Shows / Topline
Topline
The #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Tune in every week to hear Sam Jacobs, AJ Bruno and Asad Zaman discuss and debate the trends, news, and developments impacting the B2B tech world. Enjoy the hot takes, strong opinions, and dry humor.
Episodes
- Topline
TOPLINE HOTLINE: What does a solid first quarter look like as a new CRO?
In this episode of Topline Hotline, our hosts discuss 30, 60, 90-day plan for new CROs. What does a solid first quarter look like as a new CRO? Companies are…
- Topline
E31: The State of the Job Market
Despite the numerous layoffs witnessed in 2023, the current job market surpasses the number of cuts. On this week's episode, we cover a variety of topics…
- Topline
TOPLINE HOTLINE: Re-engaging lost opportunities
In an effort to generate more demand, a listener wonders how you can best re-engage lost opportunities. Is it worth trying to win back someone who's told you…
- Topline
E30: The Truth about End User Spending
After examining G2's State of Software report, which delves into the supply side, we now shift our focus to the demand side, as we explore the data provided by…
- Topline
TOPLINE HOTLINE: So, a client offered my star employee a job...
A Pavilion member is contemplating if they can negotiate with a client (and friend) who has made a tempting offer to double the salary of one of their star…
- Topline
E29: Navigating the Software Industry's Evolution
In this episode, the hosts dissect the explosive growth in the software industry, as revealed by the G2 Quarterly State of Software report. With under 50K…
- Topline
TOPLINE HOTLINE: Addressing early termination requests from customers
A listener asks how to deal with a situation where a customer asks to churn in the first year of a multi year contract, where there was no fault by the…
- Topline
E28: State of the Market, and Balancing Efficiency with Innovation
On this week's episode of Topline, the hosts review the state of the market and talk about how to balance the need for efficiency in business with taking risks…
- Topline
TOPLINE HOTLINE: How should SaaS companies be thinking about price increases for 2024?
There are two schools of thought about price increases heading into 2024. While the data shows that the average ACV for B2B SaaS products has increased by 9%…
- Topline
E27: Recap from GTM2023
With all three hosts in Nashville for GTM2023, this week's episode recaps key learnings from the event, including why alignment is so critical for growth and…
- Topline
TOPLINE HOTLINE: How Do You Forecast Churn?
On this episode of Topline Hotline, the hosts answer a question about how GTM leaders forecast churn, and whether they rely simply on historic data or include…
- Topline
E26: Kelly O'Halloran Shares Results from the QuotaPath Compensation Study
QuotaPath's Kelly O'Halloran shares findings from the company's recent compensation study, which found that it takes employees 3 to 6 months to understand…
- Topline
TOPLINE HOTLINE: What should sales teams be doing to increase inbound lead flow?
On this week's Topline Hotline, the hosts answer a community question about what to do when inbound lead flow slows and your sales team has excess capacity -…
- Topline
E25: Peter Walker on the Findings from Carta's State of Startup Compensation H1 2023
Carta Head of Insights Peter Walker joins Topline to talk about key findings from the company's State of Startup Compensation Report for H1 2023, including…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: How much experience does an SDR actually need?
This week, the hosts discuss how much experience an SDR needs to be successful in the role. Hint: Traits like ambition, curiosity, and persistence matter more…
ToplineE24: 2024 planning, forecasting, and trends
This week, Sam, AJ, and Asad talk 2024 planning, positive signs in the market, their approach to forecasting, and employee attrition trends heading into next…
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: Which SaaS metrics should I present to the board?
This week, the hosts discuss how to present to the board when you're still navigating product-market fit and the need to expand into new markets. Submit your…
ToplineE23: New CPI report, the impact of retention, and how to leverage CS
This week, the hosts talk about CPI increases, the impact of retention, how to effectively run customer success, and valuations.
ToplineTOPLINE HOTLINE: Acquiring your first B2B customers
How do you acquire your first 10 B2B customers without funding? The hosts discuss reverse engineering, doing things that aren't scalable, and selling a…
ToplineE22: Positive Economic Signals, Seasonality of Software Sales, and Aligning Objectives with Compensation
This week, AJ, Asad, and Sam discuss recent positive economic signals compared with the findings of Pavilion's latest Pulse survey, the seasonality of software…
- Topline
TOPLINE HOTLINE: Moving From Incentive-Based to Fixed Sales Compensation Models
Should you move to a fixed compensation model for your sales team? Will it hurt or help productivity? How will it impact your ability to recruit top talent?
