{"id":152276,"date":"2023-12-10T17:55:51","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T17:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-led-sales-ben-williams\/"},"modified":"2025-03-12T14:00:43","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T14:00:43","slug":"product-led-sales-ben-williams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-led-sales-ben-williams\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beautiful Synergy of Product-Led and Sales-Led Growth [Ben Williams]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/solutions\/product-led-growth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product-led<\/a> or sales-led kind of SaaS? Or perhaps you\u2019ve managed to marry the two strategies and embraced product-led sales?<\/p>\n<p>If not, but you\u2019d like to learn more, then why not watch the talk that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/theproductledgeek\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ben Williams<\/a>, known as the Product-Led Geek, delivered at the recent Product Drive hosted by Userpilot?<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s dive right in!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"video strchf-type-video regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\">\n<div class=\"embed-container\">\n<div style=\"max-width: 100%; position: relative; height: 400px;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none;\" title=\"The beautiful synergy of product-led and sales-led growth By Ben Williams, Product Drive 2023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/Yp2dAvXHKVQ?feature=oembed\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Ben Williams talk on product-led sales.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"85cb6\">TL;DR<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-led-growth-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Product-led growth (PLG)<\/a> uses product usage as the main driver of <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/average-customer-acquisition-cost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer acquisition<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/account-expansion-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">account expansion<\/a>. In the<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-led-vs-sales-led\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> sales-led model (SLG)<\/a>, it\u2019s the sales reps who nurture leads and close deals.<\/li>\n<li>PLG is cost-efficient and promotes <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-retention-examples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">retention <\/a>and long-term growth. However, it\u2019s not ideal for<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/plg-for-complex-products\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> complex products<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/plg-for-enterprise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">enterprise <\/a>clients where customers aren\u2019t the end users.<\/li>\n<li>SLG is better for communicating the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-value\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product value<\/a> at the enterprise level and building the business case. However, it requires a lot of effort that wouldn\u2019t be justified for smaller clients.<\/li>\n<li>Product-led sales (PLS) combines PLG and SLG tactics. Users get a chance to experience product value and you use the data on their <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-interactions-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interactions <\/a>with the product to qualify them.<\/li>\n<li>Only when they reach the right level of <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/b2b-customer-engagement-strategies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">engagement<\/a>, the sales reps step in to ultimately close the deals.<\/li>\n<li>To score accounts, PLS uses usage, use cases, firmographics, and ecosystem data.<\/li>\n<li>The data is scored along multiple dimensions: volume, frequency, recency, rate, and location.<\/li>\n<li>Typical sales <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/retention-playbook\/https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/retention-playbook\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">playbooks <\/a>include unblocking, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-boost-trial-to-paid-conversion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">conversion<\/a>, product expansion, plan expansion, and consolidation.<\/li>\n<li>The final stage in the process is review; when you reflect on how to improve the other stages and aspects of your PLS motion.<\/li>\n<li>To successfully implement PLS in your SaaS, you need a product that can sell itself, resources to support the necessary <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-team-structure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">teams<\/a>, solid data infrastructure, patience to let users explore the product themselves, and help, not sell mentality.<\/li>\n<li>Usage <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/retention-metrics-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">retention <\/a>is a key metric to track for PLS companies. It\u2019s made up of user <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/activation-metrics-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">activation<\/a>, engagement, and resurrection.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/userpilot-features\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Userpilot <\/a>is a product growth platform that allows you to collect user behavior data and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-feedback-collection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">feedback <\/a>and drive user activation and engagement. <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/demo-content\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Book the demo<\/a> to see how!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"poptin-embedded\" data-id=\"4557169bcced2\"><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"1jmim\">What is product-led growth?<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-led-growth-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Product-led growth (PLG)<\/a> is a business strategy that uses product as the main driver of <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-acquisition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer acquisition<\/a>, retention, and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-generate-revenue-with-customer-expansion-strategies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">expansion<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>PLG is based on the \u2018show, don\u2019t tell\u2019 mantra: experiencing <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-value-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">value <\/a>is better than being told about it.