Dave Kellogg on SaaS Metrics

Dave Kellogg is the former CEO of Host Analytics now called Planful. Dave is a brilliant writer on his blog called Kellblog and he’s outstanding behind a mic too. Since leaving his CEO post, Dave has been consulting SaaS-based businesses in Silicon Valley, and we hit on many of the topics that are near and dear to him.

Interview Highlights

1. Dave has a marketing background and explains why CMOs should have a natural path to the CEO position.
2. Dave is a great writer at Kellblog and explains why more CEOs don’t follow suit.
3. We gain some fascinating insights on the state of EPM and where the technology is headed – the shotgun wedding concept was illuminating.
4. Visual and data analytics tools like Tableau, Qlik, or Power BI will never go away.
5. We learn the sweet spot of the Rule of 40 for smaller businesses.
6. Dave shared his favorite SaaS-based metrics.
7. To NPS or not to NPS? Dave recommends a second question addressing the intent to renew. Also, did you know that you get different results through different survey methods (such as by phone or online)?
8. One of Mark’s favorite questions was about an old blog post that Dave wrote about regarding driver-based modeling which ranks high on any Google search.
9. While far from a cliche answer, we learned that financial leaders need to be business partners to the CEO.
10. Any financial leader needs a strong acumen in marketing, sales, and operations.

Dave’s Posts on the Rule of 40

• The SaaS Rule of 40 – one of Dave’s originals on this topic, and I suggest reading this one first.
• An Update on the SaaS Rule of 40 – written 2 years later after the one above.
• The Rule of 40 – Down, But Not Out – excellent and great supporting references.
• The most recent post is Are We Due for a SaaSacre?

Books Mentioned by Dave Kellogg

Dave is a reader and I love his post on marketing books all CEOs should read. Accordingly, here’s a short list of books that Dave mentioned during the conversation.

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Mark’s Final Comments

“Wow.” That’s what I kept mumbling under my breath during every answer provided by Dave.

Strong opinion – Dave belongs behind a mic. If you have watched any of the MasterClass Online Classes and specifically the content by Bob Iger and Howard Schultz, then Dave would be perfect on the Business of SaaS.

Dave, thank you a million times. Keep doing great things.