Shows
The Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The Forward-Deployed EngineerThe Forward-Deployed Engineer (FDE) represents a fundamental reimagining of the technical role in high-stakes enterprise environments. At its core, an FDE is a software engineer embedded directly with customers to solve their most complex—and often ambiguous—problems.Palantir is widely credited as the originator and early adopter of the FDE model, initially referring to these engineers as “Deltas.” In this episode, Dave “CAC” Kellogg and Ray “Growth” Rike explore multiple dimensions of the Forward-Deployed Engineer role, including:The origin of the FDEHow the military influenced the termWhether the FDE belongs in a technology-enabled services company or a software co...
2025-10-1624 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The Iconiq State of Software 2025 ReportIconiq recently published its State of Software 2025: Rethinking the Playbook. Whenever a new industry benchmark report is published, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike try to quickly read, analyze and decide if the report should be discussed on an episode of the Metrics Brothers. The Iconiq State of Software 2025 is a solid industry report that includes several key findings that Dave and Ray discuss during this episode including:Ai-Native vs AI-Enabled vs non-AI segmentationGrowth's impact on Enterprise Value to Revenue multiplesRevenue growth trends by company sizeNet Revenue Retention BenchmarksCAC Payback Period BenchmarksAdoption vs Engagement vs Outcomes for A...
2025-10-0825 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The Bessemer Cloud 100 Benchmarks Report 2025The Bessemer Venture Partners Cloud 100 Benchmarks Report 2025 provides a snapshot into the top 100 PRIVATE SaaS/Cloud/AI companies. This year's report is full of new insights and trends that highlight how AI is impacting the software industry as we know it. Some of the key points in the report that our hosts Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss during today's episode include: The Cloud 100 $1,117 billion in aggregate value - a 36% increase from $820 billion in 2024The top 10 companies account for $598 billion of the aggregate value - 54% of entire list versus 46% last yearOpenAI valued at $300 billion exceeds the c...
2025-10-0122 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Grindscore: A New Workplace Attractiveness MetricPositive Business Outlook or Work-Life Balance - which is more important? The "Grindscore" metric combines the two to determine the attractiveness of a company for employees. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the metric from many different angles including:The origin of the Grindscore metricPositive Business Outlook (PBO) + Work-Life Balance (WLB)Sample of Private and Public Company GrindscoresWhy a high PBO and high WLB scores the same as a low PBO and an average WLB (flaws of the metric)This episode covers a metric that most software companies are not us...
2025-09-2323 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Grindscore: A New Workplace Attractiveness MetricPositive Business Outlook or Work-Life Balance - which is more important? The "Grindscore" metric combines the two to determine the attractiveness of a company for employees. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the metric from many different angles including:The origin of the Grindscore metricPositive Business Outlook (PBO) + Work-Life Balance (WLB)Sample of Private and Public Company GrindscoresWhy a high PBO and high WLB scores the same as a low PBO and an average WLB (flaws of the metric)This episode covers a metric\ that most software companies are not us...
2025-09-2023 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Bessemer's State of AI 2025 ReportBessemer Venture Partners recently released their State of AI 2025 Report, a space exploration manual for the AI software era. With AI now the dominant software force, let's dive into what Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike took away from the report in today's episode:The key differences in performance metrics between AI Supernovas and Shooting StarsWhy Vertical AI companies have a unique opportunity to outperform horizontal AI companies in the early daysThe importance of building a structured Proof of Concept or Pilot program into your customer acquisition processThe top 5 predictions for the AI market in 2026Top 10 takeaways...
2025-09-1025 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)AI Valuations from AventisAventis Advisors recently published a report on AI Valuations which covered the number of investments, size of those investments, median valuations and multiples on AI investments over a 15 year period from 2010 through first half of 2025!Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss some of the highlights including:AI industry categories includedNumber of financing rounds (2010 - 1H2025)Total Capital Raised (2010 - 1H2025)Median sizes by round (2010 - 1H2025)Valuations (2010 - 1H2025)Valuation multiples (2010 - 1H2025)Large Language Model valuations vs AI Coding Assistant ValuationsSummary of the AI funding environmentYou can follow...
2025-09-0323 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Data Center Metrics: Gigawatts and ManhattansAI is creating a level of need for data centers, power and processing capacity that has not been seen before - but how to measure the magnitude of that need is the topic for the Metrics Brothers to take on during this episode.During today's conversation, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss many key Data Center metrics including:FLOPS - Floating Point Operations per SecondModel ParametersWatts and Gigawatts = PowerGigawatt/hours = EnergyFirst multi-GW data center named Prometheus Why data center size is now being compared to the city of Manhattan
2025-08-1223 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The New AI Growth Metric: Months to $100M in ARRSaaS companies were traditionally measured on how many years it took to achieve $100M ARR - a key milestone! In today's brave new world of AI, this milestone is now measured in MONTHS. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike highlight discuss this new AI growth metric in today's episode with many examples including:LovableCursorWizBoltAnthropicOpenAIDave and Ray discuss how these new hypergrowth AI-Native companies compare to some of the fastest growing traditional SaaS companies including DocuSign, Atlassian, Box, HashiCorp, Zoom and Slack.The Metrics Brothers then dive a little deeper into...
2025-07-3125 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The Windsurf Transaction and the New Reverse Acqui-hiresThe recent $2.4B deal by Google to purchase Windsurf's two co-founders, key staff and a non-exclusive license to the Windsurf software is an example of the new Reverse Acqui-hire structure. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the tradition vs new acqui-hire structure model as evidenced by the Google-Windsurf deal.During this episode, CAC and Growth cover not only the Goggle-Windsurf deal, they also discuss the broader impact to the future of acquisitions across the software industry. Topics discussed include:The timeline of the Google, Windsurf and now Cognition dealOverview of the...
2025-07-2329 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)AI MetricsAI and AI-Native companies are changing the software industry and the metrics to measure AI market momentum are still evolving.During this weeks episode, our co-hosts Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss a recent article on AI Metrics by Benedict Evans. AI measurements and metrics discussed include:Daily Active Users / Monthly Active Users (DAU/MAU)Tokens - what they are and how they are calculatedWeekly User RetentionDave and Ray take us on a stroll down "metrics memory lane" as they discuss the early days of the internet, and some o...
2025-07-1724 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Figma S-1Figma is a web-based collaborative design platform used by product designers, UX/UI teams and developers. They also just recently filed their S-1.During this episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss several aspects of the S-1 including:Customer count & revenue by customer segment (< > $10,000 ARR, > $100,000 ARR, > $1M ARR)Net Revenue (Dollar) Retention Rate Calculation (132%)Gross Revenue (Dollar) Retention Rate Calculation (96%)Rule of 40 = 79 (higher than Palantir)Impact of the Adobe acquisition collapse - an enterprise valuation perspectiveInspiration for the discussion and a few data points beyond what was in the...
