The Product-Led Sales strategy that turned Apollo.io into a $1.6 Billion company
Dive into the transformative world of Product-Led Sales (PLS), where we unpack the benefits and provide actionable advice on implementation within sales organizations. Explore how Leandra and her team at Apollo create a seamless customer journey from Product Qualified Leads (PQL) to Customer Success (CS), and learn how to ensure alignment within Go-to-Market (GTM) teams for optimal performance. Save your seat to gain valuable strategies for enhancing customer experiences and driving growth through PLS methodologies.
In this episode of Game Changers, the spotlight was on Leandra Fishman, the charismatic Chief Revenue Officer of Apollo – a trailblazing technology company. Highlighting her illustrious career that transverses customer service to leadership, Fishman shared insights into her journey to the top, emphasizing the critical role of her exposure to sales professionals along the way.
At Apollo, Fishman proudly oversees a diverse global sales team of over 50 talented individuals, each focusing on a distinct customer segment. Her approach towards a product-led sales strategy (PLS) has become a game-changer for Apollo that now revels as a $1.6 billion company. Apollo’s growth can be attributed to its customer-centric strategy, which allows customers to independently explore their product leading to a seamless customer experience. Upon this self-guided exploration, Apollo’s sales team steps in, guiding customers on harnessing the full potential of their technology.
The emphasis on customer success is strong within this technology titan’s strategy. Apollo is dedicated to ensuring both new and existing customers find value in its products, assisted by specialized teams for onboarding and account management. Collaboration between sales, marketing, and product teams featured as a key driver in Apollo’s journey towards success, with a focus on communication, messaging, and lead scoring.
Fishman further underscores the parallels between the company’s objectives and those of sales and marketing teams, each rooted in the four cardinal goals – product adoption, pipeline development, revenue growth, and expansion. This is facilitated by rigorous checks and constant communication.
When it comes to B2B sales and marketing, Fishman understands the importance of product adoption and promotes the integration of this goal into sales compensation plans. This approach ensures the customers are wholly aware of the product’s functionalities and features, enhancing customer satisfaction and stickiness.
Acknowledging the sophistication of today’s customers, Fishman advises her peers to diversify their communication methods to include video, live chat, and webinars. This characterization guarantees a preferred mode of engagement for every customer, providing an enhanced customer experience.
With elongating sales cycles and an increasing number of stakeholders, Fishman advises on multithreading and relationship building as fundamental strategies to tackle the emerging challenges. Vertical and horizontal multithreading involves engaging with multiple contacts at various levels within customer organizations.
In conclusion of this enlightening discussion, Leandra Fishman emphasizes on making the purchasing process as smooth as possible for customers and sales teams with a firm focus on driving change and enhancing productivity and efficiency. This approach serves as a testament to Apollo’s unparalleled success in the technology arena.
