For our first RevGenius Demo Day in May, we had 14 startups, each with a 10-minute presentation. Our goal was to create a welcoming space for buyers and sellers to connect and learn from each other — and here’s what happened:

5 Reasons You Should Join Our Monthly Demo Days

Buy Smart 

Execs and managers spend a lot of their time buying new software. It’s a big part of the executive job — we also know what’s happening on the market with new tools emerging all the time (we’ve just released the Next 50 GTM Startups list if you’re interested). Connecting buyers with sellers through a dynamic, entertaining, and effective format is our goal.

Save Time — No Discovery Calls & Information Overload 

The buying process is long and takes time, not to mention the information overload that comes with new tech research (imagine going through marketing materials to get to the actual product). At Demo Days, we distill the right info and ask founders to give you everything you need in 10 minutes, showing how they’re solving the biggest pain points. Plus, you can ask questions in the chat and get to know the team directly on the spot. “It shouldn’t take three calls to get the demo and pricing.”(Hi5 HockeyStack!).

Google It? How to Deal with Search Fatigue 

Googling the latest tech can give you a bigger picture of what’s out there, but curation is not the first thing that comes with it. How do we do it? We look for recommendations, ask around in the community, listen to our peers and friends, go through LinkedIn posts, see what’s out there, and what our competitors are using. Demo Day brings all this together in one place, at one time, so you can be in the right crowd — with peers ready to share their experiences and feedback, and teams happy to answer any questions on the spot.

Listen to Trusted People in a Trusted Space 

Skeptical towards sales pitches? A new piece of tech means a revolution for the organization, so it’s better to ask hard questions upfront rather than going through a series of meetings to get to the bottom of it. Proving the value and ROI to stakeholders is key, so addressing all concerns initially will save you time and energy. Ensuring new software integrates smoothly with existing systems and tackling issues about data migration and compatibility can be done straight away!

Keep Up with the Market 

If you’re buying and the companies presenting demos are the type of solutions you’re looking for, that’s a bargain. But if you’re also checking what’s new on the market and staying up to date with the latest solutions, here’s your 90-minute briefing of “what’s new and up and coming” in B2B go-to-market.

Listen to What Other B2B Leaders Are Saying

Here’s a snapshot of what was happening to give you a better understanding of how it was for our audience.

If you’re tired of:

• Discovery calls
• Lengthy conversations
• Multi-step sales processes
• Sales pitches
• Googling new tech
• Information overload

Join our Demo Days!

We feature 7 startups revolutionizing GTM every month. See you there!

The post RevGenius Demo Days: Your Fast Track to Smarter Tech Buying — 5 Reasons to Attend appeared first on RevGenius.

We’ve just dropped the list of the Next 50 Creators — you can check it out here.

Next is RevGenius’ curated list of emerging creators in SaaS Go-to-Market.

Inspired by redundancy, lack of diversity and connection to the masses  in the demand-generation-hopeful lists created by SaaS brands, RevGenius went out to create something different. Something that featured the ‘Next’ top talent in SaaS GTM.

‘Next 50 Creators’ is the first release and unveils on Feb 21, 2024. Following that, RevGenius will be creating the Next 50 Startups list featuring the ability to vote for who makes the list. Again, this pushes against the ‘pay to play’ norms that SaaS companies traditionally have to do to get exposure and leans on the people to lift the brands they support.

RevGenius is a brand dedicated to a new generation of GTM pioneers. Our mission is create trusted spaces for curious revenue leaders who are collaborating on the future of b2b GTM.  Always ahead of the curve, RevGenius is dedicated to discovering what’s next.

Vote for your fav RevTech brands here! 

The post RevGenius Announces Next 50 Creators List, Featuring Emerging Creators in SaaS GTM appeared first on RevGenius.

Monica’s a pro with over 13 years in tech, shaping community teams at Canva, Yelp, and Pexels. She’s all about making global community programs that not only engage but also drive growth.

Daniel a marketing expert, leading the community team at Apollo. Before, he was at Chili Piper, ramping up their brand through events, content, video, social media, and more. His “Mechanism to amplify our everything” snagged 1-3 million organic impressions monthly – talk about impact!

They recently sat down with RevGenius CEO Jared Robin, and the audience loved it! If you’re curious, you can dive into the full conversation here. 

But if you’re short on time, check out the quick recap.

Building a Community with Impact

Daniel brings Apollo’s unique approach in nurturing the community that not only boosts brand awareness but also defines it. By curating a space for free knowledge exchange, Apollo has created a loyal base of advocates organically promoting the brand.

Monica highlights Canva’s decentralized community strategy, bridging connections across diverse platforms. By focusing on continual value-addition for users, Canva’s built a community based on genuine interaction rather than just transactions, separating support from direct money talks.

Community as a Growth Engine

Monica talked about Canva’s decentralized approach to fostering a community, aiming to turn brand love into a powerful flywheel of awareness, loyalty, and advocacy. This, in turn, generates leads and revenue almost organically, proving the power of genuine community support.

The Value of Advocacy and Relationship Building

Relationships are everything in the community-centric culture of both Apollo and Canva. Monica outlines how Canva’s advocacy programs transform casual users into product champions, supporting end-to-end user growth – from awareness and loyalty to advocacy. 

We’re actively trying to grow our network of advocates. So when we look at our community flywheel, we have awareness, loyalty and advocacy. And each one fuels the next one. 

Similarly, Daniel explains how engaging with advocates across digital spaces solidifies Apollo’s brand narrative, turning endorsements into content that continue to persuade and engage.

Where does the community live? It’s kind of everywhere.

Dan continues: We do have our own Slack group with about 2000 members. That’s for account executives that want to be better about sales and using Apollo. But I’d say a lot of the juiciest community stuff happens on LinkedIn.

