Ep. 137 - Why SaaS Companies Should Unify GTM under the CRO - with Cliff Simon, CRO of Carabiner Group

SaaS Backwards - Reverse Engineering SaaS Success

Consolidating sales and marketing into the office of the CRO might be a controversial topic, but it can be healthy for demand and sales functions to become enmeshed.

In this episode of the SaaS Backwards podcast, our guest Cliff Simon, CRO of Carabiner Group, explains how aligning demand and sales functions can create a more cohesive and effective go-to-market strategy.

Cliff shares his belief that companies need to have a unified leader at the very top of everything go-to-market. He breaks down how sales and marketing are two sides of the same coin, and why looking at everything through a revenue lens is critical for success.

We also discuss Cliff’s collaboration with Nick Toman, author of The Challenger Customer and Carabiner Group’s Chief Product and Strategy Officer. Cliff highlights Nick’s expertise in market research, referencing his latest report, "Commercial Success in 2025 Hinges on GTM Strategy."

Topics covered in this episode include the evolution of enterprise sales as SaaS companies scale, achieving capital efficiency in go-to-market strategies, and measuring progress in enterprise sales.

Looking for ways Carabiner Group can boost your Revenue Operations? Check out the GTM Tech Stack Audit and Analysis Workbook—a valuable resource for mapping the relationship between your GTM strategies and technology stack.

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Advantages of combining sales and marketing under the office of the CRO
• The state of go-to-market and insights on how to achieve capital efficiency
• How to measure progress in the enterprise sale

Other resources to check out:

Interview with Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius who publishes a yearly report about how B2B buyer behavior is changing.
The Lead Gen Mistake I Guarantee You’re Making – how to create content that better identifies intent from today’s b2b buyer.
And, if you want an outside look at your content with actionable advice, take advantage of our Content Audit. Valued at $20K in free consulting

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Thanks for listening to the SaaS Backwards Podcast, brought to you by Austin Lawrence Group. We help SaaS firms reduce churn, accelerate sales, and generate demand. Learn more at AustinLawrence.com.
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