S4E19 – Go To Market learnings from B2B SaaS Trumpet With Rory Sadler

Go To Market learnings from B2B SaaS Trumpet.

In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, Host Joran sits down with Rory Sadler, the co-founder and CEO of Trumpet, a dynamic SaaS platform designed to streamline the buying process for customers. Since its launch in December 2021, Trumpet has rapidly grown, attracting hundreds of customers and thousands of companies on its free plan. 

In this episode, Rory shares the origins of Trumpet, detailing how he and his co-founders identified a crucial gap in B2B SaaS sales and built a solution to address it. He also opens up about Trumpet’s funding journey, the challenges faced, and the lessons learned along the way. From embracing technology and AI to maintaining a strong customer focus and building a robust social media presence, Rory provides valuable insights for SaaS founders and entrepreneurs looking to navigate their own growth trajectories.

How Trumpet Started

Rory recounts how Trumpet was born in summer 2021. He and his co-founders, Nick and Andrew, saw a common issue in B2B SaaS sales from their time at Hotjar and elsewhere. They wanted a centralized platform for sharing crucial info with buyers, which led to Trumpet’s creation. After talking to over 200 sales leaders and buyers, they were confident in their solution and moved forward.

Trumpet’s Funding Model and Growth Strategies

Rory talks about Trumpet’s funding journey. They raised £1.6 million in a pre-seed round in April 2022 and $6.35 million in July 2022 from investors like Albion VC and Lightbird. With around 30 employees, Trumpet focuses on providing exceptional service to all customers, big and small. Rory highlights their commitment to a close-knit team and standout customer experience.

The Importance of Focusing on Customers in Marketing

Trumpet’s core value is deep customer focus. Rory explains how they go above and beyond for their customers, aiming to provide outstanding service and encourage referrals. They also experiment with various marketing channels and partnerships to drive growth. Rory believes in starting with small-scale efforts, building strong customer relationships, and offering personal support.

Challenges and Lessons

Rory shares the tough lessons Trumpet has learned, including dealing with burnout and the need for a work-life balance. They faced challenges like deciding whether to build or buy parts of their product, which led to higher costs and delays. These experiences taught them to carefully evaluate when to develop in-house solutions versus using existing ones.

How Trumpet Uses AI and Tech

Trumpet leverages AI and tech to boost efficiency. Rory talks about using GitHub Copilot for development and tools like v0.dev for design. On the sales side, AI tools like Plexity enhance research and analysis, making prospecting faster and more effective.

Future Plans for Trumpet in 2024 and Beyond

Looking ahead, Trumpet plans to keep delivering a top-notch customer experience. They want to be more present with customers, offer face-to-face support, and ensure smooth onboarding. Rory stresses the need to focus on conversations that align with their target customer profile and continue their Product-Led Growth (PLG) approach while supporting smaller customers.

The importance of Building a Social Media Presence

Rory discusses the impact of investing in social media, especially LinkedIn. By consistently sharing valuable content and engaging with the sales community, Trumpet has built trust and attracted investors, partners, and customers. Rory advises other founders to use free resources and create helpful content to build a strong social presence.

Why Creating a Customer Advisory Board is Crucial

A key decision for Trumpet’s growth was forming a customer advisory board. This board, made up of industry leaders and potential dream customers, offers valuable feedback and insights. It helps Trumpet design a product that meets large enterprises’ needs and prepares them for future growth. Rory emphasizes the importance of choosing advisory board members with the right expertise and connections.

Advice for SaaS Founders

Rory gives several tips for SaaS founders. For those just starting, he suggests being scrappy, targeting the right customers, and using their network. For those scaling up, he recommends setting up a customer advisory board to gain insights and build relationships with industry leaders. Rory also advises balancing different go-to-market strategies and continuously experimenting to find what works best.

This episode provides valuable insights into Trumpet’s journey, highlighting the importance of customer focus, technology use, and relationship-building for growth. Rory’s experiences offer useful lessons for SaaS founders on their own growth paths.

Key Timecodes

• (00:00) – Introduction and Focus on Internal Success
• (00:50) – Guest Introduction
• (01:22) – Company Background and Revenue
• (02:52) – Product and Employee Overview
• (04:09) – Rory’s Entrepreneurial Journey
• (06:27) – Motivations and Company Vision
• (07:28) – Challenges and Personal Hardships
• (13:05) – Lessons for Founders
• (17:06) – The effective Growth Strategies
• (22:32) – Critical Decisions and Community Engagement
• (28:23) – Use of AI and Future Plans
• (34:07) – Advice for SaaS founders

Meet the author

Joran Hofman

Back in 2020 I was an affiliate for 80+ SaaS tools and I was generating an average of 30k in organic visits each month with my site. Due to the issues I experienced with the current affiliate management software tools, it never resulted in the passive income I was hoping for. Many clunky affiliate management tools lost me probably more than $20,000+ in affiliate revenue. So I decided to build my own software with a high focus on the affiliates, as in the end, they generate more money for SaaS companies.