Community Success Metrics and Strategies at Canva and Apollo

Dan’s focus on key performance indicators like user-generated content, web traffic, and reduced customer service inquiries shows how to quantify community success. Meanwhile, Monica discusses Canva’s goal of ensuring international coverage through connecting with a global audience in their language and context. The main metric is the growth of Monthly Active Users. 

We focus so much of our efforts on the MAU metric and not on the revenue metric. But, even with the MAU, when you’ve got 170,000,000 people using the product every month, it’s very challenging to say this effort led to this one little thing that we are trying.

Executive Engagement and Visibility

Stressing the significance of executive involvement, Daniel shares how executive presence within community initiatives amplifies brand authenticity and drives awareness. Apollo’s strategic inclusion of executives in community dialogues not only humanizes the brand but also reinforces trust and credibility.

2024 Community Success at Canva?

“Success to me in 2024 is feeling like we’ve become a truly local product across all of our priority markets, and that we’re properly servicing our users. In 2024, we want to be doubling down on our content creators and specifically ensuring that we’re supporting all of the audiences that we speak to today.”

Cool facts:

• Canva utilizes an advocacy program that includes roles like “experts” and “canvassadors,” where users actively advocate for the product, helping to create “aha” moments for new users.
• Despite the complexity of tracking social media impact, a single post by a community member on LinkedIn was able to drive substantial web traffic and pipeline growth for Apollo, showcasing the power of individual contributions to brand success.

Our fav quotes:

“Community is the swath of different use cases that we nurture and make sure that we’re speaking to the folks in a way that we can advance the product to suit their needs. And for us, it’s very much like word of mouth marketing at its finest. 

The power of the community

“The community has largely propelled Canva’s impressive growth over the last ten plus years that the product has been out.” (Monica)

The definition of the “community” 

“Community is a space where people who aren’t explicitly paid to do so freely exchange knowledge and information.Community is something that you don’t control, but you can kind of guide and you can be there and support people” (Dan)

“Community is the swath of different use cases that we nurture and make sure that we’re speaking to the folks in a way that we can advance the product to suit their needs. And for us, it’s very much like word of mouth marketing at its finest.” (Monica) 

On the role of the modern community manager

“The modern community manager is just to ensure that those people are heard, are listened to, feel valued, and then learn as much as possible from them.” (Dan)

Here are some resources to learn more about the community: our Community 101 Guide and the RevCon session with community leaders from Calendly, Common Room, Gartner Peer Community and HubSpot. Also, make sure to check out our upcoming events on all-things-GTM!

The post Community Power: Apollo and Canva’s Winning Strategies appeared first on RevGenius.

We’ve asked experts who did it all. Forget the old ways—this is your ticket to fresh GTM perspectives. Tune in! 

Myth: Third-party cookies going away is a bad thing. 

Expert: Scott Brinker, VP Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot and Editor at chiefmartec.com.

Scott Brinker challenges the negative perspective on the phasing out of third-party cookies, stating, “Marketing might as well just pack up its bags. I’ve been one of the people who’s been cheering for third-party cookies going away because I think for the few benefits that it’s offered, it’s completely outweighed on the negative side by the fact that marketers have just been using this as a crutch. What we really want to do is understand authentically who our prospects and customers are, who our audiences are. We want to start building up a really accurate data profile, and that data profile probably has very little to do with other websites that they visited out there in the world and a lot to do with when they come to us.”

Reality: Scott’s perspective presents an opportunity for marketers to focus on authentic audience understanding and building accurate data profiles, leading to more meaningful and effective customer engagement.

Myth: Soft skills are less important. 

Expert: Leslie Venetz, The Founder of Sales Team Builder LLC

Leslie Venetz emphasizes the significant role of soft skills in top performers’ success, saying:”Some of the most important skills that I see in elite top performers, people that show up in that top 10 of the dashboards throughout their entire career, it’s just as much soft skill as it is hard skill, maybe even more soft skills.”

Reality: Leslie’s perspective highlights the critical value of soft skills alongside hard skills in fostering long-term success and performance excellence. Acknowledging the importance of empathy, communication, and interpersonal skills can significantly enhance the overall effectiveness and impact of top performers.

Myth: The current recurring revenue model is similar to the legacy perpetual license software model. 

Expert: Mark Kosoglow, Chief Revenue Officer at Catalyst Software

Mark Kosoglow critiques the inconsistency in Revenue leaders’ actions related to customer importance, stating, “I think most Revenue leaders only pay lip service to the importance of customers when it comes to growth. They don’t act in a way that’s consistent with that. If I believe customers were significant in my first round of layoffs, why is the team that gets hit the hardest the CSM team? It’s inconsistent behavior and talk.”

Reality: Mark’s perspective highlights the need for consistent actions aligned with the importance of customer-centric strategies in the recurring revenue model. Addressing inconsistencies and focusing genuinely on customer success and retention can lead to more sustainable and effective growth strategies in the current business landscape.

Myth: Rev Ops is a supporting, administrative type of function. 

Expert: Rosalyn Santa Elena, Founder and Chief Revenue Operations Officer at the Revops Collective

Rosalyn Santa Elena highlights the strategic importance of Revenue Operations, stating, “There are definitely aspects that are administrative, supportive, tactical; there’s lots of execution that needs to be done. But it’s also a strategic differentiator for businesses because Revenue Operations should really be that holistic body, a function that oversees your entire Revenue process, end to end from top of funnel, through prospect, through becoming a customer. Especially in SaaS, that repeatability aspect and being able to expand and retain your client base. 

If you think about people, process, technology, Data Insights, and enablement, those are the big pillars under operations that support the entire buyer journey, really that customer lifecycle. And I think that’s where, if you really leverage operations properly and have it resourced properly, with the right expertise and knowledge, it becomes a differentiator for companies. I think I call Rev Ops the biggest growth lever.”

