Learn the fundamentals of Product-Led Growth from the bestselling author of Product-Led Growth in this practical, no-fluff course.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
✅ What it truly means to be product-led
✅ Why product-led growth is becoming of rising importance
✅ What the main benefits of product-led growth are
✅ How you can become product-led
✅ The role every team plays in creating a successful product-led business
And more!
Best of all, if you pass the exam at the end, you’ll get a PLG Fundamentals Certificate that you can show off to your colleagues. ????
Wes Bush:
Product-led growth is defined as a go to market strategy that relies on using your product, is the main vehicle to acquire, activate, and retain customers. If you've used Slack or even Dropbox, you've witnessed this firsthand, you probably didn't read a lengthly white paper or a guide on the benefits of strong internal communication or cloud-based file sharing. You just signed up for the product and were able to see the value of the product by just using it. So, although it's a term product-led growth is new in the software space, product-led growth has already impacted so many other industries. If you don't believe me, here's three examples.
Wes Bush:
Think about how you buy each of these products, whether it's cologne, cars, or even shoes. What do you typically do before buying these products? In each industry, what they're really doing is they're letting the product do the majority of the selling. And this is made largely possible by letting you try before you buy, instead of telling you how your new car will look and feel on the road, they actually just give you the keys. So, you can take it out on a test drive and see for yourself. Instead of telling you how amazing you'll smell with this particular bottle of cologne or perfume, they let you smell it before you buy. And if you like it, you're even more inclined to buy it. At a shoe store, same thing, instead of describing how good a shoe will fit you, they let you try it on and see if it fits.
Wes Bush:
Now in each of these examples, there's a common thread. And that is that how you sell is just as important as what you sell. And this is partly because consumers trust brands less. We've all been burned in the past. As experienced buyers we know talk is relatively cheap, brand promises are cheap. Anyone, and I mean, almost anyone can create a website and tell you that they have the magic pill that will make you grow five feet taller in just five minutes. But we know, we do know that's baloney. Luckily we know in that particular case though, that that company can't deliver on that promise. But sometimes when it comes to everyday purchases, sometimes it's actually hard to tell who is legitimate in what they're saying and what their value is of their product, and if they can deliver on it and who is not able to do that.
Wes Bush:
So, that's where this whole concept of product-led growth really comes into play. You see, you could hire a world-class sales team to tell people what your product can do, but people will still be wondering, in the back of their heads, "Can this product actually deliver on its promise?" Now, that one question puts a lot of risk on the buyer. And that's because they have to take your word for it. Your product can do what it said it would. Now, this might've worked back in the good old days of sales, where a handshake would seal the deal, but those days, those days are long gone. To sell to the modern buyer, you need to do one thing and you need to do it incredibly well. And that is, drum roll please, everyone. Show versus tell.
Wes Bush:
So, when someone experiences the value of your product, what they're really doing behind the scenes is they're convincing themselves why they need your product in their lives. And when you tell someone why they should purchase your product, you're just convincing them to buy your product. If you're giving a choice between showing people the value of your product and simply telling them about it, which strategy do you think is more effective? I'll let you think about that, because the whole reason I'm here today is because we both know that showing your product's value is far more effective than simply telling people about it. But it's not just my opinion. In the next lesson, you're going to cover why product-led growth is becoming of rising importance.
