How to Win podcast with Peep Laja

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**How to Win podcast with Peep Laja**

Hear how successful B2B SaaS companies and agencies compete – and win – in highly saturated categories. No fluff. No filler. Just strategies and tactics from founders, executives, and marketers. Learn about building moats, growing audiences, scaling businesses, and differentiating from the competition. New guests every week. Hosted by Peep Laja, founder at Wynter, Speero, CXL.

Latest Episodes:

Winning in a large target market with Cognism's James Isilay May 16, 2022

Show notes

Key Points:

James explains how his trading background led him to founding Cognism (01:04)
Cognism's first major pivot (02:25)
My thoughts on early pivots with a quote from Eric Ries (03:39)
James describes how Cognism's market size meant there was plenty of growth opportunity, despite competition (06:24)
I explain the advantage of starting your business outside the hyper-competitive US market with a quote from Jean-René Boidron (07:18)
James talks through why friendly, warm relationships with your early customers is key (08:53)
My opinion on networking and why you should begin marketing efforts years before your product is available (09:57)
I unpack why even mediocre companies can succeed if they have excellent product-market fit, with a quote from Wealthfront's Andy Rachleff (12:28)
James discusses the importance of mentorship (13:28)
My advice on seeking out mentors (14:21)
Why Cognism did things in the early days that wouldn't scale, with a quote from Y Combinator's Paul Graham (16:26)
My thoughts on building out your brand narrative once you've identified your competitive edge (18:55)
James describes the moats Cognism is building for the future (23:57)
Advice James would give to fellow SaaS founders (26:40)
Wrap up (28:09)

Mentioned:

James Isilay LinkedIn

James Isilay Twitter

Cognism LinkedIn

Cognism Website

Lean Startup by Eric Ries

Expanding internationally into market openings with Kameleoon's Jean-René Boidron

Andy Rachleff LinkedIn

My Links:

Marketing a movement over a product with Terminus' Sangram Vajre May 09, 2022

Show notes

Key Points:

Sangram explains the problem he identified that inspired Terminus (01:00)
How Sangram developed the FlipMyFunnel framework in Terminus' first year (02:31)
My thoughts on community creation as a moat (04:37)
I explain the benefits of developing your company around a clear point of view (07:19)
Why Terminus defined their category as account base marketing, rather than the narrower niche of account-based advertising (08:19)
I unpack the importance of having both focus and broader resilience in your company with a quote from Strava's Mark Gainey (09:44)
Sangram describes three stages companies go through: problem-market fit, product-market fit, and platform-market fit (11:39)
Terminus' approach to acquisition (14:00)
I describe the advantages of growing via acquisition with a quote from Cisco's former Chief Technology and Strategy Officer, Padmasree Warrior (15:40)
How Terminus continued to build demand through community events (18:58)
I explain why having a strong point of view is so compelling, with a quote from Celonis' Dave Peterson (20:36)
Why Terminus embraces competitors as a sign of a healthy category (22:28)
Why creating a new subcategory may be easier than winning a brand preference war (25:10)
Wrap up (31:59)

Mentioned:

Sangram Vajre LinkedIn

Sangram Vajre Twitter

Terminus LinkedIn

Terminus Website

Mark Gainey LinkedIn

Padmasree Warrior LinkedIn

Dave Peterson LinkedIn

MailChimp

August

Amp It Up: Leading for Hypergrowth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Elevating Intensity by Frank Slootman

My Links:

Aligning your business to your customers' interests with HoneyBook's Oz Alon May 02, 2022

Show notes

Key Points:

How HoneyBook got its start (00:58)
Oz explains why he views competitors as incentive for improvement (02:27)
Why HoneyBook is shifting strategies to invest in category creation (04:31)
My thoughts on category and subcategory creation with a quote from Guillaume Cabane (06:08)
I explain why choosing an ideal customer and being the best at catering to their specific needs is a winning strategy (11:51)
Oz relates what he learned from HoneyBook's failed experiments (12:45)
I discuss the experimenter's mindset, with a quote from author Annie Duke (14:04)
Oz maps out the four main sales channels that are productive for HoneyBook (15:59)
I explain why word of mouth is the most important channel for B2B marketers with a quote from Metadata's Jason Widup (19:53)
Oz explains HoneyBook's obsession with their customers, and why he feels that gives them a competitive advantage (22:00)
My thoughts on the value of doing things that don't scale in the early days of your business, with a quote from Airbnb's Joe Gebbia (25:11)
Oz advises founders to focus on aligning their business models with their customers' interests (29:11)
Wrap up (30:40)

Mentioned:

How Guillaume 'G' Cabane identifies growth opportunities for businesses

"Thinking in Bets" by Annie Duke

My Links:

Playing to your strengths and strengthening your brand identity with Seismic's Doug Winter Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

Key Points:

Doug explains how Seismic's founders saw a market opening (00:55)
How Seismic created a category and helped define a new word (02:43)
How the founders played to their strengths and industry experience (04:37)
My thoughts on founders playing to their strengths, and a quote from Unqork's Gary Hoberman (06:38)
How Seismic achieved product-market fit (08:35)
I explain why you need to be the best at something specific if you want to win (09:28)
"Contacts become contract" and a quote from YC's Michael Seibel (11:08)
Why Doug believes the saying "only the paranoid survive" (13:11)
How Seismic usurped the category leaders by acquiring them (14:36)
My thoughts on creating categories and subcategories with a quote from Prof. David Aaker (16:05)
Why Seismic is so focused on keeping their customers happy to avoid commoditization (19:14)
Doug's thoughts on staying true to your brand identity (20:47)
I explain the importance of prioritizing brand identity (21:50)
Seismic's acquisition strategy (25:00)
My thoughts on strategic acquisitions with a quote from LegalZoom's John Suh (26:27)
Wrap up (31:35)

Mentioned:

Doug Winter LinkedIn

Seismic LinkedIn

Seismic Website

Establishing authority via industry experience with Unqork’s Gary Hoberman

Michael Seibel LinkedIn

Professor David Aaker

My Links:

Expanding internationally into market openings with Kameleoon's Jean-René Boidron Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

Key Points:

Jean-René explains how Kameleoon got its start (01:07)
How Kameleoon got an advantage by establishing itself outside of the dominant North American market (02:40)
My thoughts on finding market openings and targeting a specific set of customers (05:34)
Why Kameleoon keeps its core strategy the same globally, which some localized differences (07:00)
I explain the advantages of being more local with a quote from Prof. Richard Lynch (09:06)
Jean-René explains the market verticals Kameleoon is focused on (13:22)
Why word of mouth is a pillar of Kameleoon's marketing strategy (15:27)
I explain why building mental availability is essential to generating more word of mouth (16:42)
Why Kameleoon prefers to go "slow in the right direction" over "fast in the wrong one" (18:04)
My thoughts on why product differentiation is important, but not enough to win you the game, with a quote from Gong's Chris Orlob (19:16)
Jean-René explains why smaller markets don't see as much commoditization as large ones (21:43)
Why Kameleoon was hesitant to rely on lots of VC funding in the early days (24:46)
My thoughts on the challenges of over-funding startups with a quote from Jason Calacanis (26:23)
Wrap up (28:57)

Mentioned:

Jean-René Boidron LinkedIn

Jean-René Boidron Twitter

Prof. Richard Lynch Website

Gong

Chris Orlob LinkedIn

Jason Calacanis LinkedIn

My Links:

Acting and adapting quickly with CaptivateIQ’s Mark Schopmeyer Apr 12, 2022

Show notes

Key Points:

Mark explains how CaptivateIQ's co-founders came from the problem (01:03)
Mark explains why CaptivateIQ went through three distinct versions early in the company's life (06:25)
My thoughts on why it is better to launch a product before it is ready, rather than be too late (07:00)
Why CaptivateIQ had such early success with an outbound sales movement (08:17)
I explain why you should invest in people who have skillsets you don't, with a quote from Alibaba's Jack Ma (10:10)
Mark talks through CaptivateIQ's inbound sales efforts (12:18)
I weigh in on why content marketing is so important, and why companies can no longer rely on review sites to fuel sales (13:09)
Mark explains CaptivateIQ's dedication to innovation in order to stay ahead of the competition (16:54)
My thoughts on why companies need to bet on things far into the future, with a quote from Harvard Professor David Collis (18:54)
Mark advises founders just starting out to focus on the core problem and avoid distractions (24:09)
Wrap up (27:17)

Mentioned:

Mark Schopmeyer LinkedIn

CaptivateIQ Website

CaptivateIQ LinkedIn

Reed Hoffman LinkedIn

Jack Ma Twitter

Alibaba Website

Prof. David Collis Website

My Links:

Laying the foundation for rapid growth with Oyster’s Tony Jamous Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

Key Points:

