How we beat more established players by enabling direct access to our executive team

Upendra Varma: 00:00:00

what is that one, one compelling, you know, reason for those new, new sort of folks to sort of use your product over something else, especially since you're just starting out?

Sami Rejeb: 00:00:10

I think the, the, um, customers, normally they don't have access, at least at this size. They don't have access to the c e o of Clarity or Sure of gone. Okay. So the fact that they have me as a point of contact is, I think transforms the relationship.

Upendra Varma: 00:00:29

Hello everyone. Welcome to the SaaS podcast. Today we have Samami Reserve with us. Samami here runs a company called Value Albert. Hey Samami, welcome to the show.

Sami Rejeb: 00:00:37

Thank you. Thank you

Upendra Varma: 00:00:38

for inviting me. Alright. Alright, Sammy, so let's talk about your company and product first, right? What does Value Orbit do and why do customers pay you money?

Sami Rejeb: 00:00:46

Okay. So Value Orbit is a revenue operations, uh, platform and it helps, uh, sellers and revenue teams in general to achieve predictable growth. Alright.

Upendra Varma: 00:00:59

Uh, so who are you trying to, uh, sell these particular product to? Talk a bit about your ideal customers.

Sami Rejeb: 00:01:08

So my ideal customers is, uh, uh, chief Revenue Operations or Rev ops lead or ceo, CFOs, um, anybody who's, uh, impacted by the revenue and the growth of the company. Uh, so, uh, if I can talk about this, uh, in fact, this Rev. Movement, uh, very quickly, if it's okay with you. Sure, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So, so sales, um, Used to be until now, inaccurate and unpredictable. Um, 57% of companies are not meeting quota according to Gartner. Uh, and what we used to do, and, and by the way, I used to be the head of Rev op, so head of sales strategy and business operations for Salesforce, and also head of consultative sales of Oracle before, um, founding a value orbit. So what we used to do is to create. Three to five times pipeline, uh, as the target and try to guess, uh, on which deal should, uh, close and make the number. So this was a luxury and we've had 11 years of growth. Fantastic era. We had some bumps, uh, uh, on the road, but it was great. And then the crisis escape and the global pandemic, um, has fundamentally changed the way we live and work. Uh, then the current crisis had taken us with, uh, inflation and eroding demands. So it's a new word of un uncertainty. And then, um, I notice one thing is that, um, The budget, the sales budget was wasted and inefficient. So BCG said 30% to 50% of the sales budget was wasted on efficient processes. So it made me wonder that we need a new way to, uh, sell. Uh, so this is why I created, uh, value orbit for the revenue

Upendra Varma: 00:03:09

leaders. All right, so that sounds pretty interesting in terms of your, in terms of the problem that you're trying to solve. So help me understand how exactly are you doing this? So how, how it varies from a typical c r m, like Salesforce, for example. So what sort of intelligence are you extracting it? And so talk, so talk to me about that ex, those exact product features which are sort of enabling you to do what you've just described.

Sami Rejeb: 00:03:30

Okay, so, uh, so leaders are looking for a better way to sell. So what what is selling in fact, is the quality pipeline and the quality over execution. So over how we move or make progress the pipeline and the forecast accuracy. And this is exactly the three things that we do at value orbit. So we call it, uh, precision Revenue. And what it does is, is in fact, it connects to your CRM system. So we connect to all the known ones like Salesforce and HubSpot, and then. It automates the qualification. So if you're using medic, medic band, et cetera, you can, or you can customize your own, then you can put your process it, it captures the process that is in the c R M and then it allows you to set up a set of rules that, uh, Uh, in which cases you push which content to trigger which discussion or conversation with the, uh, uh, with the customer. And it also recommends on the pipeline hygiene what to update and where to update. And in fact, um, it's a realtime guidance and realtime forecasting system. So you define your rules, you define. playbook, which is, as I said, it's the qualification methodology plus the content that you have, and you let, uh, value orbit guide you through what to do next in terms of conversations, in terms of, uh, uh, enablement, uh, and, and also to hit the, the perfect forecast or to hit your number.

