, 2024 • 46min
The New GTM Playbook (With Sid Kumar)
Sid Kumar, VP of GTM Strategy & Planning at Databricks, discusses the urgent need for a fresh Go-to-Market playbook emphasizing customer retention. He reveals how a 5% lift in retention can dramatically boost revenue. Kumar highlights the importance of a unified customer journey, strategies for diagnosing revenue leakage, and adapting to different market segments. He also advocates for breaking down organizational silos and aligning marketing and sales efforts, all while maintaining a simple and agile approach to meet evolving market demands.

Aug 13, 2024 • 34min
4 Reasons customers aren't expanding
If you're north of $5M ARR, 40% of new revenue should come from existing customers. Are you seeing enough revenue from expansion?Even if you're getting expansion, maybe you can get more - we talk about a few ways to achieve it.(00:00) - Introduction
(02:34) - Why does expansion matter?
(05:45) - Challenges with Expansion
(08:19) - Strategies for Effective Expansion
(10:28) - Do you get the right customers and do they want more?
(19:14) - Add-Ons and Multi-Product Strategies
(26:45) - Customer Success and Resource Allocation
(28:34) - How many CSMs do you really need?
Mentions & SourcesOpenview SaaS benchmarksElena Verna***Connect with us🔔 LinkedIn: Toni / Mikkel✉️ Newsletter: revletter.io📺 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@growblocks💬 Contact: podcast@growblocks.com*** This episode is brought to you by Growblocks. Finding and fixing problems in your GTM shouldn't take weeks. It should happen instantly.That's why Growblocks built the first RevOps platform that shows you your entire funnel, split by motions, segments and more - so you can find problems, the root-cause and identify solutions fast, all in the same platform.