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For product software businesses, especially those targeting B2B markets, the question isn’t whether to focus on product-led growth (PLG) or traditional sales — it’s about finding the right mix of both. And while PLG has become a popular strategy to scale more efficiently, there’s still a common misconception: that it makes sales teams obsolete. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Let’s break down how to find the right balance and why qualification is the key to doing it successfully.
Product-led growth allows users to experience the value of a product before making a purchase decision. It’s powerful for increasing the top of the funnel and helping leads convert more quickly. Features like free trials, freemium plans, and self-service onboarding can turn interested users into active ones without requiring direct contact from a sales rep.
But for many B2B SaaS companies, that’s just the beginning.
At some point, especially in higher-value deals, a sales process becomes necessary. That doesn’t always mean a high-touch approach with long meetings and custom demos. It can be low-touch or even automated. Still, when the product alone can’t answer all the questions a customer has, or when multiple stakeholders are involved in decision-making, sales needs to step in.
The right balance between PLG and sales efforts depends on one central question: How much is a customer worth over their lifetime, and how much effort does it take to close them?
If a customer’s lifetime value (LTV) is high, investing in a more involved sales process might be worth it. For lower LTV customers, it makes more sense to automate the journey as much as possible. The idea isn’t to choose one model over the other, but to calibrate your investment of time and resources based on potential return.
This calculation should guide decisions like:
No matter your go-to-market strategy, early qualification is where everything starts. It’s what allows SaaS companies to identify which users can remain in a self-service flow and which ones require more attention.
Qualifying leads early helps avoid two major pitfalls:
With the right data and tools in place, you can create a scalable, hybrid model that evolves as your product and customer base grow. This means using behavioural data, product usage, company size, and other signals to determine when a lead is ready for sales.
One of the biggest advantages of a PLG approach is the ability to automate large parts of the customer journey. You don’t have to rely solely on manual outreach or meetings. Instead, consider:
This kind of automation ensures that sales efforts are focused where they’ll make the most impact, without missing out on opportunities from users who are quietly moving through your funnel.
An important piece of this puzzle is collaboration between product, sales, and customer success teams. They each play a role in the customer journey — from first interaction to long-term retention.
That’s why it’s crucial to invest in customer success early. The earlier you set up a system to support users, the more data and insight you’ll gather to inform your sales strategy. Customer success doesn’t just help with retention but can also provide valuable input for identifying upsell opportunities and refining qualification criteria.
There’s no magic number when it comes to the PLG vs. traditional sales balance. It’s not 50/50, 80/20, or any other fixed formula. Instead, it depends on factors like:
Your strategy should evolve as your product and market mature. Early on, you might lean more heavily on PLG to build traction. Later, when targeting enterprise customers or expanding accounts, traditional sales might take a larger role.
Finding the right balance between product-led growth and traditional sales isn’t about choosing one over the other. It’s about creating a flexible, scalable strategy based on customer value and qualification.
When done right, this approach lets you grow efficiently while still closing high-value deals where the product alone isn’t enough. And with strong qualification processes and automation in place, your sales team can focus their efforts where they count the most.
