SaasRise Mastermind Recap - Nov 12, 2025

Come join us next Wednesday at 8am PT and 12pm PT on Zoom for the type of peer advice you can only get from other SaaS CEOs who are in the trenches.

Topic 1: Google PPC Strategy & In-House Transition

• Challenge:
  • Moving from agency-managed to in-house Google PPC campaigns while maintaining performance and understanding the technical nuances of optimization.
• Recommendations:
  • Prioritize deep product understanding over technical PPC tricks
  • Focus on ad relevance and user intent alignment
  • Internal teams often outperform agencies when strategy is tied closely to product insight

Topic 2: Cold Outreach & LinkedIn Automation Scale

• Challenge:
  • Managing multiple outreach channels, scaling LinkedIn profiles, and controlling high per-seat costs from legacy tools.
• Recommendations:
  • Combine email and LinkedIn outreach into unified sequences
  • Use unlimited pricing models to enable large-scale campaigns
  • Leverage additional LinkedIn profiles (e.g., student accounts) for expansion
  • Target 10–30% reply rates through multi-channel messaging

Topic 3: Private Equity Conversations & Exit Planning

• Challenges:
  • Determining what information to share with PE firms during exploratory conversations
  • Understanding appropriate timing for these discussions when not actively fundraising
  • Identifying which PE firms would be the right long-term partners
  • Balancing time spent on exploratory calls versus running the business
• Advice:
  • Limit exploratory calls to 5–10 firms to avoid time drain
  • Information flows both ways – be aware of confidentiality implications
  • Use an investment bank for the actual transaction process (5–6 months)
  • Focus on key metrics: 40%+ growth rate, customer stickiness, negative churn, EBITDA
  • Consider converting from LLC to C-Corp for QSBS tax benefits ($15M capital gains tax-free per shareholder)
  • Pre-qualify PE firms using intake forms to stay organized

Topic 4: SEO Tracking & Team Accountability

• Challenges:
  • Creating quantitative metrics for SEO team performance
  • Holding teams accountable when algorithm changes affect results
  • Tracking both traditional SEO and LLM optimization
  • Avoiding vague metrics that don’t show clear progress
• Advice:
  • Track core metrics: organic search visits, leads, and customers
  • Use Google Analytics 4 with Google Search Console for keyword tracking
  • Monitor competitor growth rates for context
  • Focus on backlink building and Reddit posting for LLM optimization
  • Have SEO consultants provide strategic guidance while internal teams execute
  • Review website health weekly and track competitor performance

Topic 5: Trial/Demo Request Quality & Lead Validation

• Challenges:
  • High ratio (50%) of invalid trial signups with fake information (Gmail accounts, random names/phone numbers)
  • Difficulty tracking marketing channel effectiveness due to junk leads
  • Distinguishing between legitimate and spam registrations
  • Maintaining accurate trial-to-paid conversion metrics
• Advice:
  • 50% invalid rate is normal for B2B SaaS with free trials
  • Implement both email and phone verification (OTP) before counting as valid trial
  • Use lead validation APIs to score name, address, phone, email, and device integrity
  • Approximately 1 in 3 leads can typically be filtered out with proper validation
  • Only count users as trials after they verify both email and phone number
  • This prevents junk signups from skewing conversion metrics

Topic 6: Net Revenue Retention (NRR) Improvement

• Challenges:
  • Difficulty increasing NRR when customers land in specific contract tiers and stay there
  • No traditional good/better/best upgrade path
  • High initial pricing makes upselling harder
  • GRR is strong (97–99% monthly) but NRR not reaching target levels
• Advice:
  • Target 110–112% annual NRR (equivalent to 101% monthly NRR)
  • Incentivize CSMs to grow revenue, not just retain it
  • Use “cufflinks” approach: introduce add-on products during onboarding that aren’t visible on website
  • Separate what sales team sells from what CSM team upsells for proper baseline tracking
  • Implement quarterly business reviews (QBRs) to introduce new features and add-ons
  • Consider professional services as expansion revenue opportunity
  • Unbundle some services from higher-tier plans to sell separately to lower-tier customers
  • Track both monthly and annual metrics (annual is standard for mid-market/enterprise)

Topic 7: International Expansion & Licensing Structure (Fintech)

• Challenges:
  • Structuring a technology licensing deal for new market entry (Saudi Arabia/UAE)
  • Balancing independence between original company and new entity
  • Protecting core technology value while enabling partner-driven growth
  • Establishing fair predetermined buyout terms in case of future acquisition
• Advice:
  • Standard practice is for parent company to retain buyout clauses, not the reverse
  • Consider including exit clauses where parent company can terminate partnership with compensation (e.g., 2 years revenue)
  • Licensing agreements typically protect the original company’s interests
  • The proposed structure (new entity having option to buy parent) is unconventional
  • Need legal counsel to structure properly if pursuing this approach

Topic 8: Valid Trial Tracking & Spam Prevention

• Challenges:
  • 50% of trial signups are invalid (Gmail accounts, fake information)
  • Concerns about wasting marketing budget on low-quality channels
  • Need for simple metrics to track performance
• Advice:
  • 50% invalid rate is industry standard for B2B SaaS
  • Implement email and phone verification before counting as valid trial
  • Use lead validation services to score integrity
  • Approximately 1 in 3 can be filtered with proper validation and CAPTCHA

Topic 9: Analytics Platform Selection

• Challenges:
  • Choosing the right SaaS metrics tracking platform
  • Balancing features with cost
  • Finding a solution that provides comprehensive analytics without overspending
• Advice:
  • ChartMogul: Best product overall but most expensive option
  • Baremetrics: 30–40% cheaper than ChartMogul with practically the same functionality
  • Fincom: Up-and-coming platform with flat rate of $600/month
  • Consider budget constraints when selecting between these options

Recommended Tools

• Outreach & Automation:
  • Salesforge – Multi-channel sequencer (email + LinkedIn) with unlimited scaling and unified reply threads
  • Hey Reach – LinkedIn automation tool (competitor)
  • Instantly – Email outreach platform (competitor)
  • Smartlead – Alternative outreach automation platform
• Data & Enrichment:
  • Clay – Lead enrichment and orchestration for multi-tool workflows
  • Leadsforge.AI – Mobile number enrichment and LinkedIn follower extraction ($0.08 per number)
• SaaS Metrics & Analytics Platforms:
  • ChartMogul – Best overall product for tracking SaaS metrics, though most expensive (can reach $3,000–4,000/month at scale)
  • Baremetrics – Second best product, 30–40% cheaper than ChartMogul with practically the same functionality
  • ProfitWell – Mentioned as having limitations
  • Fincom – Up-and-coming platform from France with flat rate of $600/month regardless of MRR
• Analytics & Tracking Tools:
  • Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – For tracking organic search traffic and conversions
  • Google Search Console – For keyword tracking and search performance
  • Cometly – Attribution platform option
  • HubSpot – Attribution platform option
  • HockeyStack – Attribution platform option
• Payment & Subscription Management:
  • Stripe Subscriptions – For subscription billing management
• Lead Validation:
  • Lead validation APIs – For scoring name, address, phone, email, and device integrity to filter spam signups
• SEO Services:
  • Hive Digital – SEO agency out of Raleigh, North Carolina (founded in 2002) for backlink building, LLM optimization, and organic search
• Development Resources:
  • Idle Soft – For placing developers from Latin America
• Content Creation:
  • Pressmaster AI – Platform for authentic content creation (saves 90% of time, 95% of costs)
  • Pulse.bot – AI tool for aggregating news and social content in tech and business