Ton Dobbe 🔆's Linkedin Analytics

🔆 It's Friday again - time to share an inspiring example of what it means to be remarkable in business software. Dr. Patrick Oehler (CEO at Retorio) shared something fascinating: An approach that helps sales teams use AI to create genuine human connection instead of more noise. Here's the story. Retorio, a behavioral intelligence platform, turned the pharma sales AI problem into a practical solution that actually works. While most tech providers flood HCPs with 60+ AI-generated emails weekly and endless automated calls—overwhelming doctors instead of reaching them and resulting in missed launches, declining trust, and 35% considering cutting out reps entirely... Retorio focused on making people better at their jobs, using AI to coach sales teams on building real relationships BEFORE trust completely disappears. The beautiful thing (if you're running a software company as well)? - You don't need to develop literally what your customers think they need – ask if you're solving or worsening the problem. - You don't need to replace humans with bots when human connection is what's missing – question if your tech removes what customers actually value. - You don't need to amplify what's already not working – challenge whether you're building a temporary fix or a lasting solution. You only need to blend your technology with people in a way that delivers value worth talking about. This comes down to core Traits from my book The Remarkable Effect: → "They master the art of curiosity" - They ask "What's the real problem here?" → "They focus on the essence" - They value relationships over volume → "They create new value possibilities" - They turn AI from spam tool to coach Remarkable software companies start with outcomes and work backward. Then they find a way to blend technology and people to accomplish what was previously impossible. Why? Because they aim to be different - not just better. That's noticed. Curious - what's your take? ______________ I'm Ton Dobbe Author of The Remarkable Effect. You can download my book via the link in the comments. It's free - my way of giving back to the community.

🔆 It's Friday again – time to share an inspiring example of what it means to be remarkable in business software. Nicolas Kopp (CEO at Rillet) shared something fascinating: Their team is doubling fast—with 70% fewer salespeople than the industry norm. Here’s the story. Rillet, an ERP software startup, turned resource allocation into a growth weapon. They invest 50% in engineering/product, 35% in implementation/CS, and only 15% in GTM/Ops. While most ERP vendors burn 50% of revenue on sales and marketing... pushing leads that don’t convert, discounting deals to hit targets, and padding headcount to chase quota— Rillet did the opposite. They built a product so good, it practically sells itself. They're drowning in inbound… while NetSuite throws half their revenue at sales teams. No wonder their product hasn’t evolved in a decade. The powerful thing? You don’t need 10x sellers to grow. You don’t need to bait buyers with discounts. You don’t need to brute-force your way to pipeline. You only need to build something people believe in—because it works. And back it up with an experience that removes every doubt, fast. This all comes down to core traits from my book The Remarkable Effect. Remarkable software companies: → Aim to be different—not just better. (Trait #3) → Make intentional bets on what matters. (Trait #7) → Invest where new value is created—not where deals are forced. (Trait #5) That’s noticed. In today’s market, you’re either selling outcomes—or selling excuses. ______________ I'm Ton Dobbe Author of The Remarkable Effect. You can download my book via the link in the comments. It's free - my way of giving back to the community.

🔆 It's Friday again - time to share an inspiring example of what it means to be remarkable in business software. maximus greenwald (CEO of Warmly,) recently shared something fascinating: A positioning strategy that likely generated more brand loyalty and qualified leads than months of traditional marketing campaigns. Here's the story. Warmly, a lead generation startup, turned their marketing strategy into a memorable movement by creating a fictional enemy that perfectly embodied outdated practices their customers hate. While most companies focus on highlighting features and benefits without addressing the emotional frustrations of their buyers... They created "Minimus Bluewald" (CEO of "Coldly") as the personification of everything wrong with traditional lead generation – turning confusion about value differences into crystal-clear positioning BEFORE competitors could define the conversation. The beautiful thing? You don't need a massive marketing budget to implement this strategy. You don't need to attack real competitors directly. You only need to identify the broken system or outdated mindset that's frustrating your ideal customers, then position yourself as the hero fighting against it. This all comes down to the core Traits I've defined in my book The Remarkable Effect: → Trait #9 - They sell the idea - not the product → Trait #10 - They surprise, and hit the right nerve → Trait #6 - They turn customers into fans. Remarkable software companies don't just sell products; they start movements. They make emotional connections, not just transactional ones. They aim to be different - not just better. That's noticed.

