OpenView Partner Adam Marcus explains the history of software's go-to-market strategies and why the future is now product led.

1. THE FUTURE OF SAAS
IS PRODUCT LED.
ARE YOU READY?
ADAM MARCUS
@ADAMDAVIDMARCUS
Proprietary and Confidential ©2018 OpenView Advisors, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

2. OPENVIEW
Based in Boston, we invest in software
companies around the world aimed at improving
people’s working lives.
Learn more at ov.vc.
T H E E X P A N S I O N S T A G E V C
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3. BEFORE WE DIVE IN…A
QUICK HISTORY LESSON.
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4. 1980s
FIELD SALES
A T I M E L I N E
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THE HISTORY OF SOFTWARE
GO-TO-MARKET

6. 1980s
FIELD SALES
A T I M E L I N E
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2000s
ADOPTION OF OUTBOUND
EARLY
THE HISTORY OF SOFTWARE
GO-TO-MARKET

7. “Companies were investing massive amounts in
building high-touch teams that operated in far-flung
offices. We broke that mold—mostly because we
couldn’t afford to follow it in the traditional way—and
proved that telesales could win a high close rate at
one-third the cost and in one-third the amount of
the time as the traditional selling model.”
Mark Benioff
CEO, Salesforce 1999 - Present

8. 1980s
FIELD SALES
A T I M E L I N E
2000s
CONTENT MARKETING
LATE
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2000s
ADOPTION OF OUTBOUND
EARLY
THE HISTORY OF SOFTWARE
GO-TO-MARKET

10. 1980s
FIELD SALES
A T I M E L I N E
2010s
SOCIAL SELLING & AUTOMATION
2000s
CONTENT MARKETING
LATE
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2000s
ADOPTION OF OUTBOUND
EARLY
THE HISTORY OF SOFTWARE
GO-TO-MARKET

12. THE NEXT FRONTIER OF
GO-TO-MARKET IS
PRODUCT LED GROWTH.
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13. PRODUCT LED GROWTH.
PRODUCT USAGE SERVES AS
THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF
USER ACQUISITION,
EXPANSION AND RETENTION.
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14. WHAT’S DRIVING THIS?
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15. Millennials hate crappy software and
solve problems with google.

16. Implementation is
fast and easy
No budget
approval required
Cost of switching
solutions is low

17. BUT WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
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18. COMPANIES THAT ARE
PRODUCT LED TEND TO HAVE
BETTER ECONOMIC MODELS.
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19. JUST LOOK
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Founded: 2005
NYSE: BOX
2018 Fiscal Revenue: $506M
Market cap: $3B
Founded: 2007
NASDAQ: DBX
2017 Revenue: $1.1B
Market cap: $9.87B

20. AND THERE’S MORE…

21. FASTER GROWTH RATES

22. HIGHER MULTIPLES

23. WHICH MEANS THEY’RE
WORTH 2X MORE

24. THAT’S GREAT ADAM, BUT
PLG IS NOT FOR ME.
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25. EVEN THE FATHER OF
INBOUND HAS RELIGION.
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26. “I stopped thinking about our business like a
traditional sales and marketing firm. It's more like a
flywheel where the customers are the main driver that
pulls new prospects in. That flywheel spins at the
rate of our customers’ delight.
Brian Halligan
Co-Founder & CEO, Hubspot

27. THIS CAN BE YOU.
JUST MAKE IT EASY TO
BUY, USE & GROW.
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29. PRODUCT LED GROWTH MARKET MAP
DEVELOPER &
PRODUCT TOOLS
BACK OFFICE &
OPERATIONS
CUSTOMER
ENGAGEMENT
PRODUCTIVITY &
COLLABORATION
THE
PLGMATURITY
OCTOBER 2018

30. REMEMBER…YOU’LL BE
WORTH 2X MORE.
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31. THE FUTURE IS
PRODUCT LED.
DON’T GET LEFT BEHIND.
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32. THANK YOU!
@ADAMDAVIDMARCUS
Proprietary and Confidential ©2018 OpenView Advisors, LLC. All Rights Reserved.