Reality: Rosalyn’s perspective emphasizes the multifaceted and strategic nature of Revenue Operations, underscoring its critical role in overseeing the entire revenue process. By leveraging the various pillars of operations effectively and understanding its significance as a growth lever, businesses can enhance their competitiveness and drive sustainable growth and expansion.

Myth: I need SDRs in order to grow and scale a sales organization. AEs don’t need to prospect. 

Expert: Jason Bay, Founder & CEO nFounder & CEO at the Outbound Squad

Jason Bay challenges the necessity of Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) for scaling sales organizations, stating, “I have a client with 450 Account Executives, 0 SDR support. Everyone sells, sources pipeline; that’s just how they do it. You’re just not going to hit and surpass quota right now unless you’ve got a company that’s really well positioned and it’s got an inbound marketing machine. You’re just not going to hit and surpass quota in the environment that we’re in right now.”

Reality: Jason’s perspective highlights that successful sales organizations can operate without dedicated SDRs, emphasizing the importance of a well-positioned company and a robust inbound marketing strategy. A comprehensive approach that involves all team members in sourcing pipeline and sales activities can lead to successful quota achievement and surpassing targets.

Myth: AI is going to replace humans. 

Expert: Srinath Sridhar, CEO and Co-Founder at regie.ai

Srinath Sridhar discusses the role of AI in enhancing human capabilities, stating, “What tends to happen is that people end up doing new things as opposed to people being replaced by AI. Specifically, if you look at sales and personalization, people used to write templated emails, and you had to do that because you couldn’t write personalization at scale. So it’s not like AI is going to come in and replace your jobs, but what it’s going to help you do is to be able to personalize all your communication as opposed to writing in templates.”

Reality: Srinath’s perspective emphasizes that AI complements human capabilities and enables individuals to focus on more value-adding tasks. By automating repetitive tasks and enhancing personalization capabilities, AI can empower sales professionals to engage more effectively with customers and prospects, ultimately leading to more meaningful and productive interactions.

Myth: Net new revenue is the most important. 

Expert: Meghan Keaney Anderson, Head of Marketing at Jasper

Meghan emphasizes the significance of expansion within the existing customer base, stating, “What’s your expansion play within your customer base, what’s your messaging to your customers, how are you upgrading them, how are you predicting their future path with your company? It’s like that relationship challenge that people have when they’re dating; when the other person is fresh and new, they’re exciting, but when they become long-term and a customer, they’re sort of forgotten about. You really need distinct strategies for growth on both ends. 

Far too many companies forget to figure out how to grow within their existing customer base, and that’s a much easier place to grow from than finding net new people. So my advice whenever people ask is always: do not forget about expansion within your customer base, especially for SaaS companies, especially for companies that have horizontal and vertical expansion opportunities.”

Reality: Meghan’s perspective underscores the importance of focusing on expansion within the existing customer base, highlighting the potential for growth and opportunities that come with nurturing and upgrading long-term customer relationships. Prioritizing strategies for customer retention and expansion can be a more effective and sustainable approach compared to solely focusing on acquiring new customers.

Myth: Marketing owns GTM. 

Expert: Lindsay Cordell, Partner at GTM Partners.

Lindsay challenges the notion that marketing solely owns the go-to-market (GTM) strategy, stating, “So many CMOs out there feel like they need to carry the burden of GoTo-Market on their own or in conjunction with sales. The reality is you are able to put a lot of inefficiencies into your system if you’re not including product, customer success, and revenue operations in a significant way while you’re planning your go to market. The myth is that marketing has to own go to market, and the truth is if everyone doesn’t have an equal stake in it, there’s a lot of opportunity for campaigns to fail, programs to fail, and that means you’re going to spend money on things that don’t make money.”

Reality: Lindsay’s perspective emphasizes the need for a collaborative and inclusive approach to the go-to-market strategy, involving various departments such as product, customer success, and revenue operations. By sharing the responsibility and aligning all stakeholders in the go-to-market process, companies can minimize inefficiencies and enhance the effectiveness of their campaigns and initiatives.

Myth: Build this great product and they will come. 

Expert: Morgan J Ingram, Founder and CEO at Amp.

Morgan J Ingram challenges the assumption that a great product alone will attract customers, stating, “They probably won’t come. You’ve got to create some noise. How are you doing employee advocacy? A lot of people in this space are talking about people-led growth, creator-led growth. At the end of the day, you need a narrative around those things. The myth is that you’re just going to build a product, and people are just going to like it. There are some companies that have done that really well. Now, because there’s so much more noise, you’ve got to have content that puts it out there and then brings them in.”

Reality: Morgan’s perspective highlights the importance of creating a compelling narrative and generating noise around a product to attract customers. Doubling down on employee advocacy and creating engaging content can help businesses amplify their product’s visibility and draw in potential customers more effectively.

Myth: Aggressive, persistent sales = more wins. 

Expert: Tom Slocum, Founder and CEO of The SD Labs

Tom Slocum highlights the importance of balance and human connection in sales, stating, “It’s helpful to know when to quit and when to reach out to your buyer by phone. Be more human about why you are reaching out.”

Reality: Tom’s perspective emphasizes the need for a balanced and empathetic approach in sales. Understanding when to persist and when to step back, as well as maintaining a human connection and genuine intention in reaching out, can contribute to more meaningful and successful sales interactions.

The post The Biggest GTM Myths Debunked — Part 2 appeared first on RevGenius.

We’ve asked experts who did it all. Forget the old ways—this is your ticket to fresh GTM perspectives. Tune in! 

Myth 1: You need venture capital to build a company. 

Expert: Andrew Gazdecki

Many aspiring entrepreneurs believe that the only path to building a successful company is through securing venture capital. However, seasoned entrepreneur Andrew Gazdecki dispels this myth:

 “You don’t need venture capital to build a company. You can build a company with paying customers. You don’t need to build a billion-dollar company to be successful as an entrepreneur.”