After 200+ deep dives with Sales-led SaaS CEOs, I've distilled what actually makes differentiation work—and what kills it. Here are 9 principles I see again and again in companies that win: 1 - Differentiation only matters when prospects feel it. Most companies have it. Few use it. 2 - New messaging with old selling is wasted effort. If sales doesn’t change, nothing changes. 3 - Treat differentiation like tulips, not monuments. It fades fast without care and repetition. 4 - If customers don’t experience it, it doesn’t exist. Your edge should show up in every touchpoint. 5 - Features aren’t differentiation. Your unique way of solving the problem is. 6 - Real differentiation comes from what you eliminate. Trade-offs = clarity = strength. 7 - If nobody dislikes your positioning, it’s too soft. Great positioning repels as much as it attracts. 8 - Discounting is the truth serum. Weak differentiation kills pricing power. 9 - The biggest threat is internal complacency. Companies die believing their own myths. 👉 I’ve captured these in a new essay—full of examples and implementation tips - link in the 1st comment Curious - Which of these 9 shows up in your business today— ...and which one needs the most work?

“We’re doing everything by the book… so why isn’t growth taking off?” That’s a frustration I hear almost weekly from CEOs of Sales-led SaaS scaleups. → Marketing is running campaigns → Sales is following the playbooks → Product is shipping new features And yet: the growth curve stays flat. Far below the potential they know they have. When we dig deeper, I consistently find three hidden causes: 1 - The team is working hard, but not always on the right things 2 - The value that truly sets them apart isn’t sharp enough 3 - The focus on their ideal customer has blurred No matter how strong the team — this pattern creeps in. I’ve seen this both in my own product marketing experience and in my work with dozens of SaaS scaleups. The real problem usually isn’t effort or talent. It’s deeper: it’s about the foundation of what you stand for and who you stand for. Without a crystal-clear Value Foundation, you’re always working against the current. The solution isn’t working harder. It’s regaining absolute clarity on what makes you indispensable — and making that impossible to ignore. When you do: → Marketing regains real traction → Sales no longer needs to push → Growth finally gains natural momentum Key insight: Slow growth isn’t a sales problem. It’s a focus problem. ⸻ If you want to grow by attraction instead of by force, the link to my daily insights for B2B SaaS CEOs is ☝️ at the top. Ton Dobbe | Author of The Remarkable Effect

Most SaaS teams solve a real problem. But the deal goes cold… Because it’s not the problem the customer’s solving this quarter. Fit is nothing without urgency.

If your product created undeniable value—would you still be chasing cash? That’s the real question. But too often, SaaS founders obsess over funding rounds—while ignoring what actually signals strength. Truth is: Funding problems are often value problems in disguise. Because when your product is indispensable, revenue pulls—you don’t push. Here are 3 underrated metrics that tell the real story: 1 – ARR per employee: Reveals whether you’re scaling—or just hiring. 2 – Net expansion rate: If customers aren’t growing with you, they’re prepping to leave. 3 – Adoption velocity: Is usage deepening and spreading—or just staying surface-level? The best SaaS businesses? They optimize for leverage, not hype. They grow from value, not valuation. Stop measuring success by the money you’ve raised. Start measuring the money your customers now make—because of you. _____________ Ton Dobbe Helping SaaS CEOs grow from product value, not investor pressure. Author of The Remarkable Effect

🔆 It's Friday again - time to share an inspiring example of what it means to be remarkable in business software. Guillermo Flor shared something fascinating: Lovable is adding 1,500 customers daily with growth that's probably unprecedented in software history. Here's the story. Lovable, an AI coding startup, turned their product launch into a phenomenon by doing something most developer tools completely miss. While most AI coding tools focus on promising "10x faster development" and incremental productivity gains... They focused on showing developers they could build software they never thought possible - turning impossibility into reality. The beautiful thing? You don't need a revolutionary technology breakthrough or years of R&D. You don't need to outspend competitors or hire Silicon Valley talent. You only need to execute the traits that remarkable companies use to become the go-to product in the market. Lovable demonstrates exactly what I mean. They've mastered four core Traits from my book The Remarkable Effect: → Trait #3 - They aim to be different not just better (possibility enabler vs. productivity tool) → Trait #5 - They create NEW value possibilities (entirely new categories of what's buildable) → Trait #10 - They master creating surprise (19-year-old beating 10+ year veterans hits the perfect nerve) Remarkable software companies don't just execute one trait well. They stack multiple traits that compound until they become a must-have product. They create something valuable AND desirable - not just better. That's noticed. ______________ I'm Ton Dobbe, Author of The Remarkable Effect. Download the book free via the link in comments - my way of giving back.

