Growth is the Elephant

Over the past few months, I have been advising several private equity firms and small SaaS startups on growth. In each case the conversation has started with Sales - namely how to get more of them. I will admit that's the end goal, but rarely is building a sustainable growth model limited to that one function inside the business. Let's step out a basic setup for growth:

1. You have a defined target market and understand the problems/opportunities for that audience

2. You have developed products and/or services that deliver meaningful value to that target market

3. The audience is aware of you, likes you, and believes you can solve problems for them and others like them

4. You have the ability to communicate effectively to that audience, including the above stated value, evidence/proof, and why you are better than the competition

5. You can create interest within the audience and compel them to take actions

6. You can deliver against that promise effectively and consistently (implementation, installation, customer experience, customer support, etc.)

So before you even get to an appointment, you will have had to successfully align and deploy multiple teams within the business: Market Research, Product Management, Brand Marketing, Product Marketing, Demand Generation, Professional Services, Customer Service.

My point is not to neglect Sales, that will kill your growth aspirations as surely as any other mistake. What I tell my partners is that you need to have an integrated Go To Market strategy - considering the competency, maturity, and internal value of each step. There will be trade offs, not many startups or portfolio turnarounds can afford talent at every position on the team. What you can do is ensure you have leadership with experience and success at all the major inflection points: Product, Marketing, Sales, Services. Make sure you have someone who can see it's actually an Elephant - and you should be able to steer your way to growth.