Reality: Andrew’s insight reminds us that there are alternative pathways to building a thriving business. Relying on revenue from satisfied customers can be a sustainable approach, allowing entrepreneurs to maintain control and independence over their ventures. The key is to focus on delivering value that customers are willing to pay for.

Myth 2: You can only do one thing well. 

Expert: Eden Gorcey

Some believe that success hinges on singular specialization, advocating for perfection in one product or service. However, Eden Gorcey challenges this notion, highlighting the importance of innovation and diversification. She states,

 “That flies in the face of innovation, and sometimes perfection can be the enemy of progress. Major businesses have always ruthlessly prioritized making sure they’re true to their value proposition but have also been able to differentiate into different products. When you see an opportunity and you don’t expand beyond your core competencies, someone else will.”

Reality: Eden’s perspective emphasizes the value of adaptability and continuous innovation. Successful businesses often evolve and expand their offerings to meet changing customer needs and remain competitive. While excellence in a core competency is essential, it should not limit exploration of new opportunities.

Myth 3: The most critical North Star metric for sales is revenue. 

Expert: Mark Roberge

Many businesses obsessively focus on revenue as the primary indicator of sales success. However, a sales expert, Mark Roberge argues for a shift in perspective. 

“The number one metric is customer retention and success, and we’re continually ignoring it. The internet gave every customer a huge megaphone to tell everyone about good and bad experiences with the product. All of those changes caused customer success, satisfaction, and retention to be top of mind for CEOs. Pretty much every time, their customer retention issue lies in sales. It lies in the types of customers the sales team is pursuing, the expectations they’re setting during the process, and the buy-in they’re creating within the organization to ensure the customer success team is set up for success upon contract signature.”

Reality: Mark’s perspective underscores the paramount importance of customer satisfaction and retention in sales. Satisfied customers drive revenue and become brand advocates, leading to sustainable growth. Businesses should focus on aligning sales efforts with long-term customer success, as this is the true North Star metric.

Myth 4: Sales reps close deals. 

Expert: Nate Nasralla

Nate Nasralla sheds light on a common misconception, stating, “The truth is that buyers close deals, not sales reps. The whole field is built around this premise. But if you look at the moments that create and kill deals in B2B, it’s never during a sales meeting, in fact, sales reps aren’t in the room. It’s during a buyer’s internal conversations where it’s the champion on the buying team that’s actually pitching and controlling the message.”

Reality: Nate’s perspective emphasizes the crucial role of the buyer in the sales process. Understanding the dynamics of the buyer’s internal discussions and effectively addressing their concerns and needs can significantly influence the outcome of the deal.

Myth 5: Sales is just a numbers game. 

Expert: Paul Rosen

Paul Rosen challenges the conventional wisdom, stating,

 “The whole business environment is changing. The belief that you should be thankful for all the “no’s” because they bring you closer to the next yes is being challenged. Today, it’s about the quality of activity, not the quantity. Companies and leaders often overemphasize activity metrics, which might not be the right approach in today’s environment.”

Reality: Paul’s viewpoint highlights the significance of quality over quantity in sales. While persistence is essential, focusing on meaningful activities and building quality relationships with potential clients can yield more positive outcomes in the current business landscape.

Myth 6: Salespeople are the best salespeople. 

Expert: Stevie Case

Stevie Case challenges the notion that sales roles are exclusively suited for certain individuals, suggesting, “Sales, sales leadership, and other related roles are jobs that anyone can do, and they should be the number one path to onboarding in the tech industry and for wealth creation. Job descriptions often include strict requirements, but candidates should focus on the fundamental skills of sales: putting together a puzzle for the customer, asking great questions during discovery, and presenting valuable solutions.”

Reality: Stevie’s perspective highlights the accessibility of sales roles to a diverse range of individuals. Emphasizing the importance of fundamental sales skills underscores the idea that anyone can excel in sales with the right mindset and skill set, regardless of their background or prior experience.

Myth 7: Email delivery is dead. 

Expert: Jesse Oullette

Jesse Oullette points out the fallacy surrounding email delivery, stating, “Email delivery is not dead, but many people focus too much on the message rather than deliverability. Understanding a prospect’s problems and using data-driven information can make cold emails effective. Regarding personalization, people are overly focused on personalizing the message with information from social media profiles, which may not be impactful. Instead, personalize the prospect’s problem by using relevant data and insights to tailor the message.”

Reality: Jesse’s perspective emphasizes the importance of focusing on effective email delivery strategies rather than solely concentrating on message content. Leveraging data-driven insights and personalizing messages based on the prospect’s specific challenges can significantly enhance the impact of cold emails.

Myth 8: If you have a good product and a really good sales team, you don’t need marketing. 

Expert: Olivier Labbé

Olivier Labbé challenges the idea that strong products and sales teams negate the need for marketing, stating, “After spending the last eight years in MarTech, I have completely changed that perspective. I think marketing is probably more important to scaling revenue efficiently than having really good salespeople because the way that salespeople spend their time is critical to the success of the business. After managing budgets and huge teams, it’s not cost-efficient to have salespeople do marketing. If you are not generating at least 50-70% of the pipeline for the business through marketing, it’s going to be really expensive to scale efficiently.”

Reality: Olivier’s perspective underscores the critical role of marketing in driving efficient revenue scaling. Depending solely on a strong sales team may not be the most cost-effective strategy in the long run. Effective marketing initiatives that generate a substantial portion of the business pipeline are crucial for sustainable and efficient growth.

Myth 9: Social doesn’t work for me.

Expert: Darryl Praill

Darryl Praill exposes a prevalent myth surrounding social media, stating, “Sales 101: You need to do multi-channel outreach—phone, email, social, etc., using multiple channels. The myth, though, is that social doesn’t work for me. It doesn’t work for me because I don’t have a following, and when I do post content, I get no engagement. It’s like a desert, a ghost town. The biggest myth you will ever tell yourself is that you are not able to be successful on social, along with all the other excuses you can think of. That myth is a game taking place in your head, stopping you from the success you damn well deserve.”