2025-07-0921 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The ICONIQ 2025 State of Go-to-Market ReportGo-to-Market is a term often used to describe the strategy, processes, and organizations that B2B companies employ to acquire, retain, and expand their customer base.In this episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the recently published ICONIQ report on the State of GTM 2025...and yes, it includes a lot about how AI-native and AI utilization are impacting all things GTM. Topics include:Funnel Conversion Rate TrendsAI-Native Funnel Performance Advantages Cost per OpportunityCustomer Renewal TimingGo-to-Market Headcount allocation (AI-Native vs Legacy SaaS)AI's impact on Sales ProductivityAI Spend Trends...
2025-07-0229 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Is ARR Dead?The definition of Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) has never been standardized - but in an era of variable pricing models such as Usage-Based Pricing, the innovative approaches to calculating and reporting ARR continue to evolve. During this episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike cover the topic guided by a few recently industry influencer posts - coupled with their own experiences including:Ben Murray, The SaaS CFO - Please Don't Tell me ARR is DeadCJ Gustafson - How Public Companies Report ARRNotable, Glenn Solomon and Laura Hamilton. - Is ARR Dead or Just Evolving?Ben Murray, The...
2025-06-2524 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)B2B Marketing Budget and Productivity BenchmarksDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike break down the recent Benchmarkit B2B Marketing Budget and Productivity Benchmarks Report. Key trends and insights into how the Marketing budgets are established, consumed and reported upon including:Marketing budget as a percentage of revenue including YoY changes and segmented by company sizeGrowth Rates compared to Marketing budget allocation - the chicken or the egg discussionPeople vs Program vs Technology budget allocation - and which company profile attributes impact the resultsDemand Generation - how much of the Marketing budget is consumed by demand gen - it depends...Product-Led Growth vs...
2025-06-0420 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Cost/Opportunity and Pipe/SpendHow do you calculate the efficiency of pipeline generation in a B2B SaaS company? Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike take this metric(s) topic on head first by discussing both the Cost per Opportunity and Pipe to Spend metrics - key to understanding how much investment is required to generate pipeline!During this episode CAC and Growth also touch upon the closely aligned metric of "Pipeline Conversion" which is a critical metric to partner with both the Cost per Opportunity and the Pipe to Spend metrics!If you are responsible for generating p...
2025-05-2625 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Marketing and Sales AlignmentCustomer Acquisition Cost efficiency continues to be challenged in the B2B SaaS environment, while alignment across the Go-to-Market organization continues to be a topic of conversation. So, Dave "CAC" Kellogg a long time Marketing executive and Ray "Growth" Rike, a long time Sales executive decided to take on the the topic of Marketing and Sales alignment from their respective experiences as department executives. Topics discussed include:What is Marketing and Sales AlignmentWhat isn't Marketing and Sales AlignmentTop 3 Ideas to Achieve Marketing and Sales AlignmentHow Metrics Can Impact Marketing and Sales AlignmentThe Impact of Alignment
2025-05-1629 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Why Can’t We All Just Get Along? Aligning Finance and GTM with SaaS MetricsDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike recently did a LIVE episode of SaaS Talk with the Metrics Brothers at the Baker Tilly Technology Finance Symposium in San Francisco. The topic of their discussion was aligning Finance and the Go-to-Market functions and included how SaaS metrics can be used as a core "alignment" strategy. During this "extended" version of SaaS Talk with the Metrics Brothers, Ray and Dave discussed several different strategies to align Finance and the GTM functions, including:What is alignmentWhat isn't alignmentReal-life stories on what misalignment looks likePutting "Strategy" back into Strategic PlanningStrategic Pl...
2025-05-0845 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Stock-based compensationStock-based Compensation (SBC) has been a hallmark of the SaaS and Cloud industry since the early days. Stock Options, Restricted Stock Units, Strike Price, and vesting periods continue to be a key discussion point for potential hires. Today's episode covers how Stock-based compensation impacts Operating Expenses on the Income Statement...and how SBC can impact SaaS metrics.Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive into the details of Stock-Based Compensation in today's episode including:What is Stock-Based Compensation (SBC)How does a company pay/account for SBCWhat kind of expense is Stock-Based CompensationWhere does SBC s...
2025-04-3031 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Benchmarks - How to Evaluate and UseB2B SaaS Benchmark reports are popping up like mushrooms - but how do you know if the benchmark report is good, contains valuable insights and how to use the benchmarks to inform your own objectives and SaaS metrics goals? Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike take on a topic that is near and dear to their hearts and discuss several key factors that are a tell for a good benchmark report including:Top things to consider when reading a benchmark reportAttributes of a good benchmark reportAttributes of a "not so good" benchmark reportBenchmark utilization b...
2025-04-0922 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and Related MetricsIdeal Customer Profile (ICP) is a term commonly used across the SaaS industry - but what does it really mean, how can a company effectively build a customer acquisition strategy around it and what METRICS can be used to determine a company's ICP and then measure if it really is the best target customer segment?During this week's episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the following ICP elements to understand, execute and measure the ROI on the "Ideal Customer Profile":What variables are used to determine the ICPHow to measure the relevant fit...
2025-04-0422 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Pricing and Billing Trends & BenchmarksB2B SaaS Pricing models have evolved over the past few years with 67% of SaaS companies now saying they have introduced at least one element of Usage-Based Pricing. Though this benchmark does not tell the whole story of pricing, as the primary pricing model is still based upon a subscription fee per user or a subscription fee per user + a Usage-Based or Value-Based pricing variable.During this episode, CAC and Growth cover a wide range of current pricing trends and benchmarks including:Subscription vs Usage vs Value vs Hybrid pricing model adoptionAdoption of AI and the a...
2025-03-0625 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Sales VelocityThe Sales Velocity metric calculation formula is (win rate x average contract value x # opportunities)/ average sales cycle length. The resultant Sales Velocity metrics highlights the amount of new bookings a Sales team can deliver per day....one key question about Sales Velocity is " is this a metric to help understand sales capacity, sales effectiveness or sales efficiency?Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike break down Sales Velocity in this episode covering key topics including:Sales Velocity CalculationSales Velocity BenefitsWhich input variables to focus on firstFour Approaches to Increase Sales Velocity...
2025-02-1924 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)GONG's 2025 State of Revenue Growth ReportDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the latest revenue growth trends and the related metrics driving the growth as highlighted in GONGs 2025 State of Revenue Growth Report. Topics discussed include:2024 Growth RatesSales Velocity Trends including Win Rates, Sales Cycle Length and ACVAI AdoptionTop Growth InitiativesSaaS Magic Number trendsIf you are responsible for the GTM and Revenue growth teams in your SaaS company, or just interested in the latest Sales benchmarks - this episode in another great listen!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice...
2025-02-1227 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Implied ARRImplied ARR is the SaaS metric used to convert GAAP revenue for public SaaS companies into an equivalent to Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) used by investors and private SaaS companies. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the what, why and how behind Implied ARR.During this episode CAC and Growth discuss multiple Implied ARR topics including:Implied ARR Calculation FormulaWhy Investors Calculate Implied ARRSaaS Metrics that use Implied ARRChallenges with Implied ARRImplied ARR versus Trailing Twelve Month RevenueIf you are interested in how public SaaS companies analysts use Implied...
