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Elena Verna is a leading growth expert with over 15 years of experience in tech. She was SVP of Growth at SurveyMonkey and interim CMO at Miro, where she built high-performing teams that drove significant growth. She recently served as interim Head of Growth at Amplitude and currently advises and is a board member for early-stage startups. In today\u2019s podcast, we discuss:

\u2022 What product-led sales is

\u2022 How product-led sales differs from product-led growth

\u2022 Unpacking common acronyms: PQAs, PQs, PQLs, and MQLs

\u2022 When and how to consider investing in PLS

\u2022 Metrics for identifying qualified accounts

\u2022 The team, data, and tooling required for implementing PLS

\u2022 Common pitfalls to avoid when adding PLS

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-product-led-sales-elena-verna/#transcript

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Where to find Elena Verna:

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaverna

\u2022 Twitter: https://twitter.com/elenaverna

\u2022 Newsletter: https://elenaverna.substack.com/

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Where to find Lenny:

\u2022 Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

\u2022 Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Elena\u2019s background and what she\u2019s doing now

(07:13) Product-led sales (PLS) vs. product-led growth (PLG)

(12:47) How sales solutions can be applied to enterprise-level problems

(15:06) Defining enterprise-level problems\xa0

(17:51) How product-led companies start with PLS

(20:30) When to add sales

(22:36) Two ways to get to PLS

(24:27) Why every sales-led-growth company needs to add PLG

(26:50) Two ways you can own revenue

(28:37) PQAs, PQs, PQLs, and MQLs

(37:17) How to get started adding PLS

(42:01) Metrics to identify PQAs

(47:00) Why sales should be carefully applied\xa0

(49:07) Systems, infrastructure, and tooling

(50:59) The people and resources required for PLS

(53:42) Why you should have a clear ROI for every new hire

(55:05) Why product needs to be accountable for monetization with PLS

(59:57) Revenue-based goals product teams should have

(1:06:28) Common pitfalls startups run into when implementing PLS

(1:09:15) Benchmarks and the amount of time needed for implementing enterprise solutions

(1:12:04) Using onboarding to profile users

(1:13:08) Will AI be the next sales movement?

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Referenced:

\u2022 Elena\u2019s previous episode on Lenny\u2019s Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/elena-verna-on-how-b2b-growth-is-changing-product-led-growth-product-led-sales-why-you-should-go-freemium-not-trial-what-features-to-make-free-and-much-more/

\u2022 Miro: https://miro.com/

\u2022 Figma: https://www.figma.com/

\u2022 Elena\u2019s PLS funnel diagram: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/elenaverna_b2b-product-led-sales-guide-activity-7052664130763206658-yxLK/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

\u2022 Elena\u2019s memes: https://www.elenaverna.com/memes

\u2022 Mixpanel Signal reports: https://mixpanel.com/blog/mixpanel-signal-launch/

\u2022 Amplitude Compass chart: https://help.amplitude.com/hc/en-us/articles/235147347-The-Compass-chart-discover-your-users-a-ha-moments

\u2022 Looker: https://www.looker.com/

\u2022 Tableau: https://www.tableau.com/

\u2022 Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/

\u2022 HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/

\u2022 Marketo: https://nation.marketo.com/

\u2022 Waitlist for PLG course on Reforge: https://www.reforge.com/programs/product-led-growth

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.