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n<p>Users get access to the product for free. This could be through a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/freemium-free-trial-jana-frejova-spendesk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">free trial or freemium <\/a>plan. This allows them to experience the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-value\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product value. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>As users continue using the product and <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/value-realization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">realizing its value<\/a>, it gradually gets embedded in their workflows and becomes their go-to solution to their problems.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when you can start thinking about monetizing your product. This can happen directly, for example, when users<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-boost-trial-to-paid-conversion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> upgrade to a paid plan<\/a> or buy add-ons.<\/p>\n<p>When satisfied with the product, users start acting as its <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-advocacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">advocates<\/a>. They promote it in their social and professional tribes and help you acquire new users &#8211; and potentially, new paid customers. That\u2019s indirect monetization.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/plg-in-a-nutshell_1646aa0c95ea0d2722676b3ca9e9f7e6_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/plg-in-a-nutshell_1646aa0c95ea0d2722676b3ca9e9f7e6_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/plg-in-a-nutshell_1646aa0c95ea0d2722676b3ca9e9f7e6_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/plg-in-a-nutshell_1646aa0c95ea0d2722676b3ca9e9f7e6_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/plg-in-a-nutshell_1646aa0c95ea0d2722676b3ca9e9f7e6_800.png\" alt=\"Product-led growth\" \/><\/picture><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/tag\/expension-revenue\/\">Product-led growth<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"5ghd5\">Where product-led growth shines &#8211; and where it doesn\u2019t<\/h2>\n<p>Product-led growth has several advantages but also limitations.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a brilliant way to communicate product value to its end users. However, it\u2019s not so effective in the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/plg-for-enterprise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">enterprise <\/a>context where the customer isn\u2019t usually the buyer.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, PLG is very cost-efficient because it requires less human effort to acquire and retain customers.<\/p>\n<p>Talking of retention, it\u2019s one of the cornerstones of PLG. To generate revenue and remain profitable, companies need to retain customers over the long term.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, PLG has naturally lower ACV than the traditional sales-led approach and it\u2019s difficult to scale to the same level.<\/p>\n<p>The main downside of PLG, however, is that it\u2019s not always suitable for <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/plg-for-complex-products\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">higher complexity use cases.<\/a> The value of complex products is more difficult to experience and users may not be able to do it without the help of the sales team.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"40tm2\">What is sales-led growth?<\/h2>\n<p>Sales-led growth (SLG) is a traditional growth strategy that relies on sales teams to nurture customers and close deals.<\/p>\n<p>In SLG, the sales teams identify potential customers, very often enterprise-level ones, and use traditional sales tactics like <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-demos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">demos <\/a>and live presentations to communicate the product value at the company level.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"7e52p\">Advantages of sales-led growth<\/h2>\n<p>Sales-led growth has been the dominant<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-go-to-market-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> go-to-market<\/a> approach for enterprise software companies for several reasons.<\/p>\n<p>First, it\u2019s more suitable for complex products whose value isn\u2019t easy to experience during a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/free-trial-vs-paid-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">free trial<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And even if it was, the end users aren\u2019t the decision-makers.<\/p>\n<p>Take Snyk, where Ben Williams worked as a VP for Growth, for example.<\/p>\n<p>The tool helps developers secure the code without slowing them down. This is very easy for them to experience. However, this fact alone is not enough to convince the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-leadership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">leadership<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Senior leaders need to see a bigger value at the company level. In the case of Snyk, this was improved security preventing breaches that could lead to severe financial and reputational damage.<\/p>\n<p>Traditional marketing and sales teams are excellent at building business cases and communicating enterprise value.<\/p>\n<p>What about SLG&#8217;s downsides?<\/p>\n<p>Sales-led growth requires a lot of effort and targets a relatively small percentage of the customer base. This makes it cost-prohibitive for smaller companies.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the sales teams, whose effectiveness is measured by the ability to close deals, often prioritize short-term financial gains instead of sustainable long-term growth.<\/p>\n<p>Once the customers signs over the dotted line, the sales team loses interest. This can lead to low <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/software-adoption\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">product adoption<\/a> and consequently <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/reasons-for-customer-churn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">churn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"bjud1\">Product-Led Sales (PLS) &#8211; the beautiful synergy of PLG and SLG<\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s a misconception in the product space that PLG and SLG are mutually exclusive. However, this couldn\u2019t be further from the truth.