\I had the pleasure of speaking with Harry Stebbings for the second time on the SaaStr podcast released today. On this episode we took a different tact, focusing more on the zero — 1 enterprise stage and how to get your first referenceable customers vs. scaling post Series B. Please listen here if interested in how to grow and gain your first Fortune 500 customers — show notes below.
SaaStr 190: Why SaaS Founders Should Not Sell Their Products in The Early Days, How Founders Can Build Relationships with Enterprise CIOs and The Right Way To Think About Discounting and Pilots with Ed Sim, Founding Partner @ Boldstart Ventures
In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
• How Ed made his way into the world of VC from one very meaningful high school lecture that changed his life and career path?
• What does Ed mean when he says “founders should not sell their product to enterprise in the early days”. Starting from the ground up, what can founders do to begin that relationship building process with enterprise buyers and CIOs? What can a startup do to establish that trust in the mind of large buyers? How much of a role does VC backing provide in comforting enterprise buyers?
• What would Ed advise founders contemplating the debate of going SMB up to enterprise or enterprise to SMB? What role should product play in this decision-making process? What are the leading indicators in testing the product that founders should observe for and guide their direction? Where does Ed most often see founders make mistakes here?
• How does Ed think about discounting? Would he agree with a previous guest that “discounting is now table stakes”? Rather than the financial element, what does Ed believe the founder should really be looking to get from the buyer in terms of commitment? How does Ed approach and asses pilots? To what extent should they be free or paid? What can be done to set the benchmarks for success and ensure closing?
- What does Ed know now that he wishes he had known in the beginning?
- Quality or quantity of logos?
- What would Ed most like to change in the world of SaaS?