Reality: Darryl’s viewpoint emphasizes the importance of leveraging multiple communication channels in sales, including social media. Overcoming the misconception that social media is not effective for certain individuals requires a shift in mindset and strategy, focusing on building engagement and connections to drive success in the social sphere.

Myth 10: You must lead with ROI. 

Expert: Jen Allen-Knuth

Jen Allen challenges the prevalent idea of leading with ROI, stating, “This notion that to earn a meeting with a prospect or a customer or anybody, we have to help that customer realize why our solution or our company is better. To earn a meeting, we actually have to help our customers realize the under-appreciated cost of the status quo. It’s not leading with ROI; it’s leading with something called COI, which is the cost of inaction.”

Reality: Jen’s perspective emphasizes the significance of highlighting the cost of inaction to potential customers rather than solely focusing on the return on investment. Understanding and effectively communicating the implications of maintaining the status quo can be a powerful motivator for driving customer engagement and action.

The post 10 Biggest GTM Myths Debunked appeared first on RevGenius.

Annual Planning for Startups: Identify Gaps, Decrease Churn, and Maximize Opportunities

In an era where cost efficiency and sustainable growth are paramount, understanding key business metrics can be a game-changer. We are excited to present our latest eBook that sheds light on crucial metrics like Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), payback period, and the Lifetime Value (LTV) of a customer. This eBook is designed to help CMOs, Sales Leaders, Revenue Operations, and Customer Success Leaders navigate through the complexities of these metrics and utilize them effectively to drive business growth.

Our eBook provides an in-depth analysis of the ‘magic ratio’ – a telltale sign of your sales and marketing team’s contribution to the company. A magic ratio above 1 is the goal, but reaching a target of 3 and above is where the real magic happens. But remember, this ratio should not be considered in a silo. It’s a part of the bigger picture, representing just one aspect of business efficiency.

One of the key highlights of the eBook is the importance of tracking customer cohorts. By doing this, companies can identify issues leading to churn rapidly, allowing for swift preventative measures. This proactive approach paves the way to minimize churn and maximize customer retention.

Our eBook also emphasizes the delicate balance between reducing CAC, lowering payback periods and extending LTV of a customer. With these strategies in place, businesses can witness sustainable and efficient growth.

Revenue Operations will find valuable insights on the role of the magic ratio in evaluating operational efficiency and long-term sustainability. On the other hand, Sales Leaders can learn how to make each dollar spent on sales and marketing count towards increasing annual recurring revenue.

For Customer Success Leaders, the eBook offers strategies on tackling churn rates by diagnosing issues from customer cohorts. It also provides insights on how to use LTV calculations for better customer retention strategies.

In a nutshell, our latest eBook serves as a diagnostic tool, offering insights that can direct your resources and priorities towards areas that need improvement. So, if you’re aiming for sustainable business growth and operational efficiency, this eBook is definitely a must-read.

Designed for GTM  

Our guide is designed for:

– Sales leaders, so they can focus on hiring plans for sales and presales teams

– CMOs, so they’re able to secure budget approval for events, programs, and hiring initiatives

– CROs, to better optimize Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Net Dollar Retention (NDR), while maximizing revenue through team configuration

– CS leaders, to develop a hiring plan, evaluate coverage, and conduct cohort analysis for the CS department

– Founders/CEOs/CFOs, to address investment and financing requirements

– RevOps leaders, to establish a cohesive plan that unifies all aspects of the business

Expert Insights from Our Community Members

We’ve teamed up with industry experts — David Maxey, Head of Revenue Operations US at XM Cyber and Sigma Computing to provide you with the best advice and strategies for creating an effective annual plan. Our ebook will help you to identify areas of improvement, set achievable goals, and track progress with data-driven insights.

Ebook Partners

Harmonize 

GTM Harmony delivers Harmonize: SaaS service designed to assist Founders, CEOs, and GTM leaders by providing them with the vital GTM metrics they need to make informed decisions. After an initial consultation to understand their current state and goals, our software integrates into their CRM, pulling actual data and recalculating models monthly to ensure up-to-date and accurate projections.

Sigma Computing

Sigma is a cloud-native analytics platform using a spreadsheet-like interface that empowers business users to collaborate and make data-driven decisions through self-service business intelligence. Sigma requires no code or special training to augment with new data, perform “what-if” analysis in real-time, and answer natural language questions. Through the modern intelligence cloud, at Sigma we empower everyone to data confidently.

And if you’d like to listen to David Maxey, make sure to watch the latest episode of Revenue Today

The post A Deep Dive into Our Latest eBook: Annual Planning for Startups appeared first on RevGenius.

Dive in! 

The way we consume content is undergoing a profound transformation. Gone are the days when SEO-driven blog posts dominated the marketing scene, and the pursuit of high search engine rankings was the primary focus. Instead, modern audiences are now turning to a diverse range of content formats and platforms to satisfy their informational and entertainment needs. 

From the rise of engaging podcasts during daily commutes to the scrolling of bite-sized, visually captivating short-form videos, and the active participation in live streams on platforms like LinkedIn, consumers are redefining their preferences and behaviors. In this era of content abundance, it has become imperative for businesses to adapt their strategies to cater to these evolving consumption patterns. 

This blog will delve into these transformative shifts, shedding light on how they are reshaping the landscape of content marketing. We will also emphasize the critical importance of building an owned audience and nurturing authentic relationships as the central pillars of a successful modern marketing strategy.

Being where your audience is matters more than ever.

It’s not merely about gaining likes, followers, or fleeting attention; the true goal is to convert these engaged audiences into dedicated subscribers of your owned content. This strategy ensures that your brand’s message consistently reaches those who value it most, without algorithms standing in the way. 