"Your product’s better. So why are you still losing deals?" It’s the most uncomfortable question I ask CEOs of Sales-led SaaS companies. They’ve built something powerful. But… Their win rate is stuck under 20% Their pipeline is full, but the deals don’t close Their team can’t clearly explain why they’re different And the market keeps treating them like “just another option” Sound familiar? It’s not a sales problem. It’s not a product problem. It’s a positioning problem. That’s what I help fix. Not with decks. Not with frameworks that look good in slides. With positioning that makes your product → the obvious choice → for the right customers → and proves itself in the win rate. If that’s the conversation you’ve been avoiding — or ready to have — check my profile. It now says exactly what I stand for. Or just DM me for a no-pitch sanity check. ____________ PS: I write a daily insight called Espresso with Ton — where I share unspoken truths behind SaaS growth. 2 minutes. Always straight to the point. Comment “espresso” if you want in.

“We updated our messaging. But nothing really changed.” I’ve heard this from more SaaS CEOs than I can count. It’s not always a messaging problem. It’s usually a sales behavior problem. Here’s the trap: 1 - Marketing refines the pitch 2 - Everyone nods in agreement 3 - Sales reverts to old habits → Discovery calls still sound generic → Demos follow the “Harbor Tour” → Value stories get buried under features So if results haven’t moved since your last messaging refresh, ask yourself this: Is the story still weak? Or have we failed to change how it’s being sold? Even great messaging dies in the hands of a team still running the old playbook. And when the message doesn’t land? The fallback is always the same: discounting. Because if customers don’t feel the difference, they negotiate as if there is none. Your differentiation isn’t real until it shows up in how you sell. No confidence = no conversion. No behavior change = no business change. ___________ Curious? Read my essay on the topic where I reveal 9 hard truths (link in 1st comment) Ton Dobbe Author The Remarkable Effect

Funny thing I keep seeing... So many SaaS teams are obsessed with defining the problem better. They refine their discovery questions. Get sharper at mapping pain to product. And hope that’s enough to win the deal. But here’s what I’ve learned: The best deals don’t come from finding the problem. They come from changing how your customer sees the problem. Back when I was at Unit4, we sold ERP — up against SAP, Oracle, Microsoft. Every prospect came in with the same checklist: → “We need better utilization tracking” → “We want faster reporting” → “We’re struggling with DSO and cash flow” On paper, we all solved that. And to be fair — SAP, Oracle, Microsoft? Solid products. They just took a different approach to solving the problem. And that worked for many. But not for all. We didn’t try to win on features. We won by reframing the real issue. They thought they needed better tracking. We showed them they needed a solution that could adapt as fast as their business did — and that when it did, utilization, cash flow, DSO, and everything else improved with it — by a factor. Once they saw that, the comparison stopped. We weren’t one of many anymore. We were the only one that made sense. Remarkable software companies don’t compete on features. They compete on approach. _________ I write daily for Sales-led SaaS founders who want to stop blending in. Link ☝️ takes you there. Ton Dobbe | Author of The Remarkable Effect

"Our growth is stalling." It’s the call you don’t want to make, but feel you have to. When you hit that moment where growth seems to flatline, the usual advice doesn’t cut it. What’s happening for many sales-led SaaS scaleups? 1 - You’ve outgrown your original strategies, but the next level remains elusive. 2 - Sales are happening, but they aren’t scaling at the pace you need. 3 - Your team is working harder, but the growth doesn’t reflect it. I’ve seen this in too many scaling SaaS companies, and the truth is simple: The market doesn’t just need a great product. It needs a reason to choose YOU over everyone else. Here’s the thing most sales-led SaaS scaleups miss: When growth stalls, it’s often because they haven’t effectively communicated why they are the only logical choice for their ideal customers. It’s not just about being good—it’s about standing out as the only option that makes sense. Here’s what to do next: → Start by rethinking your positioning. Is it clear for your ideal customers why they should choose you over everyone else? If not, that’s your starting point. → Shift the narrative from what you do to why it matters to the customer’s success. Sales only scale when the message connects at a deeper level. → Take the time to align your team on this new focus—everyone needs to be on the same page to drive the right kind of growth. When you get this right, that growth stall will start to feel like the start of something bigger.