2025-02-0622 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)SaaS Quick RatioIn this episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the SaaS Quick Ratio, a SaaS metric first introduced in 2015 with the goal to measure ARR growth efficiency by comparing New ARR growth versus existing customer ARR contraction.The SaaS Quick Ratio borrows a concept used in general finance known as the "Quick Ratio" - which measures a company's ability to pay it's current liabilities.The formula used to calculate the SaaS Quick Ratio is:(New Logo ARR + Expansion ARR)/ (Churned ARR + Down-Sell ARR)Traditional wisdom says a SaaS Quick...
2024-12-3121 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)ICONIQ Growth 2024 Marketing Budgets and Productivity ReportMarketing budget and productivity benchmarks are hard to find, so when Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike first saw the ICONIQ Growth Marketing Budget and Productivity Report - they knew it was a great topic for this episode of SaaS Talk with the Metrics Brothers.During today's episode, Dave and Ray discuss several critical Marketing Planning, Budget, and Productivity benchmarks including:Marketing budget as a percentage of RevenueOn-line versus off-line spendProgram vs People budget allocationOnline Marketing spend by channelOff-line Marketing spend by programOutsourcing and Agency spend by program typeMarketing efficiency benchmarksPipeline contribution sources
2024-12-1827 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The Service Titan S-1ServiceTitan, a vertical SaaS company for the trades recently filed their S-1 and went public on December 12, 2024. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss many details regarding the S-1 including the basic enterprise value creating performance metrics and some very interesting aspects of the IPO structure.During this episode, Dave and Ray discuss several aspects of the S-1 and IPO measured against industry benchmarks including:ARR Growth RateRule of 40Net Dollar Retention RateCAC Payback Period Gross Margin S&M as a percentage of revenueR&D as a percentage of revenueARR per FTERevenue breakdown by category (Su...
2024-12-1227 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)KeyBanc Capital Markets 2024 SaaS Benchmarks ReportKeyBanc Capital Markets in partnership with Sapphire Ventures recently published their 2024 SaaS Metrics Benchmark report. During today's episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive into this years highlights including:Growth RatesNet and Gross Revenue RetentionRule of 40Go-to-Market Organization RatiosMarketing Strategies and ProductivityHuman Capital EfficiencyValuation Multiples - By Growth RateIf you are a SaaS executive, employee or investor this episode is a great listen!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2024-12-0126 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Customer Retention Cost RatioCustomer Retention is a hallmark of the SaaS recurring revenue business model. But what is the primary metric to measure the cost of retaining each customer, how is the efficiency to renew ARR calculated, and what goes into that metric?Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike go deep into the components of Customer Retention Costs and the value in measuring including:The benefits of measuring Customer Retention CostsCustomer Retention vs Customer Renewal CostsThe Components of Customer Retention CostsTotal ARR or Renewed ARR - which is the best to measure Retention Costs against
2024-10-2823 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Headline Valuations: Not Quite What They SeemNew investment announcements in B2B SaaS companies are not quite what they seem!? Over the past few years, public announcements have moved from how much capital was raised to what the valuation of the company was at funding. BEWARE - those valuation headlines are full of nuance and details that are not disclosed!!!Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike - also known as The Metrics Brothers go deep into the details that are left out and are present behind the headline valuation announcements including:Class of stockLiquidation preferencesParticipating preferencesRedemption RightsSecondary Sales
2024-10-0323 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)CARR, ARR, and the Impact of Usage-Based PricingContracted Annual Recurring Revenue (CARR) and Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) are commonly used terms in the SaaS and Cloud Industry but are not standardized leading to inconsistent calculation. In fact, they were the first two metrics the SaaS Metrics Standards Board published standards upon.Dave and Ray discuss the current definitions, calculations and how Usage-Based Pricing is impacting the historic ARR reporting model.During today's episode CAC and Growth cover the following topics:Contracted Annual Recurring Revenue (CARR) - Definition and CalculationAnnual Recurring Revenue (ARR) - Definition and CalculationUsage-Based Pricing and impact on revenue r...
2024-09-2525 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Free Cash Flow - A Deep DiveFree Cash Flow is a key metric for any SaaS investor and thus for SaaS CFOs and CEOs. Moreover Free Cash Flow Margin is a key variable in the Rule of 40 - a key enterprise value creation metric. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive deep into the value behind the FCF metric and the different ways to calculate!During this episode Dave and Ray discuss the following elements of Free Cash Flow:Where to find Free Cash Flow on public company filingsThe three primary Cash Flow statementsDifferent formulas to calculate Free Cash FlowThe impact o...
2024-09-1823 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Bessemer 2024 Cloud 100 ReportBessemer Venture Partners recently released their 9th annual Cloud 100 Report. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive deep into the impact of AI companies on the top 100 private cloud companies which increased their aggregate enterprise value to $820B and increased their growth rate to 70%!Key highlights Dave and Ray discuss include:Aggregate enterprise value of the Cloud 100 increased 25% year over yearAverage growth rate increased from 55% in 2023 to 70% in 202497% of the Cloud 100 will be over $100M ARR by the end of the yearTop 10 companies in the Cloud 100 represent ~ 30% of the total Enterprise ValueAi companies represent the t...
2024-09-0921 min
The TransactionWhich Metrics ACTUALLY Matter for B2B Marketers with Ray Rike - Ep 22In this episode of The Transaction, Hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg are joined by Ray Rike, the Founder and CEO of BenchmarkIt and the Co-Host of SaaS Talk, to delve into the world of metrics. Ray shares his passion for allowing SaaS operators to make metric-informed and benchmark-validated decisions by looking at metrics across the entire customer journey. He highlights key metrics such as CAC ratio, inbound hand raisers, and expansion CAC ratio, emphasizing their crucial roles in making informed business decisions. The conversation also explores the significance of shared goals among go-to-market teams and the need for...
2024-08-2956 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)ICONIQ 2024 State of Go-to-Market Benchmark ReportGo-to-Market continues to be a trending topic for the majority of B2B SaaS companies being challenged to optimize efficient revenue growth. ICONIQ recently published a report entitled "State of GTM Benchmarks" and Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the report's findings and what the benchmarks mean to both operators and investors.Key GTM benchmarks covered during today's episode include:Growth Rate Trends ('24 vs '23)Customer Acquisition Logo VelocityPipeline Coverage RatioPipeline Conversion RatesPartner Sourced ContributionsExpansion ARR vs New Logo ARRIf you are a B2B SaaS CEO, CFO or...
2024-08-2123 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The New SaaS Mendoza Line - Growth Expectations for a SaaS IPOThe SaaS Mendoza line highlights the slope of the long term growth rate that investors expect and operators should target on a path to IPO. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike break down the updated expectations.Veteran software VC, Rory O’Driscoll of Scale Venture Partners proposed a theory to identify the growth rate below which a company may not be on the VC-to-IPO trajectory.In 2018, Rory started with an analysis of SaaS companies at the time of IPO. In 2018, SaaS companies going public had a minimum run rate ARR of $100M and at leas...