By actively connecting with your audience on their chosen platforms and then guiding them towards becoming subscribers, you can establish a more profound and lasting connection, providing the foundation for sustainable growth. 

The Ever-Changing Landscape of Content Consumption

The way people consume content today is vastly different from even just a few years ago. Traditional content marketing strategies often revolved around keyword optimization for search engines, with a primary goal of driving organic traffic to websites. However, as the digital ecosystem has evolved, so have consumer preferences.

Content Diversity

Consumers are no longer limited to text-based content. They engage with podcasts during their commutes, watch short videos on platforms like TikTok, and participate in live streams on social media. 

User-Centric Approach

The focus is shifting from creating content solely for the purpose of pleasing algorithms to creating content that genuinely resonates with human audiences. This means understanding what your target audience wants to read, watch, or listen to and delivering content that meets those needs.

Be Where Your Audience Is

To succeed in today’s content landscape, it’s essential to meet your audience where they already spend their time. We say that often but what does it really mean? 

Audience Engagement

Platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and others have thriving communities of users. Engaging with your audience on these platforms allows you to connect with them on a more personal level. This engagement can lead to stronger brand loyalty and higher conversion rates.

Subscriber Conversion 

The goal should be to convert your audience on these platforms into subscribers of your owned content. Subscribers are more likely to engage with your brand consistently and become long-term customers.

Platform Limitations

Relying solely on platforms for content distribution means subjecting your reach to their algorithms. These algorithms can change, and they prioritize their interests over yours. Building an owned audience gives you more control and autonomy over your content distribution.

The Power of Algorithms

Platform algorithms are designed to prioritize content that aligns with the platform’s objectives, such as keeping users engaged on the platform for longer periods. This often means that your content’s reach is controlled by these algorithms, which can be unpredictable.

Throttled Reach

Depending solely on platforms for content distribution can result in a throttled reach, where your content is only shown to a fraction of your audience. This can be frustrating, especially when you have valuable content to share.

Owned Content Control

An owned content strategy allows you to break free from these algorithmic constraints. You have control over how and when your content is distributed, ensuring that it reaches your audience effectively.

The Power of Owned Content Strategy

Search marketing remains valuable, but an owned content strategy is gaining prominence for several reasons:

Audience-Centric Content

Owned media enables you to curate content that directly caters to your audience’s needs and preferences. You’re not bound by the limitations of keyword optimization; instead, you can create content that genuinely resonates.

Loyalty and Engagement 

By nurturing an owned audience, you build a community of loyal followers who engage with your brand consistently. This engagement can translate into higher customer retention and advocacy.

Long-Term Value 

Owned content has long-term value. Unlike paid advertising that stops when your budget runs out, owned content continues to provide value over time, driving organic traffic and engagement.

 Authentic Relationships at Scale: Playbook

Building authentic relationships with your audience should be at the heart of your content marketing strategy. What should you take into consideration?

Putting Yourself Out There

Authenticity is about being open, honest, and genuine. Share your journey, your challenges, and your successes with your audience. This transparency helps build trust and a sense of connection.

Competition Perspective

 While it’s essential to be aware of your competitors, don’t let their actions dictate your strategy entirely. Focus on delivering value to your audience, rather than constantly reacting to the competition. Stay original and true to your mission!

Thought Leadership

By positioning yourself as a thought leader in your industry, you can attract like-minded individuals who share your vision. Thought leadership can set you apart from competitors and establish your brand as an authority.

Conclusion

The evolution of content marketing demands a strategic shift towards building authentic connections with your audience. Embrace the changing content consumption landscape, be where your audience is, and prioritize an owned content strategy. 

Remember that algorithms can impact your reach, so focus on nurturing your owned audience. And most importantly, don’t let competition overshadow your commitment to delivering value and fostering meaningful relationships. As Anthony Kennada puts it, your mission is to serve your audience and help them along in their journey, and in doing so, you’ll pave the way for your own success. We like that a lot! 

The post Why Owned Media is Content Marketing 2.0 appeared first on RevGenius.

Brands that recognize the potential of cultivating vibrant and engaged communities around their products or services can unlock increased customer loyalty and advocacy, invaluable feedback loops and insights. 

However, embarking on this journey requires careful consideration and strategic planning. In this article we’ve gathered insights from our inspiring conversation with Jared Robin, Co-Founder of RevGenius, Jillian Bejtlich, Community Lead at Calendly and Rebecca Marshburn, Head of Community at Common Room.  

You can watch their webinar here. 

Dive in to uncover the transformative impact that communities can have on your brand’s success and the steps necessary to harness their full potential. (And if you’re interested in the story of Syncari, who generated $1M in the pipeline with the community, check it out here). 

Key Takeaways: 

1. Understanding the role of communities as a powerful driver of business growth. 
2. When is the right moment to engage? 
3. Successful examples of companies that effectively integrate communities across the customer journey. 
4. Does the community contribute to revenue?

Debunking the Myths about Building Community 

Myth #1: “Communities are self-sustaining”

Many hold the misconception that once a community gains momentum, it will effortlessly maintain its vitality. While it’s true that flourishing communities exhibit members who actively engage and support one another, the notion that such communities can simply run on autopilot is far from accurate. A sustained and vibrant community necessitates ongoing effort and commitment.

Healthy communities comprise diverse members who collaboratively address challenges, offering mutual assistance and guidance. Yet, for a community to continuously deliver value, it requires dedicated individuals who steer its course, comprehend its members’ evolving needs, and assess its strategies’ effectiveness.

Consider aspects like the channel and content types, the benefits extended to members, and the methods employed for fostering connections. Without a vigilant host or moderator overseeing these facets, the community’s survival and growth prospects become grim.

It’s easy to assume that establishing a community is a “set it and forget it” affair, but this couldn’t be further from reality.