<\/p>\n<p>Meet product-led sales, or PLS.<\/p>\n<p>PLS is an approach that leverages <strong>product usage as the primary driver of the sales process. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The strategy capitalizes on the strengths of PLG and SLG.<\/p>\n<p>The product does the heavy lifting in communicating value to users and their teams. This brings efficiency into the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-sales-process-stages\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sales cycle<\/a> and allows them to close deals at a higher rate because the sales team deals with better-qualified leads.<\/p>\n<p>Closing deals takes less time because you can strengthen the business case with demonstrated usage and value, and you play on a field where trust and credibility are already established.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"fcadu\">How product-led sales works<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at how exactly PLS works at each stage of the process.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/product-led-sales_ed7029666cc1f325756a52bf458078a6_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/product-led-sales_ed7029666cc1f325756a52bf458078a6_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/product-led-sales_ed7029666cc1f325756a52bf458078a6_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/product-led-sales_ed7029666cc1f325756a52bf458078a6_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/product-led-sales_ed7029666cc1f325756a52bf458078a6_800.png\" alt=\"Product-Led Sales\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>Product-Led Sales.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"1jdi5\">Inputs<\/h3>\n<p>PLS teams need inputs to score leads effectively.<\/p>\n<p>This could be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Usage data<\/strong> &#8211; the most important kind of data on how users interact with the core app, the website, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-landing-pages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">landing pages<\/a>, blogs, support pages, etc. which are easy to obtain from <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-behavioral-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">behavioral analytics.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Use case data &#8211; <\/strong>data on why users are engaging with the product and what problems are they trying to solve in what contexts. Comes from surveys during<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-signup-flow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> sign-up<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/saas-user-onboarding-insights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">onboarding.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Firmographic data &#8211;<\/strong> data on where users and their teams work, critical for ideal-customer profile (ICP) matching. Comes from <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/welcome-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">onboarding surveys <\/a>and enrichment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ecosystem data &#8211;<\/strong> comes from integrations and tells you what platform ecosystem the account is working in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"2m8s5\">Scoring<\/h3>\n<p>You can score usage data on multiple dimensions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Volume <\/strong>&#8211; how many times an account did something?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Frequency <\/strong>&#8211; how often is an account doing something?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Recency <\/strong>&#8211; how recently an account did something?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rate <\/strong>&#8211; have we seen any notable changes in the volume or frequency of an account doing something?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Location <\/strong>&#8211; are there things happening in multiple distinct pockets?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The scores are dynamic. The <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-go-to-market-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">go-to-market<\/a> teams need to monitor them to identify the right time to engage an account.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/data-usage-dimensions_287fae7a642677f6fd3a5f7515ff3abd_800.png 1x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/data-usage-dimensions_287fae7a642677f6fd3a5f7515ff3abd_800.png 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/data-usage-dimensions_287fae7a642677f6fd3a5f7515ff3abd_800.png\" alt=\"Data usage dimensions\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>Data usage dimensions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"8dd1\">Action<\/h3>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve identified your PQL\/PQAs, it\u2019s time to act.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few typical <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/retention-playbook\/https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/retention-playbook\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">playbooks <\/a>you can unleash on them:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Unblocking<\/strong> &#8211; helping accounts to overcome <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-friction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">friction<\/a>, get to value, and form habits.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conversion<\/strong> &#8211; driving<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-boost-trial-to-paid-conversion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> free-to-paid conversions<\/a> in accounts signaling a specific use case.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Product expansion<\/strong> &#8211; driving <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-improve-cross-selling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cross-sells<\/a> based on the use case relevance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Plan expansion<\/strong> &#8211; driving <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/upselling-examples-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">upsells<\/a> from one plan to another based on behavior or likelihood of exceeding usage threshold.