2024-08-1322 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Top Down GTM Trouble Shooting - CAC's MethodGo-to-Market trouble shooting is a very common activity in 2024 as B2B SaaS companies continue to face growth and especially efficient revenue growth challenges. In this episode Dave "CAC" Kellogg shares his top-down GTM trouble shooting method which boils down into two primary categories:Pipeline CoveragePipeline ConversionDave and Ray dive into the details on the key metrics to evaluate and what they tell a SaaS GTM operator about the current state of their GTM performance. Key insights are provided across multiple topics including:Week 3, Day 1 Pipeline Coverage RatioWin Rate vs Pipeline Coverage R...
2024-08-0726 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The OneStream IPO and S-1 BreakdownOneStream went public on July 24, 2024 and Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dedicated this episode to discussing their S-1 and Initial Public Offering (IPO). OneStream, the company offering their Digital Finance Cloud to the Office of Finance has a long history including being self-funded, being acquired by Private Equity (KKR) in 2019 and beginning the transition from a perpetual license software company to a SaaS company in 2020 on the path to their IPO.During the episode, Dave and Ray discuss multiple aspects of the OneStream public offering including:The history of OneStreamKKR investment in 2019IPO pricingUmbrella...
2024-07-3026 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Burn Multiple = Net Burn/Net New ARRBurn Multiple is a metric created by David Sacks to measure the capital efficiency of ARR growth in B2B SaaS companies. In this episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss alternatives to the Burn Multiple and then dive into the details of the two primary burn multiple components which are Net Burn and Net New ARR.There are multiple metrics that attempt to measure capital efficiency of B2B SaaS companies including:Hype Ratio = Capital Raised / ARRCash Conversion Score: Current ARR / (Total Capital Raised to date - cash)Efficiency Score = Net New ARR...
2024-07-2424 min
The Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Bessemer Venture Partners - State of the Cloud 2024Bessemer Venture Partners recently released their "State of the Cloud 24" which included the catch phrase "The Legacy Cloud is Dead - Long Live AI Cloud!" Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the report and the opportunities and threats to traditional SaaS companies.Topics discussed include:Social Media Buzz and Sources of "SaaS is Dead"Gen AI VC Funding Categories and SourcesTop Five Gen AI Trends Trend 1: AI foundation models set the stage for Big Tech’s new battle-of-the-century Trend 2: AI turning all of us into 10X developers Trend 3: Multimodal mo...
2024-07-1625 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)The Generative AI Disruption on SaaS Growth and Churn RatesMcKinsey recently published a report entitled "Navigating the Generative AI Disruption in Software" that Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss in his episode.Some of the primary topics discussed include:GEN AI penetration velocity today vs SaaS in the early daysGEN AI impact on switching from traditional SW/SaaS vendorsWhere will the rewards of Gen AI goImpact on SaaS Growth and Churn RatesOne of the most interesting parts of the report and this episode is that expansion growth rates of software will increase for those with embedded generative AI...
2024-07-0824 min
The Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Pricing vs Valuing Companies - The EV/EBITDA MultipleWhat is the difference between the price and value of a SaaS company? How do metrics such as Enterprise Value to EBITDA multiples play a role in this discussion? Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth Rike discuss the topic on this episode of SaaS Talk with the Metrics Brother and cover a wide array of topics including:What is a SaaS company worth?What is the definition of "price vs value" in the stock marketExamining Valuation Multiples What They Miss, Why They Differ, and the Link to FundamentalsHow Cash and Debt impacts Enterprise ValueEV/EBITDA vs EV/FCF vs...
2024-07-0120 min
The Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Go-to-Market Trouble Shooting - "Growth's" MethodologyTrouble shooting Go-to-Market (GTM) issues is a critical competency to master for every SaaS company as they face the pressures of lower growth and reduced revenue growth efficiency. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike introduce a GTM trouble shooting framework that addresses the five primary opportunities to improve GTM efficiency.The five key areas of Go-to-Market efficiency opportunities include:Pipeline GenerationPipeline ConversionWin Rates + ACVCustomer RetentionCustomer ExpansionCAC and Growth discuss some of the key metrics that measure the performance and health of each of the above areas. In addition, as two f...
2024-06-1822 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Benchmarkit 2024 SaaS Performance Metrics Benchmark ReportBenchmarkit recently published their 2024 SaaS Performance Metrics Benchmark Report based upon 936 B2B SaaS companies participation. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the recent trends and insights.SaaS Metrics and the corresponding benchmarks discussed include:2023 Growth Rates2024 Planned Growth RatesCAC Ratio (Blended, New and Expansion)CAC Payback PeriodNet Revenue RetentionSales and Marketing expenses as a % of RevenueARR per EmployeeThe full report and interactive benchmarking tool can be reached at: benchmarkit.ai/2024benchmarksIf you work in the B2B SaaS or Cloud industry this episode is a m...
2024-06-1223 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Is Pipeline Coverage Ratio simply the Inverse of Win Rate?Is Pipeline Coverage Ratio simply the inverse of the win rate? Many people will translate a 20% win rate into the need for a 5:1 Pipeline Coverage Ratio - Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive into why that just isn't the case! There are multiple variables that need to be considered including:Win Rate versus Closed-Won Rate Conversion - there is a differenceWhat happens to Pipeline Coverage Ratio when deals are pushed into or pushed out of the quarterHow is Pipeline Coverage Ratio different in a 30 day sales cycle versus a 180 day sale cycleBottom line - why Pipeline Co...
2024-06-0621 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)2024 SaaS Account Executive Benchmarks - The Bridge Group ReportSaaS Account Executive Benchmarks including On-Target Earnings, Commission Rates, Quota, Quota Achievement, Renewal and Expansion Responsibilities are a few of the benchmarks that Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss in this episode.Account Executive Benchmarks discussion include:On-Target Earnings (2024 vs 2022)Base Salary and Variable Compensation MixCommission Rates (2024 vs 2022)Quota Assignment by ACVQuota AchievementRenewal and Expansion ResponsibilitiesIf you are leading a B2B SaaS sales team or have one in your company that directly impacts financial performance this is a must listen episode of SaaS Talk with the Metrics Brothers!
2024-05-2222 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Redpoint Venture - State of the Market '24 Report ReviewLogan Bartlett, Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures recently shared the Market Overview Report they presented to their Limited Partners in March '24 at their AGM event at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Ray "Growth" Rike and Dave "CAC" Kellogg review the key insights during this episode.Insights that Dave and Ray discussion include:Enterprise Valuations - a return to 2019Growth Rate trends - a return to a time long ago in a land far awayThe value of Growth vs Profitability - the trends and the factsDown Rounds, Shut Downs and No Rounds
2024-05-1521 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Rubrik S-1 and IPO - A Growth and Profitability Metrics ReviewRubrik, a cloud industry cybersecurity company went public on April 25th - Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike break down the key metrics that Rubrik used as the foundation to their S-1 and Initial Public Offering. Those metrics include:Annual Recurring Revenue GrowthRevenue (GAAP) GrowthNet Revenue RetentionSales and Marketing Expenses as % of RevenueFree Cash Flow versus Net IncomeThe Metrics Brothers also discuss the Rubrik transition to a recurring revenue model and the two-tier stock structure used to ensure voting control remains with the founders and early investors.See Privacy Policy a...
