BC Startup Sales Podcast — Eight Years After Predictable Revenue with Aaron Ross (Predictable Revenue)

In over 150 podcasts we have never done a topic focused on the impact a book has had on an ecosystem of founders. This week, we were excited to bring Aaron Ross on to the show to talk about his experiences and reflections eight years after Predictable Revenue was published. Aaron released Predictable Revenue in July of 2011 and the book has been a go to for any b2b software company. Most of our audience has likely read the book and we wanted to bring Aaron on to the show to talk through his thinking about the book, how it has held up over time, and some of his learnings eight years into the journey of Predictable Revenue.

Aaron Ross is the author of From Impossible To Inevitable and Predictable Revenue about sales systems that helped Salesforce, Twilio, Zuora and other companies create billions of dollars in revenues. Prior to this, Aaron was an EIR (Entrepreneur-in-Residence) at Alloy Ventures, a $1 billion venture capital firm. Aaron was CEO of LeaseExchange, an online equipment leasing marketplace. He graduated from Stanford University, and is an ex-Ironman triathlete and graduate of the Boulder Outdoor Survival School. Aaron is married with 10 children (half through adoption). He is currently the Co-CEO of PredictableRevenue.com.

We start the episode recapping the basic gist of Predictable Revenue for listeners that may have not heard of the work and cover eight years after Predictable Revenue was published what he is thinking about today. We dive in on some of the key lessons throughout the book and focus on the true applicability having reflected on his time working with founders. Aaron and I spend a bit of time talking about success stories and some of the case studies that really showcase how – if implemented correctly – the book can serve as a blueprint for success around go to market motions of a SaaS business. We do a quick look back and talk a bit about what Aaron thinks he missed, how he has seen the book be used incorrectly, and whether he thinks anything has changed. Especially as the pendulum is swinging back towards high curation, less automation, and less volume it was interesting to get Aaron’s thinking here. We close with some fun topics like whether or not the work can be applied in a b2c setting, how to manage the tradeoffs by taking this approach, and some fun thoughts on his new work with Jason Lemkin called From Impossible To Inevitable.