Upendra Varma: 00:05:13

Got it. And, uh, in terms of, you know, I, I just wanna close around the whole product aspect of it, right? So in terms of innovation, right? So for example, from what I'm hearing, all forecast forecasting all of these things, well, every c r m sort of tries to do it a bit, right? So I, I wanna understand what's that technology that's enabling you to do this, which nobody has been really. At least not been focusing so far.

Sami Rejeb: 00:05:36

No, it's, it's, it's a great question. Um, in fact, it's the machine learning and, uh, in specifically and the AI algorithms. So basically, uh, in rev ops, uh, clarity in terms of rev ops, in terms of forecasting created the category, and now it's followed by a number of competitors and all of them, they're focusing on. The, uh, activities. So how many emails, how many, uh, uh, meetings you organize, et cetera. And then they try to kind of qualify the pipeline outta your, your activities. Now we're doing something that is. Unique, which is we capture the activities that you do. We have a textbook, uh, editor, which in fact takes your meeting notes and update the c r m accordingly. That's, that's an innovation. And then once you do this, it captures the sequence. Of the winning, uh, deals. These are the patterns. And then it guides on what to do on, on which, uh, opportunity to work and what to do next to win, and also which opportunity and which account you should avoid. So the revs, the traditional rev ups is focused on, I'll give you a forecast with the precis. But we're not doing this. What we're saying is that we help you to work in an easy way to update your C R m and also to do your qualification the right way. And we take the sequence and we try to tell you what to do next. So basically, when you use value orbit, you only use next steps. It tells you exactly what to do, and it tells you why you should.

Upendra Varma: 00:07:23

Got it. Alright, so, so let's, let's move on. Uh, let's try to understand, you know, about, bit about the customers that you've got as of today and what sort of revenue are you doing and, you know, help me understand a bit about all of this. So how many customers do you have on your platform? As of today,

Sami Rejeb: 00:07:36

in fact, I have currently three customers. Mm-hmm. and the product has been released only a month. Just a month ago and yes, just a month ago. And I have another list of, uh, five, uh, uh, waiting list of five, uh, customers. Uh, and I have, I think it's what's great about is to talk about the unique approach for me to, um, kind of. How I see graph, because I, I think I see it in a very different way than the

Upendra Varma: 00:08:09

rest of the, I'd love to understand your, your thought process on that. Yeah. So how, how, how, how do you intend to sort of get those next set of customers first? So,

Sami Rejeb: 00:08:17

okay. Okay. So, so personally, um, I'm not, uh, so, so even, uh, so the fact that I'm using AI to help the customers, my customers at least qualify and work on the right accounts and opportunities, and I apply the same for myself. So I use my tool before any other person. And then I believe in one thing is that, uh, in the initial set of growth, you need to validate. Your growth hypothesis and validate your go to. Okay, so I kind of focused on the specific I c P, very specific I C P, uh, and then specific persona

Upendra Varma: 00:09:03

then, and what, what, and then how does that persona look like? And just talk about those first three customers as well, so as part of your story. Okay.

Sami Rejeb: 00:09:09

Okay. So, so, uh, in the beginning I focused on, um, SaaS C. Uh, that are in series A to C. Okay. So now I started, I started with the series A. Okay. That's the first customer. Okay. And my goal with this is that to kind of agree on the set of. Most important pain points and how to resolve them. And for example, what are the best processes? What are the best qualification approach, and train the AI to make sure that it solves this set of early customers. That's the A. Then I move to the B. Now, I haven't tackled the C yet, but I moved to the B and I'm trying to do the same. And what I'm trying to do is that I will not move to any. Other segments unless I prove the return on investment and I tackle the problem in, in, in the real way. And the problem is not only technological, is that what's the right organization, uh, what's the right adoption, et cetera, et cetera.