2024-05-0823 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Growth Endurance in SaaS - A New Normal?Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss how a "growth rate" endures for a SaaS company trend over time!Topics covered during the conversation include:T2D3 Growth Model and Mantra from 2015"56789" Growth Model from Metric Brother Dave "CAC" KelloggThe Impact of Growth Endurance decreasing to 65% in 2023 versus 80% in 2021Growth Endurance is the measure of how a company's growth rate endures over time: GE = current year’s growth rate / last year’s growth rate.At an 80% Growth Endurance (2021 value) says that a companies growth rate in the next year will...
2024-04-3021 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)SaaS Metrics Maturity Model - Part 2Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike continue their discussion on the SaaS Metrics Maturity Model which includes the below five levels:Level 1: FoundationLevel 2: TrustLevel 3: Strategic LinkageLevel 4: Metrics CultureLevel 5: TrajectoryLevel 1: Lay the foundationDefinitions and calculationsPipeline stages, forecast categories, close dates, values, SaaS metricsSemantics - what do words like best case, forecast, commit and downside meanInstrument underlying systems (GL, CRM, Billing, HCM, etc)Consider Metrics CommitteeLevel 2: Build trustTemplates, templates, templatesMetrics selection & presentationHistory & context - always include footnotes on how metrics are calculatedRegular Cadence: which templates use...
2024-04-2524 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)SaaS Metrics Maturity Model - Part 1Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the 5 root causes that created the need to develop a SaaS Metrics Maturity Model for companies as they scale.The top five root causes that lead to the 15 primary problems in how companies use metrics include:There’s no shared metrics foundationThere’s no trustMetrics are not integral to strategyThe culture is not metrics-drivenMetrics are not being used define trajectory and long-term goalsThis episode discusses the key challenges in using metrics and the approaches to address those challenges. This discussion builds up to the...
2024-04-1622 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Customer Lifetime Value to CAC Ratio - The Ultimate Compound SaaS MetricDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the Customer Lifetime Value to Customer Acquisition Cost (LTV:CAC) Ratio - a metric many consider the ultimate compound metric that investors love.During this episode topics covered include:How to calculate Customer Lifetime ValueHow to calculate Customer Acquisition CostBenchmarks for LTV:CAC Ratio and the translation to Rate of ReturnPrimary input variables and predictive indicators to optimize LTV:CAC RatioIf you have ever heard of the LTV:CAC Ratio or just are interested in some of the details and finer points from...
2024-04-1118 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)CAC Ratio - An Under Utilized SaaS MetricThis is a replay of one of the most popular SaaS Talk episodes (#5) published in season #1. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive deep into all things Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) including the CAC Ratio.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2024-04-0223 min
The Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Valuation Metrics and the Unicorn Club - A wild 10 year ride that is not over yetAileen Lee, Founder and Managing Partner at Cowboy Ventures recently wrote an article entitled "Welcome Back to the Unicorn Club, 10 Years Later" (1/18/24) which was a follow up to an article she wrote in November, 2013 entitled "Welcome to the Unicorn Club: Learning from Billion-Dollar Startups".Our SaaS Talk™ with the Metrics Brothers co-hosts, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike do a deep dive into how private and public company valuations are calculate, explore the difference between Market Capitalization and Enterprise Value, and uncover a few of the "inside baseball" secrets to how $1B Unicorn may be worth mu...
2024-03-2123 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)ICONIQ GTM Metrics for Board MeetingsICONIQ Growth recently published their "Essential Go-to-Market (GTM) Board Slides", which includes the categories and metrics that they recommend be included in the GTM portion of the board deck. The template includes slides for the each category of GTM metrics they recommend including:GTM ScorecardIdeal Customer ProfileARR FunnelLogo VelocityRevenue and Logo RetentionWin/Loss AnalysisPipelineLead and Funnel ConversionSales Capacity and ProductivityTeam Update and PlanningDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike identify and discuss their perspectives on the top slides in the template, while also highlighting a couple of additional slides that would be valuable.
2024-03-1225 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)SaaS and Cloud Contract Terms - Common Paper Benchmark ReportCommon Paper recently released a benchmark report on Cloud contract terms and conditions based upon data from over 1,000 companies. This is the first benchmarking report we have found that covers SaaS/Cloud Master Service Agreements.Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike, better known as the Metrics Brothers break down the benchmarks contained in the report including:Agreement LengthPayment TermsLimitations of LiabilityAI and Data PrivacyInsurance RequirementsDesign Partner AgreementsIf you are responsible for designing, negotiating or enforcing Master Service Agreements in the Cloud industry, this episode provides broad and detailed insights on t...
2024-03-0521 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Top Metrics and Benchmarks for Customer Success - with special guest Nick Mehta, CEO GainsightNick Mehta, CEO of Gainsight joins Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike to discuss all things Customer Success and metrics! This is a "special episode" that combines deep Customer Success (CS) expertise with moments of light humor, pop culture references, and SaaS industry insider insights!Topics discussed and benchmarks shared during this episode include:ARR per CSMCustomers per CSMCustomer Success Reporting RelationshipsExpansion ARR and Renewal ResponsibilityCSAT or NPSFurther into the episode, additional topics covered include:Priority Outcome Metrics for CSPrimary Leading Indicators for CSCustomer Verified Outcomes
2024-02-2720 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Top Goals and Metrics for Customer ServiceDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the top metrics for a Customer Service organization that span the top three goals of CS including resolving, deflecting, and/or preventing cases.During this episode, we lean heavily on CAC's background as a technical support agent for the first two years of his career, and then as the head of the Salesforce Service Cloud.The primary job of Customer Service (Customer Support) including the three below macro-level goalsResolve CasesDeflect CasesPrevent CasesWhat are the top metrics to measure the performance...
2024-02-2020 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Top Metrics for Professional Services in a B2B SaaS CompanyWhat are the top metrics for a Professional Services (PS) leader in a B2B SaaS company? During this episode, our hosts Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the top PS metrics including:Professional Services Revenue / BillingsGross Margin (%)Billable Utilization Rate ($ and Hours)Non Billable Utilization including reasonsCapacity ($ Billables and # Hours)Before diving deep into the actual metrics, Dave highlighted that PS's primary job is to "maximize ARR without losing money". A key highlight on the role of PS is that it is not primarily responsible for maximizing PS Revenue or PS...
2024-02-1424 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Top Metrics for a Chief Customer OfficerDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the top metrics for a Chief Customer Officer to use presenting to the board and to report to the executive team when the CCO has responsibility for: 1) Customer Success; 2) Professional Services and; 3) Customer SupportNet Revenue RetentionGross Revenue RetentionCustomer Health ScoreBillable PS RevenueBillable UtilizationGross MarginCases per AgentPost Case Closed CSATDeflectionsThose these are the high level metrics for a CCO, each function will have more detailed lagging and leading indicator metrics that Dave and Ray will cover in subsequent episodes of SaaS Talk with the Metrics...
