Lessons from a CEO in Go-to-Market Strategies for SaaS Products: Speed, Trade-Offs, Value and Growth

It's been a while since I shared thoughts and experiences on here for the rising future CEOs and startups and so I thought I would pen some thoughts on some lessons we have learned or seen over the last 5 or so years. (Yes, it's been that long!)

I’ve spent a lot of time inside SaaS go-to-market  — our own and others. And if there’s one truth that shows up again and again, it’s this:

The product is only half the equation.

The rest is about how you get it into the hands of the right people, in a way they trust, understand, and can act on.

So I’m sharing a few thoughts here. It's definitely not a template, but more a set of observations from our work in the industry. These are the routes we’ve seen companies take, how they tend to play out, and what’s worth considering before you pick your path.

It’s also worth noting that in all of these instances, if you are selling into a regulated financial entity, you need to be able to demonstrate that your company and the product is Enterprise Ready and you have the run way to see you thought the contracting and rigorous due diligence and security architecture reviews. This never goes away!

 Before I jump in though, let’s take a look at the options we’ll cover, overlayed with CAC. This shouldn't be the deciding factor but it's certainly important to understand.

Here are the typical GTM routes that we see:

Direct B2B Sales - Go straight to the buyer - the most common approach when selling to financial institutions

What it looks like: 

Identify your buyers, build lists, run demos, work the pipeline. Requires confidence, process, and good targeting.

Pros:

• Bigger deals and deeper relationships

• Strong feedback from engaged users

• Clear ROI stories

Cons:

• Long sales cycles

• High upfront effort and cost

• Requires a commercial engine early

• It’s easy to set up a sales team too early – before you have finessed the value, repeatability and the ROI for your clients. Can result in a lot of wasted money if you move too soon with this.

• Early-stage companies will need their founder to be the seller to every client which can be intensive especially if you are wearing many hats.

Speed to market: Moderate – 5-10 years growth Good for: Workflow tools, back-office platforms, anything that touches core ops Lesson: It’s not about features , it’s about certainty. Buyers want to know you’ll still be here next year.

2. Product-Led Growth (PLG) - Let the product speak first

What it looks like: Freemium or self-serve onboarding. Optimised for activation and conversion — no sales required to start. This is less likely to achieve traction in larger FIs due to stringent supplier onboarding checks.

Pros:

• Quick to launch and test

• Scales without big headcount

• Great for testing product-market fit

Cons:

• Lower contract values initially

• Can attract wrong-fit users

• Requires deep product investment upfront

Speed to market: Fast Good for: Tools used by individuals or small teams Lesson: Just because people can try it doesn’t mean they’ll adopt it. You still need a clear path to value.

3. Systems Integrator-Led Channel -Go to market through trusted delivery partners

What it looks like: You partner with global or regional SIs such as the big 5, who introduce you as part of broader transformation projects.

Pros:

• SIs already have client trust and this is a huge part of the selling journey

• You become part of bigger deals

• SIs often handle change management and delivery

Cons:

• You're not in control of the deal

• Hard to prioritise unless you're tied to revenue for them and you are one of many partners

• Requires deep enablement and ongoing engagement

Speed to market: Slow setup, moderate scale – 2- 5 years growth Good for: Enterprise products, compliance tools, things that need hands-on delivery Lesson: They won’t sell you unless you help them sell themselves. You have to make the SI look good, or relevant, for them to put you in front of potential clients.

4. Tech Partnerships / Platform-Led GTM - Go where your users already are

What it looks like: You integrate with an existing product or ecosystem. Distribution comes via app marketplaces, integrations, or co-selling agreements.

Pros:

• Warm intro to target customers

• Potential to co-sell with larger vendors

• Raises your credibility and reach

 Cons:

• Heavy technical or compliance lift

• Risk of being buried among other partners

• You may get deprioritised or commoditised

Speed to market: Medium setup, can scale quickly - 2-3 years growth Good for: Infrastructure tools, compliance layers, “better together” offerings Lesson: These channels work when you’re strategic, not passive. You need to own enablement and keep the partnership active.

5. Community or Content-Led Growth - Build trust before selling anything

What it looks like: Create content, tools, or events that attract your audience… Educate first and convert later.

Pros:

• Strong long-term brand equity

• Generates qualified inbound interest

• Great for category creation or thought leadership

 Cons:

• Takes time to see results

• Hard to measure short-term ROI

• Needs real consistency

Speed to market: Slow, but compounding – 5-10 years growth Good for: New categories, mission-led products, products with a learning curve Lesson: Don’t start this for attention and instead do it to genuinely add value. Audiences can tell the difference.

6. Embedded / API-First GTM – We’re not the face, but we’re the engine

What it looks like: Your product powers others. You’re integrated into a bigger solution, not a standalone UI.

Pros:

• High scalability

• Low friction for adoption

• Often invisible (in a good way)

Cons:

• Can be undervalued or hidden in the stack

• Pricing pressure

• Less brand visibility

Speed to market: Fast once technical barriers are cleared – 2-5 years growth Good for: Payments, data, auth, compliance, workflow infra Lesson: This works beautifully when your goal is scale, not spotlight. But it’s easy to become replaceable if you’re not essential so you need to remain relevant.

My Advice:

The key is to trial a handful of options but be mindful that whichever you choose requires time, focus, commitment, diligence and perhaps different value points depending who you are talking to or attempting to partner with.

In all cases involving Partners, they will need enough of a carrot for them to pick your product up and run as well as having a clear value proposition to take to their clients. So remember to build this into your pitch to them and your own forecast modelling.

If you found this helpful, give me a shout and let me know if you want me to cover anything else.

 Layla W.