Process First AI Second.

⚡⚡⚡ AI is a potent tool for hyper-growth startups and scaleups, but it's crucial to establish effective processes first. ⚡⚡⚡
Think about it... as a SaaS industry, we are deploying AI on several broken processes, such as:
📈 Grow at All Costs (GAAC): We should not deploy AI to do the wrong thing at a lower cost.
🔀 Asymmetry of Information: AI is flipping the information asymmetry between the seller and the buyer. Buyers now benefit from this asymmetry, while sellers are still focused on "trust" and "relationships."
Here's how to win with AI:
1️⃣ Process Excellence First: AI amplifies existing processes, so focus on making them great before adding AI. Sustainable growth depends on the maturity of your processes.
2️⃣ Adopt a Lean Revenue Factory Mindset: This framework applies factory thinking and positions GTM motions as revenue production lines.
The future is Process-Driven AI: Embrace process excellence and use AI to enhance existing processes. To do this right, we must learn from the introduction of robots into the manufacturing processes used in the 1960s. In other words, to become a GTM leader of tomorrow, we have to go back to the Future!
Maybe today's generation of revenue leaders is not ready for that yet, but the next generation is going to love it!
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Links:
SXSW 2024 Amy Webb
• Amy Webb Launches 2024...
Google IO 2024 Josh Woodward
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WbD is a global B2B revenue consulting and training company that enables recurring revenue teams to architect sustainable growth. Leveraging its experience with high-growth companies, WbD applies scientific frameworks and proven models to help sales, marketing, and customer success teams at B2B companies and global enterprises maximize their impact. WbD has reinvented the traditional sales funnel with disruptive customer-centric frameworks and methodologies, including the Bow Tie Data Model and the SPICED Methodology, all of which can be accessed open source. Founded in 2012, WbD is a fully remote company, serving 600+ leading organizations around the world. To learn more about Winning by Design, visit winningbydesign.com.

[@chrisallison5633]

So timely. Excellent Jacco. As exciting as AI is, without the right process we make the wrong decision, more quickly with greater confidence. Also, much of this impact relies upon ‘the pilot in the box’ so would love you to expand on key qualities of a modern SaaS seller?

[@moritzberger4898]

Couple of thoughts on your intro - up to the point where I stopped watching: Agile has nothing to do with Six Sigma, and cloud software does not operate on five 9s. 'Agile' is currently losing a lot of mindshare and is not a mature 'engineering' discipline. Nobody has ever figured out how to do 'it' at scale ...

[@WinningByDesign]

Thank you for your comment Moritz. Here's a breakdown of your points:
1. Agile vs. Six Sigma: While they aren't directly related, both are implementations of a process. Agile focuses its processes on iterative development and flexibility, while Six Sigma emphasizes its process on defect reduction and marginal improvements.
2. Cloud Uptime: You mentioned cloud software not reaching "five nines" (99.999%). Many do, although it's an aspirational goal for most providers. The linked paper below offers interesting insights on measuring cloud reliability.
Nines are not Enough, Meaningful Metrics for Clouds.
research.google/pubs/nines-are-not-enough-meaningful-metrics-for-clouds/
3. Agile Adoption: Agile remains the dominant methodology in software development, with research indicating a 71% adoption rate among software development teams (January 2024).
www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240116199385/en/17th-State-of-Agile-Report-71-Use-Agile-in-their-SDLC-Small-Organizations-Report-Strong-Business-Benefits-Medium-and-Larger-Sized-Companies-Continue-to-Experience-Barriers-in-Successfully-Scaling-Agile
You are right to think that new (process-centric) approaches are emerging and that Agile isn't a one-size-fits-all solution.
4. "Do it (GTM) at scale": I completely agree with your point about GTM lacking a strong process-centric approach. This is an area I'm actively seeking solutions for. Implementing repeatable processes, measuring performance against them, and making incremental improvements can be a great starting point. While achieving "five nines" might be aspirational for GTM at this stage, aiming for a goal like one nine, as in 9%, could be a valuable step towards increased consistency and efficiency.
Moritz, I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective, which undoubtedly helped other readers enrich their understanding of the topic. A healthy discussion about these subjects is valuable, and it seems we share a passion for challenging conventional thinking and driving innovation.