2024-02-1022 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Top 7 Metrics for a Chief Marketing OfficerWhat are the top metrics for a Chief Marketing Officer to use when presenting to the board of directors and in a Quarterly Business Review. Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the below top 7 CMO metrics during this episode:Marketing Sourced Pipeline GenerationMarketing Sourced Pipeline ConversionDay 1 Pipeline CoverageDemand Generation Cost per OpportunityBrand AwarenessWebsite VisitorsSales CSATDave recently wrote a detailed blog article on this topic which can be read by clicking here."CAC" is a huge fan of the phrase "Marketing creates pipeline that closes" and dives into the detail o...
2024-02-0522 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)5 Top Metrics that Matter for a Chief Revenue OfficerTop 5 Metrics for Chief Revenue Officers that own the entire customer journey, including Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention and Customer Expansion process.Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss 5 of the top metrics for a Chief Revenue Officer in 2024 including:ARR "Actual vs Plan" - the keep your job metricPipeline Performance - Coverage & EfficiencyNet Revenue RetentionCAC RatioCLTV:CAC RatioKey context to this episode, is it discusses 5 of the top metrics for a true Chief Revenue Officer, not a SVP/VP Sales with the CRO title. CROs are responsible for revenue growth...
2024-01-2522 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Rule of X - beyond the Rule of 40Rule of 40 has been the standard metric B2B SaaS investors and operators have used to measure balanced growth...will the Rule of 40 be surpassed by the new Rule of X recently created by Bessemer Ventures? Join Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike as they discuss the details about the Rule of X including:Foundational calculation formula for the Rule of XHow to find the "Growth Weighted" M in the formulaWhat is a good "Rule of X" scoreThe Rule of 40 has been around for over a decade - but it was missing...
2024-01-1622 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Growth Adjusted Enterprise Value to Revenue Multiple (ERG)How the Enterprise Value of a SaaS company impacted by growth rate is the topic of today's conversation with Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike - the result is a new metric named "ERG" - the Enterprise Value to Revenue to Growth Rate Multiple.During this episode, Dave and Ray highlight several leading public, B2B Cloud companies and how their Enterprise Value to Revenue multiples are impacted when the growth rate is factored in. With a public Cloud/SaaS company median growth rate of 21%, the median Enterprise Value to Revenue multiple of 6.1x a...
2024-01-1022 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)2024 SaaS Metrics PredictionsDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike go out on a limb and share their predictions on the Top 5 SaaS Metrics in 2024 - some are old friends and two are brand new for 2024!!!2023 was a year focused on efficient growth, extending cash runways and making progress towards profitability. Simultaneously, certain metrics became more important in correlation to enterprise value to revenue multiples - including the re-emergence of the Rule of 40 being critical to company valuations. Which metrics are Dave and Ray predicting as the Top Five for 2024:Rule of X - a growth-weighted Rule...
2024-01-0322 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)KeyBanc Capital Markets 2023 SaaS Benchmark ReportDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the long standing, industry standard SaaS Metrics Benchmark report from KeyBanc Capital Markets, which was released in December, 2023.If you are a long-time SaaS veteran or new to the SaaS industry - this report has been the de facto SaaS Metrics benchmarking report for 14 years. This year's report includes a total population of 106 companies, and often comes up short in comparison to previous year's report. The small population makes segmenting the benchmarks by company size or ACV much very difficult - and benchmarks that are relevant to company size...
2023-12-2922 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Battery Ventures "State of the OpenCloud 2023" Report - Part 2Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike continue their break down the recent Battery Ventures - State of the OpenCloud 2023 Report which includes a historic view of performance benchmarks and some predictions on how AI will impact performance metrics in the future.During Part 2 of this episode the co-hosts cover several metrics and SaaS industry trends including:Growth RatesTechnology Buyer Sentiment heading into 2024The impact of balanced growth + profitabilityBusiness model and pricing evolutionStock Option Re-pricingThe human capital impact of AI...beware Sales and MarketingThe entire report is available by clicking here.
2023-12-2034 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Battery Ventures "State of the OpenCloud 2023" Report - Part 1Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike break down the recent Battery Ventures - State of the OpenCloud 2023 Report which includes a historic view of performance benchmarks and some predictions on how AI will impact performance metrics in the future.During this episode the co-hosts cover several metrics and SaaS industry trends including:Growth Rates Technology Buyer Sentiment heading into 2024The impact of balanced growth + profitabilityBusiness model and pricing evolutionStock Option Re-pricingThe human capital impact of AI...beware Sales and MarketingThe entire report is available by clicking here.See...
2023-12-1219 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)OpenView Partners 2023 SaaS Benchmark Report AnalysisDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike analyze the recently published OpenView Partners 2023 Benchmark Report which was conducted in partnership with Paddle. Interesting insights into the declining growth rates and increased customer churn trends.Key metrics and the associated benchmarks segmented by company ARR analyzed include:Growth RateRule of 40Net Revenue RetentionGross Revenue RetentionCAC Payback PeriodHeadcountRevenue/FTEThe OpenView 2023 Benchmark Report is at: openviewpartners.com/2023-saas-benchmarks-report/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2023-11-2826 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Presenting Metrics at Board MeetingsPresenting performance metrics at a board meeting is a critical skill for every SaaS CEO, CFO and executive team member - Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike share a few best practices during this episode including:First slide provides a holistic executive summarySecond slide establishes the foundation for every other slideThe importance of showing trends and establishing contextMistakes to avoidThis episode encapsulates much of the content from two different presentations shared at SaaStr annual 23' and SaaS Metrics Palooza 23'See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...
2023-11-0728 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Historic SaaS Benchmarks and TrendsSaaS metric benchmark trends over the last decade highlights the challenges associated with the rapid expansion and evolution of the B2B SaaS industry. Some of the significant changes that every SaaS industry stakeholder should understand include:Expansion as a % of Revenue GrowthGross Churn RateNet Revenue RateCustomer Acquisition Cost Ratio (cost of acquiring a $ of Growth ARR - New and Expansion)Rule of 40ARR per FTEMatt Harney - at Cloud Ratings did a great job at putting this report together and we highly recommend everyone take a look at: cloudratings.com/saas-benchmarks-historical/ to...
2023-11-0322 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Bookings, TCV, ACV, Billings and RevenueDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss all things Bookings, Total Contract Value, Annual Contract Value, Billings and revenue including:Bookings vs Total Contract Value vs Annual Contract ValueBillings - more than an invoice?Revenue - CARR, ARR and GAAPB2B SaaS companies regularly use the above terms, but unfortunately not always consistently defined, calculated and/or utilized.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2023-10-1826 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Top Take Aways from ICONIQ | Growth 2023 Benchmark ReportDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive deep into the ICONIQ | GROWTH 2023 - The New Era of Efficient Growth Report to discussed several key report components including:Enterprise Five MetricsResiliency RubricTrade-off between Growth and EfficiencyExpansion vs New Logo contribution to New ARROperating Expenses as a % of RevenueBenchmark utilization cautions, concerns and insightsGo grab the ICONIQ | Growth Report - take it for a read while listening to this episode to see if some of the key points Dave and Ray make resonate with your own personal perspectives.See Privacy Policy at...
