Field Notes
Sharp, opinionated essays for B2B SaaS founders and revenue leaders running short-cycle sales motions. Written by Matt Weisman.
The hardest stage in B2B SaaS sales. The founder hands off, the first AEs ramp, and the motion has to scale before it breaks. The honest playbook for $1M to $5M ARR — what to build, hire, and skip.
Read the postA working framework for your first B2B SaaS sales compensation plan. Base, variable, quota, accelerators, comp ratios, and the 6 common mistakes that wreck early-stage comp plans.
Read the postForecasting is hard when you have less than 90 days of pipeline data. Three methods that work at small data volumes, plus what to track now so next quarter is easier.
Read the postInbound compounds slower but converts higher. Outbound starts faster but burns harder. The honest comparison and how to decide which to lead with at your B2B SaaS stage.
Read the postInside sales runs from a desk. Outside sales runs in the field. The honest difference, what each looks like in modern B2B SaaS, and how to decide which fits your motion.
Read the postWhat to build, hire, measure, and skip on the road from zero to first million in B2B SaaS ARR. The honest playbook for founder-led sales at the earliest stage, plus the 5 most common traps.
Read the postA practical week-by-week guide to building a working B2B SaaS sales playbook from zero. What to write, in what order, with what level of detail. Built for velocity sales motions.
Read the postBANT is older, simpler, and faster. MEDDIC is heavier and built for enterprise. Which qualification framework actually fits your B2B SaaS motion, and the third option most velocity teams should use instead.
Read the postFour roles, three are pipeline generators, one closes. The honest difference, what each role actually does, and how to structure your sales team for a B2B SaaS velocity motion.
Read the postThe most common stall in B2B SaaS sales. Why it's almost never a real request, and four specific responses that surface the underlying objection without losing the deal.
Read the postBoth bring outside sales expertise. They're not the same thing. The honest difference between the two roles, the trap most founders fall into, and how to decide which one your company actually needs.
Read the postThree of the most adopted sales frameworks in B2B. Each built for a completely different motion. Picking the wrong one slows your team down. Here's the comparison and how to pick the right one.
Read the postMost sales consulting firms are built for enterprise deals. Velocity sales needs its own physics. How to tell the difference and pick the right partner for where your B2B SaaS actually is.
Read the postMost "sales playbooks" are slide decks nobody reads. A real playbook drives daily rep behavior. Here's what should actually be in one and how long it takes to build.
Read the postMost SaaS demos are 45-60 minutes. For velocity sales motions, that's twice as long as it should be. Here's why 25 minutes wins more deals and how to restructure your demo to land it.
Read the postMost sales dashboards track 30+ metrics. For velocity sales motions, you only need 5. Track these and you'll see revenue trouble 60 days before it hits your forecast.
Read the postMost sales "coaching" sessions are status reports with extra steps. Five questions to diagnose whether you're actually developing reps or just inspecting their deals, and how to fix it.
Read the postSame hiring profile, same comp plan, same product. Two reps blow past quota, two reps miss. The easy answer is to blame the reps. That's almost always wrong. Here's what's actually causing uneven performance and how to fix it.
Read the postMEDDIC is the most adopted qualification framework in B2B. It will also slow your velocity team to a crawl. Different sales motions need different frameworks. Here's why MEDDIC breaks at $10K and what works instead.
Read the postFounder-led sales works until it doesn't. The question isn't whether you should stop selling as founder. It's when. Here are the three clear signals you're past the right moment to hand off and what to do about it.
Read the postYour first AE hire is the single most consequential sales hire you'll ever make. Here's the profile, the comp structure, and the 90-day ramp plan that actually works for a velocity SaaS first AE.
Read the postA 30-minute discovery call. No pitch, no deck. Just an honest conversation about where you are and whether SAILS is the right fit.
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