"Your '5X better' product will still fail. Here's why." Talked with Imran Syed, CEO of Hatchproof who led an 8-figure exit at Instapage. Three hard truths: → Your customers don't care how much "better" you are → They won't switch unless you're fundamentally different → Most founders waste months building improvements nobody wants 3 lessons that changed how I think about product development: 1 - Being "better" isn't enough: Imran built something "five times better than what's out there" and customers still ignored it. When he pivoted from "co-pilot to autopilot," adoption finally happened. Stop making better versions of existing solutions. Make something different or don't bother. 2 - Kill features ruthlessly: Imran's team built a four-value framework that filters every feature decision. "You have to specify what value this feature is going to hit." No exceptions. This cut development waste by 60% and forced focus on what actually drives conversions. What framework are you using, or are you just building what feels right? 3 - Measure what matters: "Revenue per employee is the metric I'm watching," Imran says. He's right. While others chase headcount, smart founders build leverage. "Organizations are going to shrink while becoming smaller teams, tightly aligned, doing meaningful work." The best companies create more value with fewer people. Bottom line: If you're just building a "better" product, you're already dead. Make something so different that not switching feels like a bigger risk than switching. Ask yourself: "Would a prospect feel stupid NOT buying my product after seeing what it does?" Want the whole conversation? Link in comments.

Most SaaS founders think positioning is about getting on more shortlists. Wrong. The best positioning creates fast, confident disqualification. Here's what I mean: We were stuck competing against enterprise giants. Every deal dragged on for months. Sales cycles that should take 6 weeks stretched to 6 months. The breakthrough came when we stopped trying to be a "better" alternative and became a fundamentally different one. Instead of: "We do what the big players do, just easier." We said: "We're for companies who can't afford to wait days, weeks or months every time their business changes." Two things happened immediately: 1 - The right buyers leaned in hard 2 - The wrong ones opted out in minutes No more "maybe we should evaluate this." Just "yes" or "no." Our close rate doubled. Sales cycle cut in half. The insight: Your best sales filter might be repulsion, not attraction. When you position yourself as the clear "no" for wrong buyers, you become the obvious "yes" for the right ones. ______________ Ton Dobbe | Author of The Remarkable Effect I help Sales-led SaaS founders stop blending in. Free book: Link in comments

"What if running fewer experiments actually leads to faster growth?" This was one of the key questions I explored with Sharat Potharaju, CEO of UNIQODE and architect of a methodical approach that built a 50,000-customer business in a category that didn't exist before. Here are some of the highlights for sales-led SaaS CEOs: 1 - Embrace controlled experimentation: Run one test at a time with clear parameters. "You cannot do more than one experiment at the same time because you won't know where the results come from." 2 - Simplify your product experience: Make your solution so intuitive that users can adopt it without sales intervention, enabling organic scaling that traditional approaches can't match. 3 - Let product drive pricing: Have product teams lead pricing strategy instead of sales or marketing to create more cohesive value alignment. 4 - Institute dedicated thinking days: Block an entire day (Sharat uses Wednesdays) for pure strategic thinking without meetings, emails, or tactical work. 5 - Master selective listening: Learn to differentiate between advice you should follow and advice you should ignore - even well-meaning input from investors and mentors. 6 - Prioritize problem obsession: Fall in love with the problem, not your product. When you stay focused on the problem, your vision remains clear even as solutions evolve. 7 - Plan for the long game: Recognize that most entrepreneurial success stories take significant time and persistent effort - overnight success is the exception, not the rule. Want to hear the full story? The link is in the 1st comment And curious: What single experimental framework has delivered the most value for your business? _________________________________________ Ton Dobbe | Author of the Remarkable Effect. Get my daily SaaS growth tips "Daily Espresso with Ton" ☝️

"We just need to lower our price to win this deal." I hear this in SaaS companies every week. It's tempting, but it's also the start of a familiar pattern. Most of us think occasional discounting is harmless. I used to believe that too. But watching dozens of companies, I've seen how these decisions ripple: 1 - These customers rarely see your true value (hence needing the discount) 2 - They use your product in ways it wasn't designed for 3 - They consume 3X the support resources of your ideal customers → And eventually: Your product roadmap starts serving exceptions rather than your core market. Remarkable software companies do something counterintuitive: They walk away from deals when the fit isn't right, even with revenue targets looming. In sales-led SaaS, you don't need hundreds of customers to thrive. You need the right ones. When you find true fans, they pay full price, get value from your core features, and bring similar companies through word of mouth. I'm curious: What's one discount deal from the past year that taught you something valuable? The lessons are usually hiding in those experiences. _____________ Want to know how other Sales-led SaaS companies break this cycle? Link ☝️ at the top of my daily insights. Ton Dobbe | Author of The Remarkable Effect