2023-10-0525 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Net Revenue RetentionDave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike continue their discussion on the importance of measuring revenue retention. This week they cover Net Revenue Retention (NRR) - a top three B2B SaaS Metric. 'During this episode they cover many aspects of how to calculate and use Net Revenue Retention including:Cohort method versus formula methodThe impact of Usage-Based Pricing on the NRR calculationNRR benchmarks using a Good, Better, Best frameworkIdeas on how to optimize and increase NRRIn addition, Dave and Ray answer three audience submitted questions - fulfilling their goal...
2023-09-2127 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Klaviyo S-1 Metrics BreakdownOn this episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss four SaaS metrics from the Klaviyo S-1 including:Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)CAC Payback PeriodGross Revenue Retention (GRR)Net Revenue Retention (NRR)This conversation covers many of the nuances of SaaS metrics and uncovers the lack of a standard way that even the best companies define and calculate SaaS metricsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2023-09-1425 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Gross Revenue RetentionOn this episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss Gross Revenue Retention (GRR), aka Gross Dollar Retention (GDR), and the different nuances to consider when calculating this metric.In addition, Dave and Ray discuss why this metric is important, how to calculate GRR and how to use the results to inform decision making.The Metrics brothers discuss the following nuances of calculating Gross Revenue RetentionThe definition of GRRCohort vs Formula MethodWhat to exclude and include in GRRHow is GRR impacted by Product Led Growth and/or Usage-Based Pricing environmentsHow does Churn...
2023-09-0526 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Customer Lifetime Value - It's not that simple - SaaS Talk with the Metrics BrothersOn this episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss Customer Lifetime Value, and the different input variables required to calculate this compound, multi-variable metric.The Metrics brothers discuss the following nuances of calculating Customer Lifetime ValueThe basics - CLTV or LTVRevenue or Gross ProfitWhich number to use for churn in the formula (GRR, Logo Churn, all ARR or only available to renew ARR)Which number to use for the Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA) - new customers only or all customersIf you love the nuances and details of...
2023-08-2121 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Usage-Based Pricing and CAC - The calculation impact is significantOn this episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss in detail how Usage-Based Pricing (UBP) impacts the calculation of Customer Acquisition Cost and it's efficiency derivatives including CAC Ratio and CAC Payback Period.They discuss the three primary different types of Usage-Based Pricing Models including:Pure usage-based or consumption-based pricing with no minimum commitmentsMinimum commitment agreement that includes up to #x units and then overage $/unit over the minimumAnnual Subscription agreement to the platform and a $/unit of usage in addition to the annual subscriptionEach of the above models ca...
2023-08-1522 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Product Led Growth and the impact on Customer Acquisition CostThe Metrics Brothers discuss how Product-Led Growth (PLG) including the use of Freemiums and/or Free Trials impacts the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) calculation. Each PLG model may have different times to value, conversion rates to paid users, different definitions of when a free user becomes a customer which all can impact the CAC calculation formula and the resultant usefulness of the metricsDuring this weeks episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss CAC Payback Period, and provide a little entertainment along the journey to using CAC Payback Period in your SaaS company....
2023-08-0123 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)CAC Payback PeriodThe Metrics Brothers discuss the use of Customer Acquisition Cost Payback Period (CAC Payback Period). On the surface CAC Payback Period (CPP) is easy to understand, yet in practice there are many nuances and considerations such as using Gross Margin in the CPP calculation, and if CAC Payback Period is an efficiency, risk or return metric.During this weeks episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss CAC Payback Period, and provide a little entertainment along the journey to using CAC Payback Period in your SaaS company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com...
2023-07-2722 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Advanced Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)The Metrics Brothers discuss advanced topics and uses of Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and the CAC Ratio. On the surface CAC and CAC related metrics appear easy to understand, yet in practice there are many nuances, considerations and approaches to optimize the insights provided by CAC.During this weeks episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss those advanced topics, and provide a little entertainment along the journey to using CAC in your SaaS company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2023-07-1827 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)CAC and CAC RatioThe Metrics Brothers discuss Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and the CAC Ratio. The two metrics are closely related, yet are fundamentally two very different SaaS metrics. During this weeks episode, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike discuss the value of each metric, when to use them and how to calculate each metric.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2023-07-1123 minThe Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Pipeline Financial Return MeasurementsHow do B2B SaaS leaders measure the financial returns on pipeline generation? On the surface this question may seem quite simple, but one with that presents several options, especially when considering how a CFO evaluates return on investment. The Metrics Brothers, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike dive deep into the nuances and considerations of pipeline returns on this week's episode of SaaS Talk™ with the Metrics Brothers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2023-07-0422 min
The Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Pipeline MeasurementsIn this episode of SaaS Talk™ with the Metrics Brothers, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth Rike discuss Pipeline MeasurementsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2023-06-2924 min
The Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)Pipeline GenerationIn this episode of SaaS Talk™ with the Metrics Brothers, Dave "CAC" Kellogg and Ray "Growth" Rike, they discuss all things Pipeline GenerationSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
2023-06-2022 min
Metrics that Measure UpState of the Cloud 2023 (Episode 1) - with Janelle Teng, Bessemer Venture PartnersIn Episode #1 of this 2-episode conversation, Ray discusses the key findings from the Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) annual "State of the Cloud" report for 2023 with Janelle Teng, Vice President and co-author of this year's report.Janelle is involved in many different research programs at BVP, including the "State of the Cloud" and the "Scaling to $100M ARR" reports.In this first episode of the "State of the Cloud 2023" report, we focus on the change in B2B Cloud company valuations in 2022 and the current state of the industry.Public cloud companies experienced the "...
2023-05-2421 min
The Metrics Brothers (fka SaaS Talk)SaaS Talk™ with the Metrics Brothers - Ray "Growth" Rike & Dave "CAC" KelloggSaaS Talk™ dives deep into the world of Software as a Service, discussing the successes and hurdles that C-suite leaders in the SaaS industry encounter.Co-hosted by Ray Rike, CEO of Rev Ops Squared, and Dave Kellogg, Executive In Residence at Balderton Capital and Principal at Dave Kellogg Consulting, this podcast brings forth insights and perspectives from esteemed SaaS leaders. They share knowledge and experience on a wide array of topics, including SaaS strategy, business model innovation, customer success management, revenue operations, SaaS metrics, infrastructure and security, and data-driven decision-making.Whether you're a C-suite executive in...
2023-05-1021 min
Cash & BurnAnalyzing Your True Sales Process W/ Ray RikeIn today’s episode, Brandon sits down with Ray Rike, Founder & CEO (Chief Evangelism Officer) of RevOps squared.First off, Ray LOVES data, the two talk through B2B SaaS data about how often a deal changes before signing, creating an efficient sales process, and learnings Ray has picked up throughout his career. Plus so much more! Tune in for a fun and analytical conversation between these two passionate founders about the never-ending challenges of building a company!Check out Ray Rike : LinkedIn & RevOps Squared...
