The Sales Gap: Why PLG Companies Struggle to Scale Beyond Small Businesses with Duane Dufault

08/10/23 • 8 min

Duane Dufault highlights the importance of promptly reaching out to leads, especially if they have completed all the necessary steps and activations early on. This is because these leads may be trying to identify any flaws or potential issues with the product before presenting it to their superiors. He suggests that if a significant lead enters the trial or premium program and swiftly completes all the required steps, it is crucial to contact them immediately. By doing so, the company can address any concerns or questions they may have and provide them with the necessary information to effectively present the product to their superiors.

This proactive approach can help build trust and increase the likelihood of converting these leads into paying customers. Additionally, Duane mentions that, in his experience, the gatekeeper of the customer base is often the one responsible for evaluating the product. Therefore, reaching out to these leads promptly can also help establish a relationship with the decision-maker and facilitate the sales process. Overall, the episode emphasizes the significance of taking control of the conversation with leads and actively engaging with them to address any potential concerns or doubts they may have early on in the process.

Key Topics:

[00:00:00] Product-led growth and sales.

[00:04:26] Selling into larger businesses.

[00:06:26] Taking control of the conversation.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Be sure to follow Duane Dufault on all the social platforms to get daily hits of tactical advice that you can take action on right away

Key Topics:

[00:00:00] Product-led growth and sales.

[00:04:26] Selling into larger businesses.

[00:06:26] Taking control of the conversation.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Be sure to follow Duane Dufault on all the social platforms to get daily hits of tactical advice that you can take action on right away

Previous Episode

Overcoming Setbacks and Building a Thriving Business: How Ticketing Hub Found Success with Carl Pihl

Carl Pihl emphasizes the significance of considering not only the primary keyword but also the associated subjects and topics in terms of SEO. Many SEO professionals tend to solely focus on the primary keyword and overlook the related subjects and topics. However, the speaker believes that these associated subjects are actually the most crucial and can greatly impact search engine rankings.

To support this point, Carl shares his experience launching a new website. He explained that by correctly incorporating associated keywords into their content, they were able to achieve first, second, or third rankings on Google without relying on backlinks or having an established website. This demonstrates the power of optimizing for associated subjects and topics alongside the primary keyword.

Furthermore, Carl mentions that they now utilize AI to automatically generate pages based on keywords. This indicates that they have recognized the value of incorporating associated subjects and topics into their content creation process.

[00:01:53] Ticketing Hub creation process.

[00:03:10] Resilience and overcoming challenges.

[00:06:38] Scaling a consulting business.

[00:09:31] Building trust in sales.

[00:10:16] Lost in London days.

[00:14:09] Creating genuine connections through networking.

[00:16:02] SEO and marketing as lost leaders.

[00:18:09] Validating email addresses.

[00:20:27] Understanding customer problems through experience.

[00:23:31] Tracking user behavior and optimization.

[00:26:06] Handling a major platform failure.

[00:28:05] Nothing is free.

[00:30:10] Transparency in business.

[00:33:30] Retention during COVID.

[00:35:01] Alternative to fair Harbor.

[00:38:19] SEO and keyword density.

[00:41:05] SEO and bootstrapped companies.

[00:43:01] Building websites on a budget.

[00:45:35] SEO and website improvements.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Be sure to follow Duane Dufault on all the social platforms to get daily hits of tactical advice that you can take action on right away

Next Episode

Sales Strategies for Growing B2B SaaS Companies with Jakub Hon

Duane Dufault and Jakub Hon discuss the importance of hiring individuals with a proven track record and experience in the industry. They emphasize that hiring someone who has already been successful in a similar role increases the probability of success for the company.

Jakub emphasizes the importance of establishing a solid foundation and process early in a business. They mention that many businesses struggle because they lack a clear process. Without a solid foundation, businesses may find themselves using multiple overlapping tools, leading to confusion. They may also struggle to keep track of important information, such as past interactions with prospects.

The process allows sales reps to focus on understanding the needs of the prospect rather than simply selling to them. This approach reduces haggling and negotiation and increases the likelihood of closing deals. Additionally, having a well-defined process in place can result in better business practices, leading to scalability and ultimately higher profits for the founder.

[00:01:15] Starting an outsourcing sales company.

[00:03:48] Different sales team skillsets.

[00:05:40] Type of salesperson for formalizing sales process.

[00:08:15] Finding the right sales stage.

[00:13:33] Scaling too quickly is a mistake.

[00:15:22] Scaling sales team effectively.

[00:17:04] Scaling company processes iteratively.

[00:20:32] Hiring for outbound sales experience.

[00:22:11] Technology and sales reps.

[00:26:10] Training vs. Tools for Sales.

[00:29:27] Pipeline cures all.

[00:31:49] Buyer intent and customer knowledge.

[00:33:25] Focusing on the prospect.

[00:36:13] Sales process and saving millions.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Be sure to follow Duane Dufault on all the social platforms to get daily hits of tactical advice that you can take action on right away