Tony describes the opportunity in the market he saw for a company like Oyster (01:05)
My thoughts on speed as a competitive advantage with a quote from Hopin's Johnny Boufarhat (04:35)
How Oyster managed to scale fast when met with massive demand (07:25)
Tony describes Oyster's internal recruitment strategies (08:40)
My thoughts on what makes a winning company culture, with a quote from Sequoia Capital's Alfred Lin (10:06)
Why Oyster is obsessed with being the best employer, and enabling their customers to be that too (13:56)
How an ambitious mission statement is helping Oyster win customers' hearts and minds (15:31)
I explain the value of a strong mission statement, with a quote from Patagonia's Vincent Stanley (16:34)
Why Oyster emphasizes practicing what they preach and being an HR gold standard (19:13)
Tony explains the factors that drove Oyster's rapid growth (21:40)
I explain the advantage of joining a booming marketing with high demand (22:56)
Why Oyster hired a Series F team for a Series B company (23:49)
Wrap up (26:30)

Mentioned:

Johnny Boufarhat LinkedIn

Alfred Lin LinkedIn

Vincent Stanley Website

My Links:

Creating a growth-driving community with dbt Labs’ Tristan Handy Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

Key Points:

How dbt got its start as a consulting service (01:04)
Four key factors in a successful transition from consulting service to SaaS company (03:37)
Tristan explains why the services team at dbt remains strategic (08:55)
dbt's three main sales motions (10:00)
How dbt's massive Slack community aids their growth (10:53)
My thoughts on creating a successful community with a quote from Lemlist's Guillaume Moubeche (11:38)
Tristan explains dbt's unusual relationship with their competition (14:48)
dbt's open source business model (16:50)
I talk about what you need to consider with an open source business model, with a quote from Cloudera's founder, Mike Olsen (17:34)
Why Tristan believes community driven companies must be advancing the conversation in their field to succeed (21:17)
Tristan explains dbt Labs' marketing efforts (22:49)
dbt's approach to meet-ups and conferences (23:27)
I explain what I see as the true value of meet-ups and conferences with a quote from Drift's David Cancel (24:30)
Creating trust at scale (26:45)
Wrap up (28:10)

Mentioned:

Tristan Handy LinkedIn

Tristan Handy Twitter

Guillaume Moubeche LinkedIn

How mental availability helped Guillaume Moubeche grow Lemlist from $0 to $10 million in revenue

Mike Olsen LinkedIn

Cloudera

David Cancel LinkedIn

Category creation and product-led differentiation with Drift's David Cancel

My Links:

Introducing new "must-haves" to the market with Klue’s Jason Smith Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

Key Points:

Jason explains Klue's backstory (01:03)
My thoughts finding an opening in the market and and creating a new "job to be done" (03:47)
The three areas Jason focused on to get Klue to its first million (06:20)
I discuss the importance of customer research (09:10)
Jason explains how Klue educated the market about competitive enablement (10:05)
My thoughts on creating new "must-haves" to establish subcategories (11:23)
Jason explains how Klue is differentiating through authenticity (16:09)
Jason unpacks why market maturity is contributing to Klue's growth (16:56)
I talk about why proof and case studies are such powerful marketing tools (19:04)
Why Klue took their time expanding downmarket (20:44)
Jason explains why the bulk of Klue's VC funding is going to product development (22:50)
I explain why customer data should inform your integration choices (25:08)
My thoughts on why authenticity is a strong angle to differentiate with (28:38)
Jason explains why elevating the category is the ideal moat (29:23)
Wrap up (31:04)

Mentioned:

Clayton Christensen Website

My Links:

Competing in a Crowded Space with Omnisend's Rytis Lauris Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

Key Points:

Rytis explains the opening he saw in the market when starting Omnisend (01:13)
My thoughts on the importance of speed when entering a category without established competition (03:38)
The strategies that won Omnisend their first 100 000 customers (06:31)
Rytis describes Omnisend’s profitable agency partner program (07:37)
I discuss why partner programs can be difficult to pull off, and what agency partner are looking for (09:03)
Rytis explains how original research fuels Omnisend’s content strategy (10:31)
My thoughts on the benefits of original research in online content (11:47)
Rytis unpacks Omnisend’s pricing strategy (16:32)
I describe the advantages of being either the high or low-cost option in your market (17:46)
Rytis explains why bootstrapping the company gave Omnisend a competitive advantage (18:37)
My thoughts on the downsides of VC funding if your growth can’t catch up to your spend (19:22)
I explain why you need to be better AND different to compete in a saturated space (21:30)
Rytis explains the contributing factors in Omnisend’s rapid growth over the last two years (22:35)
I discuss how the law of double jeopardy benefits large companies (25:19)
Wrap up (29:11)

Mentioned:

Rytis Lauris LinkedIn

Rytis Lauris Twitter

Omnisend Website

Omnisend LinkedIn

Peter Caputa LinkedIn

Databox Website

Michele Linn LinkedIn

Mantis Research Website

Paul Dyson LinkedIn

Data2Decisions Website

How Shopify's Morgan Brown helps them stay ahead of the competition