Revenue Builders

Product-Led Growth in B2B Sales with Oliver Jay

Episode Summary

Oliver Jay is a former Chief Revenue Officer of Asana and an advisor and leadership coach for various companies. In this conversation with John McMahon, Oliver Jay discusses the concept of product-led growth (PLG) and its impact on B2B sales. PLG is a methodology that focuses on using the product as the primary conduit for acquiring users, driving sales, and retaining customers. Oliver explains that PLG is effective for certain personas and products, but it requires careful planning and consideration as companies scale. He also highlights the importance of understanding the buyer's perspective and the need to articulate the value of the product in terms of revenue, profitability, and risk. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES What CROs Prioritize to Scale PLG Success: https://forc.mx/3LaTFPE Navigating Product-Led Growth COmplexities: https://forc.mx/44CnwaB HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT [00:01:29] Oliver Jay's background and experience in PLG [00:06:41] Different models of PLG: self-service, product-led sales, freemium [00:07:59] Factors to consider in choosing the right PLG model [00:09:40] Steering customers towards the best PLG model [00:11:33] The benefits and ease of managing trials in PLG [00:13:02] Time to value as a key consideration in PLG model choice [00:13:46] Differentiating products for PLG vs. non-PLG. [00:23:19] Combination of PLG and sales-led growth for enterprise sales. [00:24:42] Building a multi-layered PLG business. [00:25:42] Challenges of transitioning to a traditional sales motion. [00:32:40] Major elements of a PLG system [00:48:23] PLG companies need to break down into granular components [00:56:46] Importance of product market fit for SLG [00:57:30] Selling to users vs. selling to buyers [00:58:56] Adding SLG motions is hard for PLG companies HIGHLIGHT QUOTES [00:03:27] Oliver Jay: "PLG is an elegant model that uses the product as the primary conduit for acquiring users, driving sales, and increasing retention." [00:39:59] Oliver Jay: "PLG companies should view their self-serve and product-led sales teams as part of the same funnel, not as separate entities." [01:00:50] Oliver Jay: "PLG companies need to be aware that outbound sales is rarely the remedy to growth and should only be pursued when there is product-market fit for a top-down sales motion." Learn more about Oliver Jay through this link. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverjayleadership/ Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

Episode Notes

Oliver Jay is a former Chief Revenue Officer of Asana and an advisor and leadership coach for various companies.

In this conversation with John McMahon, Oliver Jay discusses the concept of product-led growth (PLG) and its impact on B2B sales. PLG is a methodology that focuses on using the product as the primary conduit for acquiring users, driving sales, and retaining customers. Oliver explains that PLG is effective for certain personas and products, but it requires careful planning and consideration as companies scale. He also highlights the importance of understanding the buyer's perspective and the need to articulate the value of the product in terms of revenue, profitability, and risk.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:01:29] Oliver Jay's background and experience in PLG
[00:06:41] Different models of PLG: self-service, product-led sales, freemium
[00:07:59] Factors to consider in choosing the right PLG model
[00:09:40] Steering customers towards the best PLG model
[00:11:33] The benefits and ease of managing trials in PLG
[00:13:02] Time to value as a key consideration in PLG model choice
[00:13:46] Differentiating products for PLG vs. non-PLG.
[00:23:19] Combination of PLG and sales-led growth for enterprise sales.
[00:24:42] Building a multi-layered PLG business.
[00:25:42] Challenges of transitioning to a traditional sales motion.
[00:32:40] Major elements of a PLG system
[00:48:23] PLG companies need to break down into granular components
[00:56:46] Importance of product market fit for SLG
[00:57:30] Selling to users vs. selling to buyers
[00:58:56] Adding SLG motions is hard for PLG companies

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:03:27] Oliver Jay: "PLG is an elegant model that uses the product as the primary conduit for acquiring users, driving sales, and increasing retention."
[00:39:59] Oliver Jay: "PLG companies should view their self-serve and product-led sales teams as part of the same funnel, not as separate entities."
[01:00:50] Oliver Jay: "PLG companies need to be aware that outbound sales is rarely the remedy to growth and should only be pursued when there is product-market fit for a top-down sales motion."

Learn more about Oliver Jay through this link.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverjayleadership/

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064