Upendra Varma: 00:10:22

Uh, interesting. And when you say you wanna prove this roi, so how do you quantify that? Is it about, uh, is it the CAG that's, that, that you, so, uh, customer acquisition cost that you need to spend to acquire these customers? Or is it whether your product is able to sort of satisfy their needs? What exactly are you looking for at this particular point of state? Uh, when, when you're sort of trying to build this, you know, g t m playbook, maybe you can call it that.

Sami Rejeb: 00:10:47

Okay. So, so first, the first, um, validation point for me is, um, The revenue, um, improvement. So over, so what I didn't say is that even that the product was, uh, ready, um, let, let's say two, three months ago in, in, uh, in an improvement way. But I've been. Piloting now for seven months. And, uh, what's important is that what's the impact? So what's the impact in terms of win rate and what's the impact in terms of revenue? So that's, that's what I'm looking for as the first validation. Now, I think you had a good question in terms of cac, uh, uh, for me, I'm doing it on another side. So what I'm trying to do is that trying to say, um, refine the criteria to find the, um, the I C P and to say what is the best channel. So for the moment I've been successful to get customers from my network, but also, uh, also exploring, uh, there are a lot of slack, uh, um, uh, chat groups. Yeah, that are extremely good where you have thousands of, uh, CROs and RevUps and, uh, these, I think, uh, chats were very helpful for me. That's like, groups were very helpful for me. So in terms of discussion, validation, et cetera, just,

Upendra Varma: 00:12:20

just, uh, just to get some more understanding here. Right. So when did you write that first line of code for value orbit? When was that? Uh, a year ago. And you really, and when did you get that first customer? Or first dollar of revenue.

Sami Rejeb: 00:12:34

So we've been, uh, now for seven months. So three months. We prepared the first mvp. And we've been, uh, uh, kind of testing it with the first customer.

Upendra Varma: 00:12:44

Yes. Got it. So, so, and you're still iterating on the product, I'm assuming, based on your

Sami Rejeb: 00:12:48

Yes, yes, yes. I'm iterating all the time, but, uh, I'm, I'm iterating all the time. And also, uh, when I was doing this, Things were also changing in terms of context. Yeah, so when I started, uh, when I started the project, it was a forecasting because I was kind of in charge of forecasting for Salesforce and the Nordics, and I was struggling, um, uh, with. The, uh, Salesforce capabilities. So there was a need to involve AI and improve the capabilities. And, um, and then over time I discovered that now the, I think the wara effect is coming from the. Textbook, uh, editor and how you kind of update the CRM in real time. And also coming from how you, uh, automate any workflow on top of the opportunities or, uh, attach them to a sales like, um, uh, sales rep or a team member, uh, for onboarding. And how this really, uh, scales and it connects your strategy to your execution.

Upendra Varma: 00:14:00

Got it. So, so, uh, before we deep dive into your growth strategy a bit, right? So I just wanna ask you one question, right? So you've sort of started your company and established category at least because Zoom revenue, operations and intelligence is a proven, I won't say proven, but it's a new category. There are a bunch of leaders who are trying to prove it. So just talk to me about how, so when, when you were building M V V, right? So how exactly did you do it? So did you. I took this traditional route of, you know, I'll go and talk to a bunch of customers. I'll, I'll try to understand what their problems are, and then maybe I'll start building a product for myself. Or would you just pick top five market leaders, look at what features they have, let, let's build an MB mvp right outta it. So what was your approach?

Sami Rejeb: 00:14:38

That's a good question. So, um, I think I'm, I'm, I'm lucky because, um, before starting Value Orbit I've worked with, um, hundreds, I think hundred plus. Of, uh, CROs, um, and CEOs in improving their efficiency and increasing their revenue. So I've done it with Oracle and Salesforce and then, Doing this, I've worked a lot on the pain points and what, uh, needs to improve, and so I've had the validation ready before starting value orbit. You,

Upendra Varma: 00:15:18

you've already had that context based on your prior experience you'd say. Yeah. So when you did your mvp, you knew exactly. Knew what features. Do you have to build? Right. That makes a lot of sense that that should have saved a lot of time as well. So I know a lot of people don't take this approach, right? So people think you have to build it the old fashioned route, they've gotta do validation, all of those stuff. But you really don't need to if it's a proven category. Right. So it's, it's about your GTM strategy that you need to get. Right. Alright, so, so let's talk about these three customers. You mentioned you're still figuring it out and all right, but where exactly did you find these three customers in terms of, you know, uh, first touchpoint? Was it through your network? Was it through the Slack channels you mention?