A successful community thrives on consistent attention, adaptation, and facilitation. 

Without proactive management, even the most promising community can wither away.

Myth #2: “We don’t need any community team” 

This misconception undermines the importance of having a dedicated community team within an online or offline community. While it’s true that users can provide valuable peer-to-peer support and engage in helping each other with challenges, this does not negate the necessity of maintaining a core community team. It serves various essential functions that users cannot fulfill alone. They act as the backbone of the community, ensuring its stability, growth, and positive atmosphere.

Firstly, a community team provides consistency and organization. 

They establish and enforce community guidelines, maintain order, and ensure discussions stay on-topic. This consistency is vital for preventing chaos within the community and maintaining a welcoming environment. 

Secondly, a main community team often includes experts or individuals with deep knowledge of the community’s subject matter or the products/services it revolves around. This expertise is invaluable for offering accurate information, addressing complex queries, and guiding users effectively. 

Users may not always possess the same level of knowledge, making the community team indispensable for specialized support. While user interactions are crucial for community engagement, having a dedicated community team complements these interactions and ensures the community remains healthy, organized, and reliable. Therefore, dissolving the community team would harm the community’s overall well-being and effectiveness.

Myth #3: “I can “do” community and work on other things too”

It is a misconception that underestimates the depth and complexity of community management. Building and maintaining a thriving community requires dedicated effort and a genuine intention to improve it continuously, making it challenging to relegate to a secondary role.

Managing a community demands full-time attention. Effective community management involves moderating discussions and resolving conflicts, actively engaging with members, organizing events, and ensuring the community adheres to its guidelines. This level of commitment ensures that the community remains active, vibrant, and responsive to the needs of its members.

Secondly, the intention to improve is at the core of successful community building. A full-time community manager can invest their time in understanding the evolving needs and expectations of the community, gathering feedback, and implementing strategies for enhancement. They can stay abreast of industry trends and best practices, fostering an environment that remains relevant and valuable to its members.

Understanding the role of communities 

Communities are potent business growth drivers. 

When businesses cultivate vibrant communities, they create spaces where customers, users, or stakeholders can connect with the brand on a deeper level. These connections often increase customer retention, word-of-mouth referrals, and positive brand advocacy. As a result, businesses can experience organic growth as satisfied community members become loyal customers and advocates, driving revenue growth without the need for extensive marketing expenditures.

Community is a product in itself. 

It underscores the idea that a well-managed and thriving community can be as valuable as any tangible product or service. Just like a product is designed, developed, and refined to meet specific needs and provide a positive user experience, a community requires thoughtful curation, active engagement, and continuous improvement to create a valuable and meaningful space for its members. 

A thriving community not only fosters connections and interactions but also offers its members a sense of belonging, support, and shared purpose, making it an essential “product” for those seeking information or solutions, human connection, and a sense of community identity.

Communities provide businesses with valuable insights and feedback. 

Organizations can gather direct feedback on their products, services, and brand perception by actively participating in community discussions and monitoring member interactions. This real-time feedback loop allows for agile adjustments, improvements, and innovation, ultimately enhancing the quality of products and services. (More on field-testing messaging with the community here). 

Communities also serve as a source of new ideas and collaborations, driving innovation and diversification of offerings, which can lead to expanded market opportunities and sustainable business growth.

When Is the Right Moment to Engage?

The right moment to engage in building a community within a business context often arises when an organization recognizes several key factors:

Sustainability and Growth 

When a business aims to maintain excellence and continue progressing without incurring substantial ongoing costs, it indicates that a community may be beneficial. Communities can provide a cost-effective means of engaging with customers, partners, or stakeholders on a broader scale. Instead of relying solely on one-on-one interactions, a community allows businesses to interact “one to many,” making it an efficient way to maintain and scale their efforts.

Customer-Centric Approach 

Companies prioritizing a customer-centric approach often find that community building aligns with their goals. Engaging with customers in a community fosters stronger relationships, encourages loyalty, and provides valuable insights into customer needs and preferences. Recognizing that a community can enhance the customer experience can prompt an organization to build one.

Value Beyond Transactions 

A community becomes a strategic option when a business realizes it can provide value to its audience beyond the core product or service. Communities offer a platform for sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and creating a sense of belonging. This value extends beyond transactional interactions and can significantly enhance the brand’s reputation and impact.

Market Trends and Competition 

Monitoring industry trends and observing competitors successfully engaging with communities can also be a catalyst. When a business sees others reaping community-building benefits, it may prompt them to explore similar strategies to remain competitive and innovative.

How Does the Community Contribute To Your Revenue Generation?

Communities play a crucial role in revenue generation by serving as the initial touchpoint with potential customers or prospects. While they may not directly generate revenue, they often act as a fertile ground for cultivating leads and building relationships. 

Within a well-managed community, businesses can interact with individuals who share an interest in their products or services. These interactions provide an opportunity to educate, inform, and build trust with prospects. As businesses engage with community members and provide valuable insights, they can position themselves as trusted authorities in their industry, which can significantly influence a prospect’s decision-making process.

Furthermore, communities can indirectly generate revenue by facilitating referrals and word-of-mouth marketing. Satisfied community members are more likely to recommend a product or service to others within the community and their broader networks. This organic, peer-driven promotion can attract new customers, contributing directly to revenue growth. 

Additionally, communities can provide a platform for businesses to share announcements, promotions, and exclusive offers with a highly engaged audience, leading to increased sales and conversions. In this way, while communities may not be a direct source of revenue, they are a strategic tool for nurturing leads, building brand reputation, and indirectly influencing revenue generation.

