PebbleStorm: CEOFlow “Grow revenue through enjoyment”
“Grow revenue…”
Growth phases
The Hot Coals…
• • Pain created in the shift from organic growth to proactive growth Requires new cause-effect mindset
1. What leadgen „cause‟ leads to revenue „effect‟ 2. Measurement
Example myth: Adding salespeople will grow revenue
First things first
1. First, create „space‟ (breathing room)
• • Right-size your company Get REAL - no “I want”, “we should”, “I hope…” or “if we only…”
2. Then, create predictable revenue
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Scalable growth requires founder or „special individuals‟ to be unnecessary Avoid dependence on any individual
Top 3 Revenue Bottlenecks
1. The CEO
• If the CEO doesn‟t buy in, NOTHING WILL CHANGE
2. Lead generation 3. Organization design (“Who does what?”) Almost never the bottleneck: “not enough great people”
Why you need breathing room
• Marketing Cycle + Sales Cycle = Customer Acquisition Cycle
Distinguishing types of leads
Squirrel Feeding
Coming… Squirrel feeding: you can‟t make them eat, but you can put out very tasty food in places they‟d find it, and then back away from it…
/Magnets
Unique genius
Layers of the onion
Magnets
• Coming… • Magnet: something that sustainably / persistently attracts new prospects or talent • Such as:
– – – – – – Happy customers Any content online (blogs, videos…) Partners, Employees, Advisors Events (online or offline) Books, published material PR (if it‟s regular)
Customer lifecycle waterfall
“…through enjoyment”
Trust => extraordinary growth
The CEO-customer link
Sweetspot
Under pressure
Stress source
Stress source: Multiplying problems
Enjoyment map
Conscious “Push” v “Pull” choices
PebbleStorm CEOFlow: Empowers organizations to grow revenue through enjoyment
APPENDIX / In process
Engaging CEOFlow
Ongoing
One-time
“Grow revenue…”
(Part II)
Notes from CEOFlow call 10.21
• This is THE key to creating predictable revenue:
– It doesn‟t matter how long a sale takes, or how many steps – The only thing that matters is your understanding of the causes, effects and measurements along your waterfall (leadgen, sales cycle, client success & renewing)
• This requires “space”, because you need clarity and time to figure it out
– Space = mental (destress / connect with nature, people, fun), and time (reduce expenses, increase runway, reduce pressure)
• Revisit all pre-downturn assumptions
– Current customers & their success expectations – Old waterfall or baseline metrics
• “Sell to success” / Sell-to-renewal
– What do you have to, beyond closing a customer, to make them successful, help them see that they are successful, and then equip them to get approval from a boss?
Notes from CEOFlow call 10.21
• Don‟t assume word-of-mouth spreads on its own, how can you help your happy customers spread word of mouth? (No badgering)
– Example: online & offline gatherings that mix customers & prospects
• 3:15m sales process: design a sales process that only requires a fixed amount of time invested per prospect.
Separate the core functions
Organic & Marketing Leads Frontline Sales Customer Success & Renewal
Sales
“Outbound”
Qualified “Inbound” Opportunities
New Customers
“Sell to Success”
1. Transparent 2. Collaborative w/customer 3. Increases effectiveness for both parties What does it take to acquire a customer, make them successful, help them understand they were successful, and then renew them?
1. “What are your goals?” 2. “Should we work together?” 3. “How we will work together”
4. “Handshake”
DISCOVERY
BUSINESS CASE
SUCCESS PLAN
AGREEMENT
5. “Get started”
(Close)
6. “Ongoing success”
Sell to success (B2B)
Discovery
Get Started
Business Case
Agreement
Sell to success (B2B)
Ongoing Success
Discovery
Get Started
Business Case
Agreement
Success Plan
Sales blocked?
• Ideas:
– Review positioning, value proposition, etc – Go higher (create more “pull” from above)
• Update value proposition
– “Packaging”: add another layer to the onion to make it easy to take a next step – 3rd party validation or perspective
Immediate leadgen
• What else can you offer to current customers?
– Have you reached out to them lately?
• Community mixers (online or offline), combining prospects and customers
Ideal Customer Profile
The 3:15 Sales Process
• 15 minute introduction • 1 hour spent with the point person • 2 hour working session with the decision team = 3h 15m invested per sales cycle Goal: determine 1) if there is a fit or not, and 2) the timing
Fit and Timing
Where the pain comes from
Founder must remove themselves
Customer Acquisition Talent CEO Customer Success
Finance/ Operations
Product Development