Building a Customer-Centric Go-To-Market Strategy with Lauren Goldstein - Ep 52

Most B2B brands (yes, probably yours) think that they’re ‘customer-centric’, and yet none of them ever stop droning on and on about their product and its ‘revolutionary’ features.

Lauren Goldstein is the Chief Growth Officer of Winning by Design and Co-Founder, Board Member, Chair of the Board of Directors for Women in Revenue. Lauren joins co-hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson to chat how B2B sellers and marketers can connect with buyers in the way buyers want them to, why having a diverse leadership team is an invaluable asset for any startup, and why “Strategic RevOps” is enabling breakthrough growth for SaaS startups.

Also, Craig shocks the world by caping for his portfolio companies’ sales pitches, and Matt mentions the production design aesthetic of a niche director.

Critical Takeaways

• Implement structured mentorship programs in your org where experienced team members can guide less experienced colleagues, as this can lead to increased job satisfaction and retention, on top of the personal and professional development of your whole team.
• Instead of spending time on a sales call waxing poetic about the ‘revolutionary’ features of your product, use that time to ask your prospect what success looks like for them. How are they measured as a success or failure? Uncover that ideal state and help them understand how your product can get them there, provided it actually can; otherwise, don’t waste their time and yours.
• Consider using ‘Reverse Demos’, where instead of showing off your product right away, you have the customer outline their current processes and challenges. While this approach might not work with all types of buyers, it could be effective in understanding complex systems and better tailoring your pitch to the customer's actual needs.
• Cross-functional alignment across your go-to-market team is crucial. Sales, marketing, product, and finance teams need to work collaboratively, understanding each other’s objectives and challenges. Regular inter-department meetings to align goals and strategies help everyone move in the same direction towards shared business goals.
• Companies that have strategic RevOps roles are better at aligning their sales and marketing efforts with financial and operational goals, ultimately driving growth and operational efficiency.

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Chapters

00:00 - Episode Preview

00:30 - Are the Angels a Real Team & Breaking Down the Backgrounds

03:24 - Introducing Lauren Goldstein, Chief Growth Officer of Winning By Design & Co-Founder of Women in Revenue

06:36 - The Origin Story of Women in Revenue (The group, not the concept)

18:17 - The Immutable Impact Diverse Teams in Business

23:43 - B2B Tech Brands Are NOT Connecting Buyers in the Ways That SaaS Buyers Want

31:39 - What is a ‘Reverse Demo’ & Why is Gartner Analyst Dan Gottlieb Recommending it

36:00 - Revenue Growth in SaaS Comes Back to Identifying the Right Buyers

40:43 - The Critical Role of Rev Ops in B2B Go-to-Market Strategy for SaaS

44:00 - Strategic Rev Ops: The Key to Integration & Go-To-Market Alignment

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Epic Quotes

• “ Managing multiple stakeholders in an enterprise sale is not a new thing. But it's more than managing multiple stakeholders, it's really about helping to facilitate a conversation where they're all understanding the problem in the same way and can connect back to a common denominator.” - Lauren Goldstein
• “ There is no greater liar as a buyer, than a marketer.” - Matt Amundson (A Marketer)

Connect with Lauren

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurengoldstein/ 
• Winning by Design Website: https://winningbydesign.com/ 
• Women in Revenue Website: https://womeninrevenue.org/ 

Shoutouts

• Sydney Sloan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydsloan/ 
• Sydney’s Episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/unlocking-strategic-marketing-with 
• Katharine Reaga