What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It

When an AI-Native SaaS Bet Doesn't Work Out

Episode 51 - When an AI-Native SaaS Bet Doesn't Work Out Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It [https://www.linkedin.com/company/whats-broken-in-gtm/] with Louis Fernandes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisafernandes/] and Simon Daniels [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simondanielsuk/]. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. In this episode Simon and Louis welcome back returning guest Mark Walker [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfdimark/], Co-Founder at AI GTM Studio, who last appeared on episode five to discuss segmentation, targeting and positioning. This time, Mark generously agreed to talk through his experience as a seasoned GTM operator who set out to build an AI-native SaaS business — RevvedUp — in one of the most volatile markets in B2B software for quite some time. Louis frames the conversation not as a story about failure as an endpoint, but as an exploration of what the market teaches founders when the assumptions beneath a business change faster than the business can adapt. Here's the TL;DL: RevvedUp set out to make ABM personalization and outbound relevance scalable through AI. It gained early traction, it gained funding and it gained recognition, but the market shifted fast. Gen AI changed buyer expectations. SaaS funding became less forgiving and the boundary between software, automation, services and agentic execution began to blur. Other mentions in this episode: Mark Walker on LinkedIn: buy vs build [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jfdimark_ai-gtm-growth-activity-7450141631904813056-jkpI?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAIqgABuYKc7iR6POG3JyUY_klIWcA-r1g] Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page [https://www.linkedin.com/company/whats-broken-in-gtm/]. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

The Story So Far

Episode 50: The Story So Far Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisfernandes/] and Simon Daniels [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simondaniels/]. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. Marking the 50th episode, we reflect on the podcast’s journey before diving into the detail. Louis outlines what he sees as three defining themes that have shaped their thinking across the series: first, methodologies — from the early influence of the 95/5 concept and the 2009 HBR article “In a Downturn, Provoke Your Customers” through to Challenger, MEDDPICC and ultimately SPICED; second, leadership, and the distinction between strategic leadership and day-to-day management; and third, revenue and growth architecture, which Louis credits with bringing all of the preceding ideas into sharp relief and providing a coherent operating model for SaaS businesses. Here’s the TL;DL: Over 50 episodes, the biggest lesson is that revenue is not something you simply chase — it’s something you design, lead, govern, and systematically improve. Most SaaS companies default to more activity when things get difficult. But growth isn’t linear. It’s a system. And if that system is badly designed, adding more activity just scales the noise. Other mentions in this episode: A big thank you to the guests who have featured across the our Cognoscenti Series and other episodes, several of whom are heard in clips in this episode: Andy Champion [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andychampion/] (Atlassian), Mark Stouse [https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstouse] (Proof Causal AI), Joel Harrison [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/] (B2B Marketing), Ian Truscott [https://uk.linkedin.com/in/iantruscott] (Rockstar CMO), Nicky Briggs [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-briggs/] (Forrester), and Jon Clarke [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonlclarke/] (6sense). Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play [https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Get-Real-Not-Play/dp/1591842263] by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig “In a Downturn, Provoke Your Customers” [https://hbr.org/2009/03/in-a-downturn-provoke-your-customers] — Harvard Business Review, March 2009 Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page [https://www.linkedin.com/company/whats-broken-in-gtm-and-how-to-fix-it/]. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

Growth Architecture pt4

Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisfernandes/] and Simon Daniels [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simondaniels/]. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. As we bring to a close our topic arc on growth architecture, in this episode we arrive at the critical shift from insight to action — and specifically at the question of why most SaaS revenue leaders are solving the wrong problem. Here's the TL;DL: Most SaaS leaders think their problem is forecasting. It isn't. The forecast is just the output. If the number is wrong, it's because the system producing it is broken. Stop trying to predict the number, start designing the system that produces it. Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-dont-fix-forecast-system-louis-fernandes-0qoze/] of Louis' What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter. Other mentions in this episode: Episode 40 on causal analytics [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-broken-gtm-how-fix-ep40-christmas-a3tje?trk=public_post_feed-article-content] with Mark Stouse [https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstouse/], CEO at Proof Causal.ai Episode 48 [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-broken-gtm-how-fix-ep48-growth-v4cme/] when we covered Monte Carlo simulations in depth Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page [https://www.linkedin.com/company/whats-broken-in-gtm-and-how-to-fix-it/]. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

Growth Architecture pt3

Episode 48 - Growth Architecture pt3 Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisfernandes/] and Simon Daniels [http://www.linkedin.com/in/simondaniels]. Each episode, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues. Louis has been organizing the inaugural Winning By Design [https://winningbydesign.com/growth-institute/] Growth Institute UK London chapter meet-up taking place on the 22 April. Some existing Winning By Design revenue architects will be coming along and introducing a number of the concepts we've been talking about on the podcast, making for an interesting evening. Get in touch to apply for an invitation. Meanwhile the Accenture Song Rethink Replay series [https://www.brighttalk.com/channel/17455] has now concluded, featuring full sessions from last year's conference that are available for anyone to watch. As we near the conclusion of our growth architecture topic arc, in this episode we arrive at forecasting. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: Most forecasts assume certainty when none exists. The problem though isn't bad data, it's bad assumptions about how systems behave. The reality is that revenue is not a fixed outcome, it's a range of probabilistic outcomes. Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/forecasting-isnt-number-its-distribution-louis-fernandes-zdafe/] of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter. Other mentions in this episode: Matthew Codd's BDR hiring LinkedIn post [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matthewcodd_a-founder-came-to-me-needing-2-sdrs-her-activity-7447588801251692544-i5Fa/] Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page [https://www.linkedin.com/company/whats-broken-in-gtm-and-how-to-fix-it/about/]. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.

Growth Architecture Part 2

Episode 47 - Growth Architecture Part 2  Welcome to What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisfernandes/] and Simon Daniels [http://www.linkedin.com/in/simondaniels]. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.  Louis is in the process of reviewing a new book that's out by JD Miller [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdmillerphd/], called the AI Handbook for Sales Professionals. JD is actually, now an operating partner for Rothchild and Co Five Arrows, and he's exited about five different businesses successfully as CRO, which gives him a unique lens to be able to look at how companies really grow revenue and what they need to be doing. Louis will let is know what he thinks about the book after he’s finished reading it!  In this episode we continue our topic arc on growth architecture, turning our attention to revenue systems. Here’s the TL;DL (“Too Long; Didn’t Listen) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode:  Most SaaS companies think they have one revenue engine when in reality they have many, and each one behaves differently. If you try to forecast them as one system, you don't get accuracy, you get averages, and average is hide reality.  Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-pipeline-probability-rethinking-saas-forecasting-louis-fernandes-z0rce/] of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter.  Other mentions in this episode:  Ian Truscott [https://www.linkedin.com/in/iantruscott/]’s Hope in a Strategy [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hope-strategy-ian-truscott-ys6he/] LinkedIn newsletter article that Louis and Simon mention  BONUS LINK! Simon’s April Fool LinkedIn post! [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/simondaniels_mql-savethemql-revenueoperations-activity-7444987052418306048-EbNn]  Follow us, get in touch, share your thoughts on anything discussed, or suggest ideas for what we should cover in future episodes via our LinkedIn page [https://www.linkedin.com/company/whats-broken-in-gtm-and-how-to-fix-it/about/]. We also appreciate comments and ratings on your podcast provider.