Community-led selling: finding prospects with keyword alerts, helping first, and turning referrals into pipeline
Cliff Simon · Carabiner Group
Published September 6, 2024Explore the lesson. Sign in to access the slide download.
Cliff Simon explains how Carabiner Group grew through community-led, helpful interactions and referral momentum. The session connects community participation, keyword alerts, pipeline growth, and normalized sales-cycle performance.
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“me a ticket and head hunting people's faces off of LinkedIn and having those conversations now that's really switched to online communities that's switched to places like Pavilion revops Co-op sales hacker you know GTM fund among many others and we all seem to be looking for that connection how do you continue to learn how do you continue to find ways to get the information that you need to keep leveling”
“them and provide that value teach them something help leverage some of your insights for them that leads to a ton of impact and the way that I went about that was using keyword notifications in slack I'd get a notification while I was still on a call I was booking 83 meetings a month on average doing this uh which led to a really awesome Word of Mouth effect because in the B at the BC space word of mouth and referral is the number one way people do business so how can you build that halo effect around”
“the next two years because of the work that we were doing there and it was ongoing right what was one deal a month turned into two turned into three turned into seven and at that ACV it adds up really quickly and that's why we have that jump from 0 to six in such a short period time oh it's next slide yeah so we have heavily invested there um Pavilion alone was about 30% of our pipeline the other communities made up another”
“is a really wide swath but it's funny the problems at the bottom are the same ones at the top just add on like 20 times more change management and this is sort of the sales Cycles I was talking about um really really fast sales Cycles outside of that post svb world where everyone was sort of freaking out and just not buying anything but Community Le really helped drive that uh for a reference point most of my competitors see sales Cycles in”
“Our Revenue Growth”
“We’re all human Act like it Be Present Be Helpful Time to Value Be Empathetic Listen Don’t be a Pest Community Led Growth The Cornerstones Create Advocacy Create Thought Leadership”
“Sales Cycles Normalized Outside of the Macro, sales cycles maintained”
“Customer Satisfaction Nothing better than hearing you’re making a difference!”
Video
Growing Carabiner Group from 0 - $6M (and through an exit) - Slide Deck
Founder & CEO of Carabiner Group, a RevOps consultancy that helps companies optimize their revenue operations processes.
Mark Abbott · Ninety.io
Alex Quilici · YouMail
Kyle Racki · Proposify
Savneet Singh · PAR Technology Corp.
Nicolas Vandenberghe · Chili Piper
Jay Ackerman · Reveleer
Each slide with a short explanation of what it shows. Open the slide text for its exact wording.
13 passages
SaaSOpen, September 2024 Growing Carabiner Group From 0 - $6M (Bootstrapped & an Exit) Cliff Simon Chief Revenue Officer, Carabiner Group
The talk moves through customer focus, community-led growth, and the results of that approach. The agenda frames community as both a growth strategy and a source of measurable outcomes.
Over the next 20 minutes I’m going to show you Focus on the Customer Adapting to Buyer’s Behavior Removing Friction Be Patient The Results The Cornerstones Create Thought Leadership Create Advocacy The Growth The Impact The Exit Community Led Growth
The quarterly chart shows revenue increasing from early 2021 into 2023. It provides context for the customer and community practices discussed next.
Our Revenue Growth
The slide centers customer behavior, friction, and patience as inputs to growth. Understanding where customers struggle helps shape a more useful experience.
We’re All Living in a Consumer World Removing Friction This Will Take Time Focus on the Customer! Cause it’s all the really matters! Adapting Buyer Behavior Community Led Growth Be Patient
The community approach rests on customer advocacy and thought leadership. These cornerstones make the community a way to help customers and build trust.
We’re all human Act like it Be Present Be Helpful Time to Value Be Empathetic Listen Don’t be a Pest Community Led Growth The Cornerstones Create Advocacy Create Thought Leadership
The slide links investment in community with a 55% pipeline increase and revenue growth. Its headline connects community-building activity with stronger demand generation.
Revenue Growth In 2022, we invested heavily into Community to add 55% more pipeline and drive revenue
The results include an ACV increase of less than 30%, 80% of revenue attributed to community, referrals, or word of mouth, and a successful strategic exit. The figures connect customer advocacy with business outcomes.
Increased ACV by < 30% 80% of all Revenue was attributed to Community Led or Referral/ Word of Mouth Successful exit as a Strategic The Results The Growth The Impact The Exit
The chart shows sales cycle days rising sharply in late 2022 before falling back toward earlier levels. The pattern suggests a temporary slowdown rather than a steady increase.
Sales Cycles Normalized Outside of the Macro, sales cycles maintained
The slide attributes 80% of client acquisitions to community-related sources and compares yearly shares for 2021, 2022, and 2023. The displayed values rise into 2022 and remain high in 2023.
The Impact Faster Conversion Bigger ACVs Higher CSat
Review screenshots contain customer feedback about the product’s value and experience. The slide uses testimonials as qualitative evidence of customer impact.
Customer Satisfaction Nothing better than hearing you’re making a difference!
A before-and-after brand graphic shows Carabiner becoming part of SBI Growth Advisory. It marks a strategic transition in the company’s identity.
Shipping our first app 2021, Los Gatos
The recap gathers the customer focus, community practices, and business outcomes into one summary. It reinforces the role of advocacy and relationships in growth.
Over the last 20 minutes, I showed you: Focus on the Customer Adapting to Buyer’s Behavior Removing Friction Be Patient The Results The Cornerstones Create Thought Leadership Create Advocacy The Growth The Impact The Exit Community Led Growth
The speaker thanks the audience and invites further contact through the details shown on the slide.
SaaSOpen, September 2024 Thank you! [redacted email] Cliff Simon Chief Revenue Officer, Carabiner Group