Sam Jacobs’ Post

If I was a first-time CRO of a $12M ARR Series B startup, and I had to get $24M in the next 12 months, here’s exactly what I'd do in my first 90 days to build a revenue engine that actually works: [I’ve been in this situation before and it was brutal. I made a ton of mistakes and a few times it ended with a premature termination (i.e. I got my butt fired). So, if I were doing it again, this is what I'd do. 👇] 1. Get aligned with the CEO—fast. You’re not just running sales anymore. - Sync on growth vs. cash burn strategy - Clarify how CS, marketing, and sales tie into one GTM plan - Decide now: will you build a volume engine, a precision engine—or both? Misalignment here is the #1 reason CROs don’t last 18 months. → Impact KPI: CAC Payback Period (Target: <15 months) 2. Pressure-test the P&L. Before you start moving fast, make sure the math works. - Break out CAC by segment and channel - Check LTV:CAC by product line - Validate that PMF still holds—especially if pricing or retention has changed Your unit economics tell you if you’re in a position to grow. If retention or CAC is off, we can’t commit to the growth target, especially if it implies tripling S&M spend for minimal returns. → Impact KPI: Gross Margin and LTV:CAC (Target >5:1) and Payback Period (Target <12 Mos) 3. Install forecast discipline early. Pipeline confidence = board confidence. - Run weekly deal reviews with stage hygiene - Build rolling forecasts, not static snapshots - Include Marketing + CS in the forecast conversation I’ve seen strong deals die because no one knew they were at risk. Visibility solves that. → Impact KPI: Forecast Accuracy (Target: +/-10% at 30 days out) 4. Route leads for revenue—not fairness. Your best leads can’t go to random reps. - Review attainment and win rates by rep - Route high-intent demos to top 30% performers - Shift from round-robin to performance-based distribution Your perspective on capacity might need some refreshing. Your best reps generate 85% of your business. You’ll IMMEDIATELY generate a 25% improvement in efficiency just by scoring and routing leads to your top performers. → Impact KPI: Lead-to-Opportunity Conversion Rate (Target: +20–30%), Win Rate (Target>30%) 5. Fix the website. Your homepage is your highest-volume rep. Is it closing? - Run CRO tests on headline, CTA, and form length - Heatmap scroll depth to prioritize above-the-fold value - Pressure-test messaging with 10 cold prospects (or use Wynter) People are already visiting your site but it might be a hodgepodge of content and uninteresting self-promotion. Step back and think about fewer, tighter journeys that inform and educate while naturally leading to bottom of funnel. → Impact KPI: Website-to-Demo Conversion Rate (Target: 2–4%) ***RAN OUT OF ROOM. #6-7 continued in the comments.