SaaS Backwards - Reverse Engineering SaaS Success

Ken Lempit
  • 5.0 (5)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
SaaS Backwards - Reverse Engineering SaaS Success

Join us as we interview CEOs and CMOs of fast-growing SaaS firms to reveal what they are doing that’s working, and lessons learned from things that didn’t work as planned. These deep conversations dive into the dynamic world of SaaS B2B marketing, go-to-market strategies, and the SaaS business model. Content focuses on the pragmatic as well as strategic, providing a well-rounded diet for those running SaaS firms today. Hosted by Ken Lempit, Austin Lawrence Group’s president and chief business builder, who brings over 30 years of experience and expertise in helping software companies grow and their founders achieve their visions.

  1. 5D AGO

    Ep. 160 - AI Is Rewriting the SaaS Playbook—Are You Ready?

    Guests: Ken Lempit, James Ollerenshaw, & Rob Curtis AI is transforming SaaS—but not in the way most leaders think. Forget the headlines claiming "SaaS is dead." The real shift isn't just in tools—it's in how fast software is built, marketed, and bought. In this episode, Rob Curtis (VC-backed founder), Ken Lempit (SaaS GTM strategist), and James Ollerenshaw (AI advisor) break down what AI means for the future of SaaS—and why B2B CROs and CMOs need to rethink their strategy now or risk fall...

    39 min

  2. MAR 28

    Ep. 159 - Why Full-Cycle Reps Are Beating Your SDRs

    Guest: Guy Rubin, Founder & CEO at Ebsta Most B2B SaaS leaders know their top performers carry the team, but few understand why the performance gap keeps widening. The reality is that just 14% of reps are now responsible for 80% of revenue, and the gap between A-players and everyone else has grown to 11x. Fixing this isn’t about more training or new tools—it’s about creating consistent, data-driven sales execution across the entire go-to-market team. In this episode, Guy Rubin, Founder &a...

    32 min

  3. MAR 14

    Ep. 158 - 97% of SaaS Churn at First Opportunity is Decided in the First 90 Days—Onboarding Is the Key

    Guest: Srikrishnan Ganesan, Co-Founder & CEO of Rocketlane Most B2B SaaS leaders know that onboarding is important but underestimate its impact. The reality is that 97% of churn at first opportunity is decided in the first 90 days, making onboarding the most critical stage in the customer journey and the defining factor in revenue growth and long-term customer success. In this episode, Sri Ganesan, Co-Founder and CEO of Rocketlane, shares how SaaS companies can transform onboarding from a...

    32 min

  4. MAR 7

    Ep. 157 - AI is Reshaping B2B Marketing—Are You Ready?

    Guest: Christina Richards, Fractional CMO & Author of Rise of the AI-Powered CMO Most B2B marketers think they’re using AI effectively. The reality? Many are barely scratching the surface—and failing to leverage AI as a true revenue driver. Christina Richards, fractional CMO and author of Rise of the AI-Powered CMO, breaks down how AI is transforming go-to-market strategies, reshaping demand generation, and redefining the role of marketing leaders in B2B SaaS. The biggest shift? AI is mov...

    28 min

  5. FEB 28

    Ep. 156 - Why Traditional Sales Prospecting is Broken (And What to Do Instead)

    Guest: Zach Wright, Co-Founder & CRO of Syft AI Most sales teams are still stuck in outdated prospecting tactics—mass email sequencing, generic outreach, and hoping something sticks. The reality? These methods are failing fast, and sellers who rely on them are drowning in low response rates and missed pipeline goals. Zach Wright, co-founder and CRO of Syft AI, breaks down why traditional sales prospecting is broken and what today’s B2B SaaS sellers must do differently to cut through the n...

    37 min

  6. FEB 21

    Ep. 155 - You’re Probably Doing Discovery Wrong—And It’s Costing You Deals

    Guest: Peter Cohan, Author of Doing Discovery Most sales teams think they’re great at discovery. The reality? About 80% are getting it wrong—and it’s the single biggest reason why deals stall, go to a competitor, or die with “no decision.” Peter Cohan, author of Doing Discovery, breaks down why traditional discovery methods are failing and what SaaS sales teams must do differently to uncover real customer value, build compelling business cases, and stop losing winnable deals. The biggest mist...

    34 min

  7. FEB 14

    Ep. 154 - Why Some SaaS Companies Are Turning to Billboards for Measurable Growth

    Guest: Ty Tinker, Head of Analytics at AdQuick What if everything you thought about billboard advertising was wrong? Ty Tinker, Head of Analytics at AdQuick, breaks down the myth that out-of-home (OOH) advertising is unmeasurable and outdated. In reality, leading SaaS companies—including Dropbox, Salesforce, and Shopify—are embracing billboards, transit ads, and airport placements to drive brand awareness, accelerate sales cycles, and even generate measurable leads. Ty reveals how brands are ...

    29 min

  8. FEB 7

    Ep. 153 - The End of the Gumball Machine: Why B2B Marketing Needs a New Playbook

    Guest: Jon Miller, Co-Founder & CEO of a Stealth AI Startup Jon Miller, co-founder of Marketo and former CMO of Demandbase, argues that B2B marketing’s traditional playbook—built on predictable demand generation, MQL scoring, and SDR-driven outbound—is broken. The “gumball machine” approach, where marketers expect predictable revenue by simply feeding in budget and campaigns, no longer works. Buyers have evolved, becoming more resistant to outbound tactics and opting for anonymous r...

    29 min
See All (160)

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    About

    Join us as we interview CEOs and CMOs of fast-growing SaaS firms to reveal what they are doing that’s working, and lessons learned from things that didn’t work as planned. These deep conversations dive into the dynamic world of SaaS B2B marketing, go-to-market strategies, and the SaaS business model. Content focuses on the pragmatic as well as strategic, providing a well-rounded diet for those running SaaS firms today. Hosted by Ken Lempit, Austin Lawrence Group’s president and chief business builder, who brings over 30 years of experience and expertise in helping software companies grow and their founders achieve their visions.

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