Building a Customer-Centric Go-To-Market Strategy with Lauren Goldstein - Ep 52

Plus, Why "Strategic RevOps" is giving SaaS Startups a Leg Up

Apr 25, 2025

Welcome to the latest weekly edition of The Transaction newsletter & podcast. Every Thursday, we share resources you should check out, what we’ve found insightful recently, and tactical ways you can improve your go-to-market today. For more: Podcast | YouTube

Ok folks, now that the Scale Summit has passed, I’m hoping that Craig will start replying to my emails again so we can get back to including his thoughts in the first few sections. That said, enjoy this edition supplied by Producer Sam’s barely developed brain.

Here’s what’s on deck this week:

What ~~Craig’s~~ Sam’s Reading
Recent Insight from a Past Guest
Latest Episode: Interesting Title with Lauren Goldstein
This Week’s Movie Poster Mockup: Crimson Tide

Did someone forward you this newsletter? I’m sorry about that, but since you’re here you might as well subscribe…

Want to ~~ruin~~ make someone’s day?

What Craig’s Sam’s Reading

As if my FOMO about missing Scale’s summit this week wasn’t bad enough, Craig seems to be intent on rubbing it in by reposting about 78,946 posts from people at the summit. I haven’t been able to find anything interesting on LinkedIn the past few days due to the deluge of these summits.

Just reading “Craig Rosenberg reposted this” sends shivers down my spine…

Recent Insight from a Past Guest:

Sam McKenna, Founder of SamSales, Sam’s Episode of The Transaction

Ugh, another super helpful, relevant way to use LinkedIn Sales Nav that you, or someone on your team, could use right now to influence revenue. My god, when will it end…

See Sam's Post

Latest Episode: Building a Customer-Centric Go-To-Market Strategy with Lauren Goldstein - Ep 52

Most B2B brands (yes, probably yours) think that they’re ‘customer-centric’, and yet none of them ever stop droning on and on about their product and its ‘revolutionary’ features.

Lauren Goldstein is the Chief Growth Officer of Winning by Design and Co-Founder, Board Member, Chair of the Board of Directors for Women in Revenue. Lauren joins co-hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson to chat how B2B sellers and marketers can connect with buyers in the way buyers want them to, why having a diverse leadership team is an invaluable asset for any startup, and why “Strategic RevOps” is enabling breakthrough growth for SaaS startups.

Also, Craig socks the world by caping for his portfolio companies’ sales pitches and Matt mentions the production design aesthetic of a niche director.

Critical Takeaways

Implement structured mentorship programs in your org where experienced team members can guide less experienced colleagues, as this can lead to increased job satisfaction and retention, on top of the personal and professional development of your whole team.
Instead of spending time on a sales call waxing poetic about the ‘revolutionary’ features of your product, use that time to ask your prospect what success looks like for them. How are they measured as a success or failure? Uncover that ideal state and help them understand how your product can get them their, provided it actually can, otherwise don’t waste their time and yours.
Consider using ‘Reverse Demos’, where instead of showing off your product right away, you have the customer outline their current processes and challenges. While this approach might not work with all types of buyers, it could be effective in understanding complex systems and better tailoring your pitch to the customer's actual needs.
Cross-functional alignment across your go-to-market team is crucial. Sales, marketing, product, and finance teams need to work collaboratively, understanding each other’s objectives and challenges. Regular inter-department meetings to align goals and strategies help everyone move in the same direction towards shared business goals.
Companies that have strategic RevOps roles are better at aligning their sales and marketing efforts with financial and operational goals, ultimately driving growth and operational efficiency.

Chapters

00:00 - Episode Preview
00:30 - Are the Angels a Real Team & Breaking Down the Backgrounds
03:24 - Introducing Lauren Goldstein, Chief Growth Officer of Winning By Design & Co-Founder of Women in Revenue
06:36 - The Origin Story of Women in Revenue (The group, not the concept)
18:17 - The Immutable Impact Diverse Teams in Business
23:43 - B2B Tech Brands Are NOT Connecting Buyers in the Ways That SaaS Buyers Want
31:39 - What is a ‘Reverse Demo’ & Why is Gartner Analyst Dan Gottlieb Recommending it
36:00 - Revenue Growth in SaaS Comes Back to Identifying the Right Buyers
40:43 - The Critical Role of Rev Ops in B2B Go-to-Market Strategy for SaaS
44:00 - Strategic Rev Ops: The Key to Integration & Go-To-Market Alignment

Epic Quotes

“ Managing multiple stakeholders in an enterprise sale is not a new thing. But it's more than managing multiple stakeholders, it's really about helping to facilitate a conversation where they're all understanding the problem in the same way and can connect back to a common denominator.” - Lauren Goldstein
“ There is no greater liar as a buyer, than a marketer.” - Matt Amundson (A Marketer)

Connect with Lauren

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurengoldstein/
Winning by Design Website: https://winningbydesign.com/
Women in Revenue Website: https://womeninrevenue.org/

Shoutouts

Sydney Sloan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydsloan/
Sydney’s Episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/unlocking-strategic-marketing-with
Katharine Reagan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharine-reagan/
Shari Johnston: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharijohnston/
Jen Dimas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenpd/
Tracy Eiler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyeiler/
Jim Walker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwwalker/
Robert Koehler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rkoehler/
Radius
Marketo
Maria Pergolino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariapergolino/
InsideView
Babcock Jenkins
Dan Gottlieb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpgottlieb/
Dan’s Episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/triple-t-pov-with-dan-gottlieb
Miro
Mark Kosoglow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkosoglow/
Mark’s Episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/unlocking-sales-success-creativity
Kelly DeHart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-dehart-18b63315/
Tom Murtaugh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-murtaugh-1729b09/
Colin Gerber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinsgerber/
Socure
Adam B. Needles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abneedles/
Adam’s Episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/the-new-go-to-market-blueprint-with
Annuitas

Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

This Week’s Movie Poster Mockup: Crimson Tide

Shout-out to the late Gene Hackman. While I’m not sure what happened with the circumstances of his death, I’m quite sure that he’s a phenomenal actor and he’s great in Crimson Tide (Tony Scott, 1995). Stacked cast in that movie by the way, alongside Hackman, you’ve got Denzel, James Gandolfini (In a non-mob related role), George Dzundza (Who’s in a million things), a young Steve Zahn, and really gritty and nuanced performance by Viggo Mortensen (pre-Lord of The Rings).

Follow the Hosts

Craig’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigrosenberg/
Matt’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-amundson-91657236/

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