Ton Dobbe 🔆's Linkedin Analytics

"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?

"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.

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

🔆 It's Friday again - time to share an inspiring example of what it means to be remarkable in business software. Matthijs Welle (CEO at Mews) shared something fascinating: His unconventional approach to building a hospitality software company that completely sidesteps the competitor copycat trap. Here's the story. Mews, a hotel management platform, turned unconventional learning into strategic differentiation. Instead of benchmarking against other hotel software competitors, Welle studies Beyoncé, Adele, and Taylor Swift. While most SaaS CEOs obsess over feature parity and competitor analysis... Mews flips the script entirely - mining insights from music industry titans who've mastered emotional connection, strategic pricing, and superfan loyalty. The beautiful thing? You don't need to change your product to change your trajectory. You don't need to outspend the competition to out-position them. You don't need more features to spark demand. You only need the courage to stop looking sideways—and start thinking bigger than your category. This all comes down to core traits I define in The Remarkable Effect: - They master the art of curiosity - They focus on the essence - They aim to be different – not just better Remarkable software companies don't just chase growth. They create pull. They inspire belief. That's noticed. Not by chasing leads—but by changing how people see what's possible. Confidence > features. ______________ I'm Ton Dobbe, Author of The Remarkable Effect. Download the book free via the link in comments - my way of giving back.

It’s ridiculous that $5M+ ARR SaaS scaleups still discount 35% to close. You’ve built software with faster ROI than Oracle, Microsoft, or SAP. The calculator proves it. The demo seals it. Yet every Q ends the same: 40% off to win procurement. 60-day trials stretched to six months. And another vendor wins — at double your price, with half your product. When buyers can’t tell the difference, they default to price. Being forgettable costs margin. Being unmistakable earns it.

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.

"My team is very comfortable talking about features, but they fail to bring our value across." This wasn't just one CSO's complaint. It's the silent killer of SaaS revenue across the industry. When your sales team can't articulate value, three consequences follow: 1 - Long sales cycles drain your resources 2 - Pipeline becomes a fantasy collection rather than a forecast 3 - Close rates stay stubbornly low Most companies try to fix this with better scripts or more product training. Dead wrong approach. The real issue isn't that your team can't talk about value. It's that they don't truly believe it. When I watch sales calls, I see the exact moment it falls apart: the competitor question. That's when reps abandon conviction and retreat to feature comparisons: "We have this, they don't. Our UI is better." But here's the truth: If your differentiation depends on features, you've already lost. Features get copied in two sprints. Your method can't. The fastest-growing SaaS companies I've worked with sell their approach, not their output. They focus relentlessly on one question: What can your competitors not replicate even with unlimited budget? → Your competitors can add a dashboard. They can't replicate how you think. → They can match your integrations. They can't match your first principles. → They can copy your UI. They can't copy your DNA. When sales teams make this shift, the transformation is immediate: - Deal cycles cut in half - Win rates double - Discounts vanish ________________ Ton Dobbe | Author of The Remarkable Effect I help Sales-led SaaS founders stop blending in. Free book: Link in comments

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. 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.

"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

"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

🔆 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.

"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" ☝️

11 unconventional positioning tips relevant for sales-led SaaS companies Based on my 30,000+ hours of experience in this field I cut it down to this list 1. While 100% of your SaaS product matters to you, only 5% matters to your customers. 2. Standing out is about daring to claim your position. That means killing your darlings and getting rid of all the things people already expect. 3. If you do not clearly explain how you stand out, your competitor will happily take advantage of that. 4. Don't focus on how you compare against your competitors; focus on what your customers secretly want. 5. Most SaaS companies fail to create their dream positioning because they fear their market will get too small. Remember, only 5% of the market cares about you. 6. Being better than your competitors is overrated. Being different is underrated. 7. Weak SaaS positioning is often factual. The strongest SaaS positioning is emotional. 8. It is not only about attracting the right customers. It's also about repelling the wrong ones. 9. Our natural urge is to keep all the options open & compromise. But the secret is to close all doors but one, and stick to your sweet spot. 10. The strongest results come from being memorable and brutally honest—that gets noticed and talked about. 11. Most of your competitors aren't experts in positioning anyway, so why follow their lead? Go in the opposite direction.

Your discovery calls are broken. Not because you're asking bad questions. Because you're asking them with the wrong intent. Most reps show up ready to present. They've got their demo queued up, their value props memorized, their objection handlers ready. They're listening to answer, not listening to understand. Here's what changes everything: Go in assuming you'll walk away. Make them convince YOU they're worth your time. Let them sell you on three things: 1 - What's actually broken in their world 2 - What it's costing them to stay broken 3 - What they've already tried that failed Only when all three connect do you move forward. This isn't about being difficult. It's about being selective. Bad-fit prospects will always reveal themselves if you let them talk long enough. Good-fit prospects will make your case for you. Most sales teams are scared to disqualify. They think every meeting is precious. Wrong. Your best deals come from prospects who sell themselves. Stop pitching. Start listening. Make them earn your solution.

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 counterintuitive reason why saying no to customers made Tekmetric the only profitable player in their market" Sunil Patel, CEO of Tekmetric does what most SaaS founders fear: he rejects paying customers. As a former repair shop owner, he knew the industry's pain but refused to build for everyone. The result? Market leadership and profitability while competitors burn cash. Here's his approach: → Most SaaS companies see competitor features and immediately start copying → Others chase enterprise clients with endless customization demands → The winners ignore both and solve core problems from scratch 3 powerful insights from our conversation: 1 - First principles beats feature matching While competitors need 60-80 clicks to create a job, Tekmetric does it in one. Sunil's team asked "what are we trying to solve?" instead of "what features should we copy?" They built their own labor guide and smart jobs system that automatically handles inventory, vendors, taxes, and discounts. Result: customers can type "oil change" and everything happens automatically. 2 - Saying no wins more customers Sunil tells potential customers when Tekmetric isn't right for them. One prospect in Colorado was told "we're not a good fit" during the demo. Months later, he signed up anyway, saying the honesty convinced him they'd be straight about everything else. Enterprise clients with 300-item feature wishlists get turned away - and often come back more interested. 3 - Departmental hierarchy drives success Product and engineering must lead, then sales, then marketing. When sales leads product, you oversell buggy solutions. When marketing leads sales, you waste money on leads your team can't convert. Tekmetric raised the least funding in their space yet became the market leader by maintaining this order. The key lesson? Stop playing feature catch-up. Build what customers actually need, even if it means saying no to immediate revenue. Want to hear the full story? Link in the 1st comment.