Companies That Effectively Integrate Communities

Here are examples of companies that have successfully integrated communities into their customer journey:

Figma 

Figma, a cloud-based design collaboration tool, has seamlessly integrated its community into the customer journey. They’ve created an active online forum where designers and users can share their work, seek advice, and collaborate. This community offers valuable resources and insights and serves as a platform for Figma to gather user feedback, understand user needs, and prioritize product development. By engaging with its user community, Figma has built a loyal customer base that actively contributes to product improvement and spreads the word about the platform, ultimately driving growth and retention.

Asana 

Asana, a leading project management and productivity tool, has built a strong community of users and advocates. They offer a variety of resources, including a community forum, webinars, and educational content, to help users maximize their use of the platform. Asana’s community provides a space for users to share best practices, troubleshoot issues, and connect with like-minded professionals. Asana enhances user satisfaction and loyalty by fostering this sense of belonging and knowledge sharing. The community also provides valuable feedback, enabling Asana to refine its product offerings to meet user needs better.

Notion 

Notion, a versatile productivity and note-taking tool, has effectively integrated its community into the customer journey. They offer a vibrant online forum where users can exchange ideas, templates, and tips for using Notion to its fullest potential. Notion’s community has become a valuable resource for new and experienced users, creating a sense of camaraderie and support. Through user engagement and feedback collected within the community, Notion has iteratively improved its product, addressing user pain points and introducing features that enhance productivity. This customer-centric approach has helped Notion achieve strong customer retention and advocacy.

Building Bonds: Community-Led Path to Brand Brilliance

Treating your community as a product means understanding that it, too, requires continuous improvement and innovation to thrive and endure. As you invest in adding new features and enhancements to your core product, you should apply the same dedication to your community. The vitality of your community relies on your ability to keep community members engaged and motivated, just as you aim to satisfy customers with improved product experiences.

To build a thriving and persisting community, consider three fundamental principles:

• Be Agile

 Embrace the ability to adapt and change swiftly. Communities, like products, evolve, and being agile allows you to respond promptly to changing member needs, emerging trends, and unforeseen challenges. An agile approach ensures your community remains relevant and appealing.

• Be Adaptable

Recognize that not all strategies or initiatives will yield the same results. Be open to adapting your community-building tactics based on member feedback and evolving goals. Adapting to the changing landscape of your community ensures its longevity and continued growth.

• Be Approachable

 Foster an environment where community members feel heard and valued. Encourage open communication, actively seek member input, and be responsive to their needs. Approachability builds trust and strengthens the sense of belonging within your community, making it more likely to persist and flourish.

Incorporating these principles into your community-building strategy will help you create a thriving community and position your brand for sustained success in the era of community-led growth. Remember, just like your product, your community is a dynamic entity that can evolve, expand, and flourish with the right approach and commitment.

The post Is Your Brand Ready For Community-Led Growth? appeared first on RevGenius.

Key Metrics

Partnering with RevGenius allowed the Syncari team to create 50+ opportunities, generate $1M in pipeline and to listen and field-test different messaging and terminology. It also provided a unique channel to engage with the target audience and find potential business partners.

About Syncari

Syncari provides a data automation platform that empowers operations professionals to unify, clean, manage, and distribute trusted customer data across the GTM organization.

Crash Test for your Product

Challenge: Refine positioning to make it problem- and customer-centric.

Solution: Community is the place to listen and field test.

Syncari, a platform to automate B2B customer data, turned to RevGenius as a strategic partner to amplify their brand awareness and foster engaging conversations with their target audience. RevGenius has served as a place to pilot product marketing messaging and take inputs from real people asking real questions. “What we’ve learned thanks to RevGenius, every company has its own terms for the problems our product solves. Getting that level of detail and insights, we were able to craft highly-engaging messaging”.

Cut Through the Noise

Challenge: Social media platforms are saturated.

Solution: Community offers a stable, conversational environment.

Potential customers’ time spent in 2023 is fragmented, to say the least. With social networks being saturated, challenging to scale and unpredictable, the community offers a stable and conversational environment where Syncari could connect with real people without using cold calls or emailing. Community supplements your conversation-generating channels as long as you engage in it in a meaningful way. It pays off without algorithm limits. Simply put:  “Deliverability is not a question. Messages are seen.”

Partner Programming for Amplified Reach

Syncari leveraged RevGenius’ sponsorship program to amplify its engagement efforts. The partnership program provided additional opportunities to connect with their target audience, enhance brand visibility, and further solidify their position within the space. RevGenius Sponsorship program covers ICP-targeted webinars, email promotions, Slack engagement and other tailor-made content packages.

Curious about partnering with RevGenius? Talk to us!

The post Case Study: How Syncari Generated $1M in Pipeline with RevGenius appeared first on RevGenius.

Key Metrics

About Nooks

Nooks is a smart virtual sales floor that multiplies reps productivity by bringing real time collaboration and an AI powered parallel dialer.

Doing More With Less

Challenge: Small team with no marketing department. 

Solution: Cost-effective marketing campaign

As a small team with no marketing department, Nooks was aiming at a cost-effective go-to-market campaign that would raise product awareness among sales representatives. Getting Nooks in front of their target group in a real-life was a game-changer.  

Get Your Product in Front of Your ICP

Challenge: No resources to drive product awareness.

Solution: Getting in front of the ICP to show the product in action. 

As a RevGenius tech partner, Nooks became the sponsor of our weekly LinkedIn Live Cold Calling event. During the session, guests were dialing their prospects LIVE on Nooks, showing the product in action and getting main stage exposure to the community. 

Beyond Instant ROI: Delivering Long-Term Value

When considering the broader scope of the collaboration, including the overall reach, traffic correlated to campaign timing, and influenced deals, the outcomes are truly remarkable. RevGenius and Nooks’ story serves as a compelling reminder that looking beyond directly traceable attribution is essential to fully grasp the true value and impact of community partnerships. 

Curious about partnering with RevGenius? Talk to us! 

The post Case Study: How Nooks Increased Opportunities by 657% with RevGenius appeared first on RevGenius.