For a long time I was convinced that Sales-Led-Growth (SLG) is the only true way in B2B, because "people buy from people". In recent years, however, I have had to accept a few things:
1. preach water but drink wine:
For 12 years, I have been solving customer problems for my employers and clients by making business processes faster and better with software. But I was convinced: Sales-Led-Growth! Today I still believe that people LOVE to buy from people, but digitally MORE people simply buy. Especially in times of crisis (job cuts, price reductions), this strategy can stop a domino effect.
2️. Focus on margin and replicable success:
PLG offers immense advantages, especially for product launches. Fewer personnel and budget requirements with consistently high quality and high scalability are just some of the advantages. Once the PLG Sales Engine has gained momentum, the approach can be scaled effectively with little HR power.
3️. From pushy sales rep to trusted advisor:
Since the decision is largely "contactless", SDRs and BDs can focus on increasing the perceived value of their solutions to increase ARR and reduce churn.
4️. Complexity of IT, software and technology solutions:
Complex SaaS solutions are becoming increasingly user-friendly. Users recognize the added value of the applications more quickly and can use them independently. The development of communities and online academies also helps users to exploit the full potential of the technologies.
5️. PLG is not just for start-ups:
Medium-sized companies and corporations can also benefit from PLG, even if high initial investments, complex buying centers and compliance guidelines make a complete changeover impossible. Even a small degree of automation of repetitive marketing, sales and CMS processes can significantly increase productivity and efficiency in sales.
My conclusion
For me, the transition from SLG to PLG is not just a question of ICP, but also of mindset. It's about working more efficiently and ultimately creating more customer value. There are so many tools and... Attention trigger warning... AI available to us today that we could automate practically every step of the customer journey, preserve knowledge in a quality-assured manner and generate obscene reach. After the sales ego-death, this usually means: more new customer inquiries - shorter sales cycles, higher closing rates, less churn... but above all, happy customers who can (self-determinedly) decide to become real fans of your solution.
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