Sami Rejeb: 00:15:53

So, um, two of them was through my network, and the third, um, it was through, uh, a Slack group. Uh, and, and now, uh, the, the waiting list, I'm, I'm building it, so I'm kind of using the same as everybody. Mm-hmm. So, uh, growth hack. And non-scalable activities.

Upendra Varma: 00:16:18

Okay, I, I get it. So Sam, I want wanted to ask you a couple of questions here, right? So, so what's your ideal a CV size. So what sort of deals do you typically strike with? I mean, you are obviously not selling a hundred dollars deal to these big customers, right? You must have

Sami Rejeb: 00:16:31

some. No. So, uh, so let's say. uh, let's say for the moment it's around, uh, 10 to

Upendra Varma: 00:16:40

$15,000. Alright. That, that's awesome. Right? So now I, yeah, now I wanna understand, right? So all of these growth hacking techniques that you mentioned, right? So it's obviously hard to sort of, you know, it might work if you're working on, let's say, Trying to close a thousand dollars deal or something like that. Right. So you need a different playbook here. So what's, what's, what's that that you're sort of trying to sort of what, what's the route that you're taking? What growth channels are you exactly sort of investing your time and energy into? Can you give some examples?

Sami Rejeb: 00:17:08

Yes. So for me is, uh, mainly LinkedIn. And, um, um, I, I, I think what's what's important is that, um, first is to build, so I'm, I'm now, I haven't published yet, but I'm building a lot of content that, um, I will publish and because so, so you have different sets of customers. I think the customers in the. Especially the SaaS companies are aware of Rev op. So Rev apps started really to resonate with a lot of zeros and. Um, within this, at least Slack, uh, groups, uh, I see a lot of maturity in terms of what they expect, et cetera. And the pioneers in the domain did the work of, uh, uh, um, at least creating the awareness of the need for these tools. So, um, so that, that, that's in the us the rest of the world is different. So the rest of the world is that. Is it more greenfield, but in which you, I need to invest more to promote

Upendra Varma: 00:18:17

educating the market as well to educate the market. Got it. So I want, I wanna focus on the first thing, obviously, right? And I just want to sort of complete your, you know, your story as of now as the, the growth channels that have been working for you. So just help me understand your funnel, right? For example, if you've communi, if you talk to someone interesting on let's, uh, slack channel, right? He understands everything about rev ops. He might be working at a company we just looking for. We're looking for a solution. Right. So what happens after that? How do you convert them to a paying customers right from that first touchpoint? So I know you have a couple of examples, so just talk about how it happened and how it might be optimized. So, so wanna, wanna understand the entire funnel basically.

Sami Rejeb: 00:18:54

Okay. So, um, For the moment, since that I've been having the sales strategy and business operations at Salesforce and I have all this experience, um, I think it's easier for me than other, uh, um, entrepreneurs. Absolutely, because. I build the trust with the zeros and, uh, they, and for this trust, I try to kind of at least trigger or initiate a transformation in the way they sell in their wraps. So then we have this discussion into the current situation, into the two B situation and into how the platform, uh, enables this. And, and it's a win-win for one reason. Is that on their side? I think they try to, uh, at least. Get my perspective as a different perspective or get this experience from hundreds of leaders and they want to get insights on how to move forward. On my side, I'm trying to, uh, build advocates and also validate what I'm doing so, For the moment, it's a win-win. So it's not the typical sales pitch where I go and I do my slides and I try to close, et cetera. It's more you build a trust, you build the relationship, you try to help you transform the, uh, you try to help them transform their, uh, revenue operations. And at the same time you came.

