Saasiest gossips are here! Plus LinkedIn & Paris ABM workshop

Hello B2Bers,

Super excited to bring you the latest, hot-off-the-press insights from the Saasiest event in Amsterdam! But before we dive in, a quick reminder—if you're in Paris, there's still time to book your spot at the ABM event I’m organizing with LinkedIn and N.Rich. We are opening waiting list. Just reply to this post to secure your spot!

Now, let’s get into the Saasiest goodness. Here are my 6 takeaways and bites:

1.Revenue, revenue and more revenue. Leads is a curse word.

It's refreshing to see AT LAST this message coming from Europe. In the U.S., this is common knowledge, but in Europe, people still get hung up on lead volume (especially bad leads).

2.The power of words and positioning and April’s process

Nobody teaches us how to position products/services. And we never have a process or best practices to go about it. I’ve often struggled with it but April’s examples and framework is spot on!

• Competitive alternatives (we never start here)

• Attributes

• Differentiation

• Customers and heavy users

• Market you win in

OK! You understand nothing at all. That’s why you need to head to next April’s conference.

3.A great talk from Mimi Turner from LinkedIn that dove into the nitty gritty of how complex and long the buying processes have become

• The importance of trust in B2B and being top of mind. ‘Nobody got fired from buying IBM’

• The Hidden buyer concept: According to LinkedIn, the target buyer (Promotor or champion for ABMers) has almost equal 49% decision-making than 51% hidden buyers (budget holders, CEOs…)

• 59% of buyers groups will pay more for products their colleagues already know.

• 45% of deals get stalled. Why? Lack of consensus in the buying group. Quite often, not everyone previously know the vendor and prefer not to take a decision rather than taking the bad decision.

4. BS > KPIs in growth teams by Kevin Dorsey

To drive results, we need to focus on BS (Behaviors & Skills). With the right attitudes, performances, and processes—and by investing in skill development—the results will follow. Want to measure it? Create checklists for behaviors & skills, not just results. Trust me, you’ll want to grab one of his checklists at his next event.

5.Leah Tahrir’s talk: "Gary from Sales" and how to beat him with an ‘aha’ moment.

I couldn’t stop laughing about Gary, Cary, and of course, Mary from Marketing. Gary’s that sales guy who only cares about commissions and quota. He’s a words ninja, over-promising with no regard for long-term revenue—or marketing.

Here’s the thing: It’s not about beating Gary. It’s about merging the best of both worlds—product marketing and sales. Gary’s great at creating opportunities, but bad at retention. Product marketing? Amazing at knowing the clients and developing them long-term.

6. Jacco’s revenue factories analogy and GTM.

   You all loved my last post on GTM strategies, and Jacco nailed it with his analogy of GTM strategies as production lines based on touch/personalization. It reminded me of my own matrix on market size/ACV vs. complexity. If you love graphs like me, you’ll enjoy these ones too!

I came up with the idea of using an LED backpack to showcase my clients’ pain points and catchy slogans, sparking more meaningful conversations at conferences. The result? Over 40 conversations and a feature interview at Saasiest! Plus, I got soooo much fun. Thanks Yulia from N.Rich for this pic!

That’s all folks!

Maybe see you next week in Paris? If not in Paris, where should I meet you?

Make sure to stick around for the next news drop on Thursday, October 17th, featuring an episode on ABM and a spotlight on a top ABMer!

Hasta la vista amigos!