"What's the real playbook for building a business on open source?" This was one of the key questions I explored with Zach Wasserman, Co-founder of Fleet Device Management and creator of OSquery at Facebook. Here are some of the highlights for sales-led SaaS CEOs: 1 - Build for real problems: Make software that solves actual pain points for professionals. Zach focused on IT admins' daily headaches, not theoretical use cases. 2 - Use open source as a credibility weapon: Fleet leveraged OSquery's adoption to instantly access enterprises that would never talk to a typical startup. 3 - Target believers first: Go after users who already get it. Zach's first big deals came from people who'd been following his work for years. 4 - Draw clear paid/free boundaries: Be strategic about what's free and what costs money. When users choose your free version, they're just future paying customers. 5 - Connect engineers to budget holders: Engineers love your tech but can't buy it. Zach learned to bridge technical champions to the people who actually sign checks. 6 - Let customers expand your vision: When a car manufacturer wanted Fleet for factory computers, Zach saw they could manage any device, not just laptops. 7 - Give back to get more: Ten years in open source taught Zach that mutual value creates sustainable businesses. The companies that take without giving back eventually fail. Want to hear the full story? Link in the 1st comment. And curious: Where exactly do you draw the line between free and paid features?

"I am puzzled how my SaaS product will ever get noticed in this sea of sameness. Every demo sounds identical. Every feature list looks the same." I heard this twice this week. Word for word. My take? Most SaaS teams are playing it safe. Too shortsighted. 1 - Teams rush to launch "good enough" products 2 - Minimum Viable Product becomes Maximum Mediocrity 3 - Competitive edge gets dulled by short-term thinking The real problem? We've turned "minimum viable" into a badge of honor. Slow growth isn't a sales problem. It's a mindset problem. Want to know the truth? Remarkable isn't about more features. It's about solving a problem in a way no one else does. → Stop building products → Start solving real challenges → Do it in a way that's worth making a remark about Just my two cents from working with founders all week. Curious how top SaaS companies break this cycle? Link ☝️ at the top of my daily insights. Ton Dobbe | Author of The Remarkable Effect

The pricing power myth most sales-led SaaS founders get wrong "We keep losing deals because we're more expensive than the competition." This story repeats in sales meetings across many sales-led SaaS companies. It's comfortable. It's convenient. It's also complete BS. When enterprise prospects choose your competitor, it's not because you're more expensive. It's because they're more valuable than you. The hard truth? They've found pricing power where you haven't. I spoke with Boulevard's CEO recently who framed this perfectly for sales-led organizations: he doesn't just set prices – he actively hunts for market segments where his solution commands pricing power. This subtle shift changes everything for your sales team: → Stop obsessing over competitive price points in sales calls → Start building unmistakable value your enterprise market will pay premium for → Focus on finding customer segments where your unique solution translates to pricing leverage Most sales-led SaaS companies waste energy trying to justify their prices when they should be creating offerings so valuable that price becomes a secondary consideration during negotiations. The answer isn't lowering your prices. It's elevating your value where it matters most to your ideal customers.

"The funding trap: How chasing investor money can derail your SaaS company" This was a key insight from my conversation with Jan Bruce, CEO of meQuilibrium and pioneer who built a profitable B2B SaaS company when others failed. Here's why this matters: → Most SaaS founders chase investment capital because competitors are → This pushes them into VC-friendly models that often lack sustainability → Success often comes from knowing exactly when to say no to money 3 powerful insights from our conversation: 1 - Capital efficiency beats capital abundance: While competitors chased millions for consumer plays, Jan chose differently. "There was a time when potential competitors were raising a lot of money... There's always that temptation. But we didn't do it, and it was the right thing to do." This discipline allowed them to bootstrap for five years until reaching "funding freedom" - where investment becomes optional rather than desperate. 2 - Customer discovery trumps preconceived value: Jan's breakthrough came from actually listening to what customers valued. "There was a time when potential competitors were raising a lot of money... There's always temptation. But we didn't do it, and it was the right thing to do." This single insight transformed their entire business model - a pivot competitors missed because they were locked into delivering what they promised investors. 3 - Patience creates sustainable advantage: Over 14 years, Jan built a capital-efficient company that's now profitable while well-funded competitors have disappeared. By working for "almost nothing" early on and focusing on enterprise clients, she created a defensible business with proprietary data and algorithms - a competitive moat that money alone couldn't buy. The key lesson? In a world where fundraising headlines often overshadow business fundamentals, the most sustainable path might be the one where you resist the temptation to raise too much, too soon. I'm curious: What funding decision have you made that went against conventional wisdom? Did it pay off? The Remarkable Effect happens when ... saying no creates more options than saying yes. Let me know your thoughts - or share your own counterintuitive funding strategy that worked. Want to hear the full story? Link is in the 1st comment 👇