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Consolidation<\/strong> &#8211; consolidating multiple pockets of usage within a company.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The key is that all of the playbooks and the narratives are driven by relevant data about what&#8217;s happening within the accounts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/typical-playbooks-in-pls_8e405815e88860df54d08bb8c9ac664e_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/typical-playbooks-in-pls_8e405815e88860df54d08bb8c9ac664e_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/typical-playbooks-in-pls_8e405815e88860df54d08bb8c9ac664e_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/typical-playbooks-in-pls_8e405815e88860df54d08bb8c9ac664e_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/typical-playbooks-in-pls_8e405815e88860df54d08bb8c9ac664e_800.png\" alt=\"Playbooks in PLS\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>Playbooks in PLS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"6l13d\">Review<\/h3>\n<p>The last part of the four-step process is review.<\/p>\n<p>The best teams treat the entire product-led sales process as an ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/growth-experimentation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">experiment <\/a>that they are continually trying to improve.<\/p>\n<p>What questions can help you refine your PLS processes?<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is all the data we&#8217;re collecting useful for the model?<\/li>\n<li>Can we improve the signal-to-noise ratio by removing data that isn&#8217;t meaningful?<\/li>\n<li>Is there data we should have in the model that we don&#8217;t have today?<\/li>\n<li>What would be the best way to get that data for scoring?<\/li>\n<li>Are we utilizing the data in the right way?<\/li>\n<li>Are the thresholds appropriate?<\/li>\n<li>Does the scoring effectively support the playbooks we have or that are emerging?<\/li>\n<li>What opportunities do we have to improve on how we act on a given PQA?<\/li>\n<li>Can some of the manual or semi-automated steps now be fully <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/b2b-marketing-automation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">automated<\/a>?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s good practice to conduct reviews regularly, at least quarterly, and ideally on an ongoing basis.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ccd10\">When is the time to spin up product-led sales<\/h2>\n<p>So how do we know when it&#8217;s the right time to spin up product-led sales?<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at a few common drivers as well as boxes that you need to tick.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"9bsqn\">PLS drivers<\/h3>\n<p>If you&#8217;re starting from a top-down sales-led model, the primary drivers are that you want to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Extend your ability to serve the lower end of the market<\/li>\n<li>Improve rep productivity, and<\/li>\n<li>Shorten the sales cycle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you&#8217;re starting from a PLG motion, then your main drivers will be that you want to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Go up the market and scale to larger ACVs<\/li>\n<li>Better communicate enterprise value to enterprise clients<\/li>\n<li>Intervene to help larger ICP accounts that are getting stuck <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/reduce-time-to-value-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">get to value faster<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Consolidate multiple pockets of usage, and<\/li>\n<li>Better intervene with <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/churned-user\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">churn <\/a>risk accounts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"6fg7b\">PLS needs<\/h3>\n<p>Regardless of where you&#8217;re starting, the product-led sales model needs the right conditions.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you need:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A product that can sell itself<\/strong> by letting users experience some value first. This doesn&#8217;t need to be a full-blown <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/freemium-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">free plan<\/a> or even a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/free-trial-length-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">free trial <\/a>but some taste of value before paywall is necessary.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Resources <\/strong>to support multiple functions like product, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/how-to-build-saas-product-marketing-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">marketing<\/a>, and sales. Start small, though. <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/iterative-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Iterate <\/a>and then scale.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Willingness to be patient &#8211;<\/strong> sometimes a lot of time passes before it&#8217;s the right time to engage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Solid data infrastructure<\/strong> &#8211; to get the right inputs and to easily share the insights.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Help mentality, not sell mentality &#8211;<\/strong> PLS is about getting accounts to value so that the product can make the case for itself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"505l4\">Critical product data in product-led sales<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a deeper look now at some of the most critical product signals used in the PLS process.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"7unoe\">Usage retention<\/h3>\n<p>For product-led companies, usage retention is the biggest leading indicator of revenue retention.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s have a look at the product state model to visualize how users and teams move through our product during their lifetime:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>New users and teams come in.<\/li>\n<li>You activate them so they build habits around using the product.<\/li>\n<li>Next, you keep them engaged.<\/li>\n<li>At any point, they may stop using the product and go dormant. Some <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/dormant-users\/\">dormant users<\/a> might later come back to using the product. That\u2019s resurrection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Retention is the function of our efforts to activate, engage, and resurrect users. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a lagging indicator that you don&#8217;t try to move directly. Instead, you focus on those three levers: <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/activation-metrics-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">activation<\/a>, engagement, and resurrection.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/product-state-model_10a324178099da6fe581b1e0a5798602_800.png 1x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/product-state-model_10a324178099da6fe581b1e0a5798602_800.png 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/product-state-model_10a324178099da6fe581b1e0a5798602_800.png\" alt=\"Product state model\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>Product state model.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"6ugq2\">Activation<\/h4>\n<p>Typically, the highest point of leverage is in <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/activation-strategies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">improving activation.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>To activate users, first define the setup process. That\u2019s the steps needed to experience core product value. That\u2019s the<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/the-aha-moment-for-product-onboarding-activation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Aha! moment. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>For Snyk, the setup process consisted of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Connecting at least 1 integration<\/li>\n<li>Importing at least 1 project, like a GitHub repository<\/li>\n<li>Seeing a non-empty project list<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Aha! moment for Snyk users is viewing the details of at least 1 issue detected by the product.<\/p>\n<p>Experiencing the Aha! moment isn\u2019t enough for activation. Users also need to build the habit around it.<\/p>\n<p>For Snyk this happened when the user fixed at least 1 issue within the first 30 days.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/user-activation-at-snyk_48d6f7897beca43abe1d39d96690349f_800.png 1x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/user-activation-at-snyk_48d6f7897beca43abe1d39d96690349f_800.png 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/user-activation-at-snyk_48d6f7897beca43abe1d39d96690349f_800.png\" alt=\"User activation at Snyk\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>User activation at Snyk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"490cr\">Engagement<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/b2b-customer-engagement-strategies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Engagement <\/a>is another important signal in product-led sales.<\/p>\n<p>Engagement isn&#8217;t binary; it&#8217;s a spectrum.<\/p>\n<p>At one end of the spectrum, you can have very low-intensity usage, and at the other end, very high and everything in between.<\/p>\n<p>To make it more actionable, you divide the spectrum into a small number of buckets or states and group your users or teams in those buckets according to their depth of engagement in any given period.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s an example of what that looked like at Snyk for Free accounts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/engagement-and-retention-correlation-at-snyk_78b28c3e89fdc38ec5d2407d67fe6d5e_800.png 1x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/engagement-and-retention-correlation-at-snyk_78b28c3e89fdc38ec5d2407d67fe6d5e_800.png 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/engagement-and-retention-correlation-at-snyk_78b28c3e89fdc38ec5d2407d67fe6d5e_800.png\" alt=\"Engagement and retention correlation at Snyk\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>Engagement and retention correlation at Snyk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Each bucket is grouped by how many unique days in the last 30 days an account fixed a vulnerability.<\/p>\n<p>The percentages showed a correlation with long-term twelve-month retention. Only 5% of Dormant accounts were retained, and still fixing vulnerabilities using Snyk twelve months later.<\/p>\n<p>Contrast that to accounts in the Progressive engagement state who had an 80% likelihood of still fixing using Snyk in twelve months.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"2dmnm\"><strong>Why product-led sales is the real deal for B2B SaaS<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The main benefits of the product-led sales model can be summarized in two words.<\/p>\n<p>Efficient growth.<\/p>\n<p>At Snyk, users who had engaged with the product in a meaningful way accounted for 50% of the ARR. Moreover, such users showed considerably higher retention than customers acquired through different <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-acquisition-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">channels.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"c5t51\">Userpilot for product-led sales<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re thinking of cranking up product-led sales at your SaaS, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/userpilot-features\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Userpilot <\/a>is the tool for you.<\/p>\n<p>How can you use it?<\/p>\n<p>First, it allows you to collect all the input data necessary to score your leads.<\/p>\n<p>You can also run <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/build-in-app-surveys-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in-app surveys<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-feedback-collection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">collect customer feedback<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-behavior-tracking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> track and analyze user behavior <\/a>inside the product.<\/p>\n<p>Based on the data, you can create user segments and assign them to relevant teams.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/segmentation-in-userpilot_84a5192aabfbc6c95737af5aec35a6b4_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/segmentation-in-userpilot_84a5192aabfbc6c95737af5aec35a6b4_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/segmentation-in-userpilot_84a5192aabfbc6c95737af5aec35a6b4_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/segmentation-in-userpilot_84a5192aabfbc6c95737af5aec35a6b4_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/segmentation-in-userpilot_84a5192aabfbc6c95737af5aec35a6b4_800.png\" alt=\"User segmentation in Userpilot\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>User segmentation in <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/userpilot-demo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Userpilot<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Userpilot also gives you tools to optimize the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/user-journey-analytics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user journey <\/a>and shorten the <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/reduce-time-to-value-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">time to value. