Andrew Johnston is currently the Head of Sales at Superhuman, where he leads the go-to-market strategy as part of the executive team. Previously, he built the Mid-Market and PLS motion at Scale AI and led the global sales team at SendGrid following its acquisition by Twilio and its IPO.

Discussed in this Episode:

• The key differences between product-led growth (PLG) and product-led sales (PLS).
• When and why companies should consider transitioning from PLG to PLS.
• The challenges of combining distinct sales teams during an acquisition.
• How to effectively enable sales reps during a product expansion.
• The importance of understanding your ideal customer profile (ICP) for successful PLS.
• Strategies for moving upmarket, such as implementing paid pilots.
• Creating career paths and incentives for sales reps in different segments.

Highlights:
(9:50) Andrew's definition of product-led growth and how it differs from product-led sales.
(12:16) The triggers for considering a transition from a PLG to a PLS approach.
(25:00) The challenges faced when combining SendGrid and Twilio's sales teams post-acquisition.
(32:49) How Twilio's unique "estimated ARR" commission structure impacted sales behavior.
(35:55) Using SendGrid as a "trojan horse" to expand Twilio's presence in customer accounts.
(42:00) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Andrew thinks is bull$***
(47:09) One thing that is working for Andrew in go-to-market right now.

Guest Speaker Links (Andrew Johnston):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewfoxjohnston/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Sponsors:

• Brought to you by Apollo. Ever wonder what automating your entire outbound workflow could do for your revenue team? Apollo.io brings this to life by centralizing your entire go-to-market execution in one platform. Sellers using automation in their outbound efforts see a 70% increase in open rates and 4x more meetings booked while saving hours on manual, tedious tasks.
• Brought to you by IPS. Most recruiting firms fill an order, but IPS is a different breed of search firm. They dig into your business to understand its current state and the future vision and are relentlessly in pursuit of the very best leaders, sales people, marketers, and engineering talent out there. Whether you want advice, have one hard to fill role or a team buildout, we can't recommend IPS enough.

The GTM Podcast
Features conversations with the top 1% of tech executives, VCs, and founders - the experts who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies. Every week, a guest joins Scott Barker to dissect their stories - revealing what worked, what didn’t, and how things actually went down.

This podcast is produced by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund.
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