Upendra Varma: 00:20:26

And at what point do you actually say, Hey, I've got a product in this lines. Are you interested in checking this out? When does it become an, an informational con conversation to, you know, a sales pitch at what point of,

Sami Rejeb: 00:20:38

for me is, uh, is uh, all is related to the pain? So I try to dig in the pain points and see if these pain points are really, uh, first, um, kind of, um, You have the compelling event. So if they are, uh, quantifiable and if they are hurting, uh, the stakeholders and if they are the priority of the executives. So that's the most important point for me. So I try always to validate to say that. Uh, always answer the questions, uh, first, which is, I think the, the, the first step of the medic is why they, they need to use my solution. Why me, and why they

Upendra Varma: 00:21:25

use. So what's, what's that answer for that question? Why me? Right. I mean, you can explain the space, hey, how this is going to help your company, but a whole bunch of other companies are also gonna do that as well. And when, when that question is asked, why me? Right. So, especially given that you're just starting out, right. So what's, what's that one thing that's been working for you? right? So is it that innovative feature? Is it that trust that you've built with these folks? Or what is that one, one compelling, you know, reason for those new, new sort of folks to sort of use your product over something else, especially since you're just starting out? Okay,

Sami Rejeb: 00:21:57

so, um, First, I think the, the, um, customers, normally they don't have access, at least at this size. They don't have access to the c e o of Clarity or Sure of gone. Okay. So the fact that they have me as a point of contact is, I think transforms the relationship. That's, that's, that's one. The second is that, um, I have, I think, a unique approach. So, so if you see the market, you'll find if you, if you talk about, uh, qualification methodologies like medic band, et cetera, you'll find qualification management solution or automation solution on one side. And you'll find kind of forecasting, uh, deal management on the other side, but you will not find an AI powered solution that combine. All of them together with the logic I have. So this is kind of, so the, I think the, the approach and the richness of the algorithm, or the AI algorithm that takes the, uh, the, uh, as I said, the qualification and also this easy to use, uh, um, a textbook, uh, editor. I think it, it, it's a differentiator. So I try to differentiate as much as I. So, so basically is is like, it is like you say, I take a dually and I take, uh, gong and I take cla uh, and I take close plan and put them together in, in a smart way and you get my

Upendra Varma: 00:23:33

solution. Yeah. And they, they've got access to the CEO right away, so. Exactly. Alright, so let's, let's wrap this up, Sammy. I think it's, it's been pretty interesting. So, who's, who's on the founding team and, uh, how many folks do you have on your team? As of.

Sami Rejeb: 00:23:47

So I have, uh, now I have eight, uh, people on my team and, uh, the founding team is that, uh, so I have, uh, Two ai, uh, professors, uh, university professors. And are,

Upendra Varma: 00:24:03

are there, are they in the role of advisors or are they sort of working with you actively No, they,

Sami Rejeb: 00:24:08

they're working with me actually, so they work with me, uh, works with me three days a week and, uh, the second four days a week. And, uh, and it's, it's a passion. It's, it's more than, uh, it's more than a job. It's, it's a passion. So the intention is that the intention is that to transform the way we sell, so we have, uh, kind of very high, uh, at least objectives and goals that we want to achieve.

Upendra Varma: 00:24:37

Got it. And have you raised any external funding so far?

Sami Rejeb: 00:24:41

So I'm in, uh, negotiation now. Uh, the only thing is, uh, I really would like to validate. The roi, the growth, et cetera. So I have funding, I have self-funding for a year, another year. Uh, but I'm negotiating because, uh, now I think the big question is that what will you get from an, from a, an investor and what will you give in terms of, uh, freedom and vision, et cetera? Uh, and, and the question is that time is precious. Um, is there a need to accelerate right away to occupy the market and grow, uh, quickly or not? So that's, that's, I think these are the debate, but I'm trying to get the right vc, uh, or the right investor in general with the right mindset and it should happen in the next, uh, two to three months.

Upendra Varma: 00:25:33

Awesome. That's great, Sammy. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. Hope you scale value or to much greater heights.

Sami Rejeb: 00:25:40

Thank you. Thank you very much for inviting me. Much appreciate it.