- Topline
E21: The Return of the IPO Market, Why Early Stage Execs Should Study the Public Markets, Cultivating an Efficient Growth Mindset
The IPO market is heating up again, and AJ, Asad and Sam talk about lessons from Klaviyo, Instacart and Arm's S-1s, why so many companies are shifting from a…
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E20: Go-To-Market Alignment, the Role of the CMO, the Return of Events and Anxiety
This week on Topline the hosts talk about the importance of a unified approach to go-to-market, dig deeper into the specific challenges CMOs are facing…
ToplineE19: Doug Camplejohn on Building Culture and the Future of People Query Language
This week, Doug Camplejohn, CEO of Airspeed joins the hosts to discuss the difference between building products and building culture, the true definition of…
- Topline
E18: Building a Performance Driven Culture, Are SaaS Fundamentals Flawed?
This week, the hosts discuss how productivity and performance are impacted by remote work, whether companies should require their teams to return to the…
- Topline
E17: Immaculate Disinflation, Surviving a Down Market, and The VC Reset
While there's a lot of buzz around the economy improving, Sam, AJ and Sad talk about the behind the scenes conversations they're having with other founders…
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E16: CEO Lessons from HubSpot, What Causes Burnout, and the State of the IPO Market
On this week's Topline, the hosts talk about a recent article HubSpot founder Brian Halligan shared about 20 lessons he learned as CEO and debate whether being…
- Topline
E15: State of the Market, Twitter v. Threads, and The Value of Taking a Pause
With inflation down and the probability of a soft landing increasing, the hosts talk about what this means for B2B tech, share their perspectives on Threads…
- Topline
E14: Kris Rudeegraap on the Journey from $0 to $100 Million
Sendoso CEO Kris Rudeegraap has lead the company through a growth journey from $0 to over $100 Million and in this episode, he shares lessons learned along the…
- Topline
E13: Q2 Wrap Up, the State of US Politics, and the Outlook
As we wrap up Q2, Sam, AJ and Asad talk through lessons learned from a tough quarter, share their outlooks on what Q3 has in store, and dive into the…
- Topline
E12: Mark Roberge on the Implications of AI For GTM Teams and Inflated VC Valuations
This week on Topline, Sam, AJ and Asad are joined by guest Mark Roberge. Mark as the original head of sales at HubSpot, and has gone on to teach at Harvard…
- Topline
E11: PLG Valuations, Softbank's Counter Offensive, Lessons from the Tight Economy
Insight Partners released new research this week on publicly traded PLG companies showing that sales led companies have higher valuations. The team digs into…
- Topline
E10: State of the Market, Employee Disengagement, Burnout
This week, the team talks about the state of the market and what it means for tech companies, how to drive engagement amongst employees in a tough economy, and…
- Topline
E9: Lessons from Bezos, Selling Outside of Tech, and Fostering a Culture of Innovation
In this week's episode, Sam, Asad and AJ reflect on Jeff Bezos' leadership style, how it has impacted Amazon's growth, and the lessons it holds for startup…
- Topline
E8: Business Performance in a Down Economy, AI-Driven Career Opportunities, and Side Hustles
The guys talk about level setting the way we assess business performance in the current economy, why multiples for AI companies are way up, how AI is fueling…
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E7: Regulating AI, Technology as a Distraction, Using Data to Make Decisions
This week, Sam, AJ and Asad reflect on recent congressional testimony about whether and to what degree AI should be regulated, and share insights around how…
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E6: The Ideal Profile of a Seller, Hiring Market Updates, and Being More Data-Driven
Sam, Asad and AJ catch up on what's happening with the economy and the hiring market and talk through what the ideal profile of a seller is, what the right…
- Topline
E5: Jamie Barnett on How GTM Leaders Should be Thinking About Generative AI
In this episode of Topline, Sam, Asad and AJ speak with special guest, Jamie Barnett, who currently serves as the Interim CEO for Writer. Jamie shares some…
- Topline
E4: Growth Stage Risks, Bridge Rounds, Bare Minimum Mondays
Sam, AJ and Asad talk about the challenges that growth stage companies face when it comes to fundraising and company building. The conversation also touches on…
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E3: Andrea Kayal on the Move from CMO to CRO, What's Driving Growth, and Expectations for 2023
Sam, AJ and Asad are joined by Teampay CRO Andrea Kayal for a discussion about her career and the transition from CMO to CRO, the lessons she learned driving…
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E2: Is Tech the Canary in the Coal Mine, AI as the Singularity, What Makes a Great Board Meeting
Is tech the canary in the Cole mine of the economy? And is this a good thing in the sense that we'll recover first? Sam, AJ and Asad cover this, along with…
- Topline
E1: Recession or No, Changing Valuations, and Managing Mental Health in Turbulent Times
Are we really headed for a recession? How should tech entrepreneurs and GTM leaders be thinking about sales quotas, compensation, and valuations? Have the…