2023-02-2135 min
SaaS FuelRay Rike - The Secret Information You Need To Know To Succeed In SaaSIn today’s SaaS Fuel™ episode, Ray Rike joins SaaS Fuel to discuss how he helped develop the industry's largest (and first) interactive, real-time benchmarking database, saaskpibenchmarks.comEpisode SponsorChampion Leadership Group – https://championleadership.com/Navigating Success Together 2023 Virtual Event Key Takeaways[1:51] The importance of metrics [10:52] Customer CAC ratio versus existing customer expansion cap ratio[13:51] About saaskpibenchmarks.com[14:52] Measuring the return on investment of customer success and responsible forecasting[15:41] Using benchmarks properly [17:13] Customer Success responsibilities[17:52 ] What Investors...
2023-01-0352 min
RevOps PodcastMetrics Every Revenue Leader has to Focus on Right Now with Ray Rike (Part 1)An average company uses between 12-35 metrics and dozens of KPIs. But do they all work? In this two-part series, Ray Rike, Founder and CEO of RevOps Squared, along with Howard and Alastair, lean into the modern metrics and KPIs that matter most in times of economic stress. We'll address vanity metrics vs. items that actually help us understand the growth potential of any business.Follow the Hosts on LinkedIn:Alastair Woolcock (CRO, Revenue.io)Howard Brown (CEO, Revenue.io)And our Special Guest:
2022-07-2831 min
Metrics that Measure UpMetrics that Matter in Strategic Acquisitions - with Lowell RicklefsB2B SaaS founders envision their entrepreneurial journey including a liquidity event such as an IPO, a financial acquisition, or a strategic acquisition from an industry leader.Lowell Ricklefs has deep operating experience leading tech companies and has experienced acquisitions on both the buyer and the seller side multiple times. During these processes, Lowell often wondered why banks were required to sell a SaaS company.Lowell identified an opportunity for enhanced sell-side assistance for SaaS companies in the $3M - $20M ARR range.The first topic we cover is the personal decision of...
2022-01-2744 min
Metrics that Measure UpConversational Intelligence delivers Revenue Reality - with Amit Bendov, CEO and Co-Founder, GONGConversational Intelligence (CI) is a technology that materially enhances the effectiveness of every B2B Sales professional.CI has quickly become a "must-have" component in the B2B sales tech stack and has become a feature in most Sales Engagement Platforms...WHAT is the future of Conversational Intelligence?Our host, Ray Rike, recently spoke with Amit Bendov, Founder and CEO of Gong.io, to discuss the vision and future of Gong and the Revenue Reality.Amit's premise was "is there a better way to get market feedback" from every communication channel into the...
2021-11-2434 min
Metrics that Measure UpMOVE: A Go-To-Market Strategy with Sangram Vajre, Founder Terminus and Flip My Funnel PodcastSangram Vajre, Founder and Chief Evangelist at Terminus and host of the Flip my Funnel Forecast, joined our host Ray Rike to discuss his MOVE Go-To-Market framework.Sangram ran marketing at Pardot, an early marketing automation vendor for salespeople, which Salesforce ultimately acquired and co-founded Terminus seven years ago. Terminus is a true pioneer in providing a platform for Account-Based Marketing programs, which in today's B2B SaaS world represents about 44% of total marketing investment in customer acquisition programs.The first thing Sangram shared was that marketing and sales need to SHARE the s...
2021-10-2636 min
SaaS DistrictBuilding for Strategic Acquisitions & The Value of Relationships Over Time, Interview with Ray Rike | SaaS Webcast #129Ray Rike is the CEO & founder of RevOps Squared, a company that conducts benchmarking research across a wide variety of KPI categories in the B2B SaaS industry enabling SaaS companies to exponentially increase customer acquisition, customer expansion, and customer retention efficacy.Ray Rike has more that 30 years now of experience in the SaaS industry, his passion for data-driven & metric-based decision making has helped him succeed across five SaaS company exits.During this interview we cover:00:00 Contentfy: Your Podcast Editing & Repurposing Team01:02 - Intro01:24 - Ray’s 5 Exits & Journey Up Until RevOps Squared07:56 - Exi...
2021-07-2224 minSaaS DistrictB2B SaaS Benchmarking and Its Impact on Go-To-Market Team Alignment, interview with Ray Rike, CEO at RevOps Squared | SaaS Webcast #128Ray Rike is the CEO & founder of RevOps Squared, a company that conducts benchmarking research across a wide variety of KPI categories in the B2B SaaS industry enabling SaaS companies to exponentially increase customer acquisition, customer expansion, and customer retention efficacy.Ray Rike has more than 30 years now of experience in the SaaS industry, his passion for data-driven & metric-based decision-making has helped him succeed across five SaaS company exits.During this interview we cover:00:00 Contentfy, your On-Demand Podcast Editing & Repurposing Team01:02 - Intro02:08 - What exactly are Revenue Operations & Why You Need it03:26...
2021-07-2033 min
Metrics that Measure UpKPIs that SaaS CFOs track - with David Appel - Sage IntacctIn this episode of the Metrics that Measure Up podcast - David Appel, Head of the SaaS Vertical at Sage Intacct shares his insights and lessons learned from over 1,500+ SaaS financial solution implementations.During our conversation, David and Ray discuss several key attributes and approaches that SaaS CFOs take to ensure the data, metrics and KPIs they collect can tell the story of what the "financial data" is telling.Great finance leaders make sure financial information and KPIs get out to everyone as soon as possible to enable timely, data-driven, metrics information decision making. Great C...
2020-11-0627 minMetrics that Measure UpSide Hustles & Personal Brand Building - with Amy VolasIn this episode of "Metrics that Measure Up, Amy Volas shares her insights and perspectives on the concepts of side hustles and personal brand building for B2B sales professionals.Amy has seen every side of this topic, as an Enterprise Sales professional, a sales leader, and the founder and CEO of Avenue Talent Partners, which specializes in the recruitment of B2B sales reps, managers, and executive leaders.Amy and Ray discuss multiple topics, and provide experience-based advice including: 1) why money is not and should not be the primary motivation for a career in...
2020-09-0836 minMetrics that Measure UpModern B2B Selling - Are the motivations different today? - with Andy Paul, RingDNAIn this episode of "Metrics that Measure Up", Andy Paul, the host of The Sales Enablement Podcast and Ray discuss how and if the modern B2B Seller is different today than yesterday.Topics covered include the motivation of sellers to serve their customers and help them make an informed purchase decision, or providing buyers unique insights into a new way of approaching a business process.Why quota may be an outdated concept, and even why a famous British economist's research shows that when a measure becomes a target, it loses its value as a...
2020-08-1839 minMetrics that Measure UpSales Development in SaaS - Question and Answer Session with David Dulany - TenboundSales Development is a rapidly growing professional for early career professionals in the B2B SaaS industry.David Dulany, founder and CEO of Tenbound was an early industry thought leader for Sales Development in the SaaS Industry.In today's Metrics that Measure Up, David and Ray discuss findings from their recent research that highlights how the Sales Development function has changed since the initial impact of COVID-9
2020-07-1813 min