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>For example, you can use analytics to identify<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/friction-points\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> user friction <\/a>and help users through the bottlenecks with <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/in-app-guidance-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in-app guidance.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/funnel-analysis-in-userpilot_b38bd9637054b4bc58bad7e66b54d5e3_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/funnel-analysis-in-userpilot_b38bd9637054b4bc58bad7e66b54d5e3_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/funnel-analysis-in-userpilot_b38bd9637054b4bc58bad7e66b54d5e3_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/funnel-analysis-in-userpilot_b38bd9637054b4bc58bad7e66b54d5e3_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/funnel-analysis-in-userpilot_b38bd9637054b4bc58bad7e66b54d5e3_800.png\" alt=\"Funnel analysis in Userpilot\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>Funnel analysis in Userpilot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The<a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/onboarding-ux-patterns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> onboarding UI patterns<\/a>, when triggered contextually, are an excellent tool for driving <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/upsell-opportunities-saas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">upsells <\/a>and cross-sells.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/upsell-message_972dce256317f985c6dca7051e5158f4_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/upsell-message_972dce256317f985c6dca7051e5158f4_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/upsell-message_972dce256317f985c6dca7051e5158f4_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/upsell-message_972dce256317f985c6dca7051e5158f4_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/upsell-message_972dce256317f985c6dca7051e5158f4_800.png\" alt=\"In-app message created with Userpilot\" \/><\/picture><figcaption>In-app message created with <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/userpilot-demo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Userpilot<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Finally, Userpilot offers <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/userpilot-integrations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">integrations <\/a>with analytics tools for even more granular input data. And if you\u2019re a <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/userpilot-hubspot-integration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HubSpot <\/a>user, the 2-way integration allows you to use Userpilot data to score your leads inside the CRM.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image strchf-type-image regular strchf-size-regular strchf-align-center\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/userpilot-integrations_01e13ecc78622b59d6ec28117ba24b23_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/userpilot-integrations_01e13ecc78622b59d6ec28117ba24b23_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 768px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/userpilot-integrations_01e13ecc78622b59d6ec28117ba24b23_800.png 1x, https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/userpilot-integrations_01e13ecc78622b59d6ec28117ba24b23_1600.png 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 769px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_6827\/userpilot-integrations_01e13ecc78622b59d6ec28117ba24b23_800.png\" alt=\"userpilot-integrations\" \/><\/picture><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/userpilot-integrations\/\">Userpilot integrations<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"a2hck\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>The product-led sales approach brings together the best of two worlds.<\/p>\n<p>It allows businesses to capitalize on the cost-efficiency of PLG motions and its ability to communicate product value to build robust business cases when going after big enterprise clients.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to learn how Userpilot can help you implement PLS at your SaaS, <a href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/userpilot-demo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">book the demo! <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"poptin-embedded\" data-id=\"4557169bcced2\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s a misconception in the product space that PLG and SLG are mutually exclusive. However, this couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. Meet Product-led Sales, or PLS. PLS is an approach that leverages product usage as the primary driver of the sales process. The strategy capitalizes on the strengths of PLG and SLG. By combining the two approaches, you\u2019re not merely adding up their strengths but creating an effect of synergy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":152278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[884,332,285,440,292,124,288,5774,316,245],"class_list":["post-152276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-product","tag-customer-acquisition","tag-customer-engagement","tag-customer-retention","tag-plg","tag-product-growth","tag-product-led-growth","tag-saas-product-led-growth","tag-sales-led-growth","tag-user-engagement","tag-user-retention"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Product-Led Sales: Beautiful Synergy of Product-Led and Sales-Led Growth [Ben Williams]<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Product-led Sales (PLS) leverages product usage as the primary driver of the sales process. Learn more about how it works!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/product-led-sales-ben-williams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Product-Led Sales: Beautiful Synergy of Product-Led and Sales-Led Growth [Ben Williams]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Product-led Sales (PLS) leverages product usage as the primary driver of the sales process. 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