DiscoverThe Dave Gerhardt ShowBeyond the SaaS Playbook: How Non-SaaS Teams Drive Pipeline with Sandra Rand
Beyond the SaaS Playbook: How Non-SaaS Teams Drive Pipeline with Sandra Rand

Beyond the SaaS Playbook: How Non-SaaS Teams Drive Pipeline with Sandra Rand

Update: 2025-07-17
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#265 Non-SaaS Marketing | In this episode, Matt sits down with Sandra Rand, a fractional head of marketing who works with early-stage, non-SaaS B2B companies. She’s led marketing for PE-backed, self-funded, and services-based businesses, where big budgets and SaaS-style playbooks aren’t the norm. She’s also building the Non-SaaS Marketers subgroup inside Exit Five to support others facing the same challenges.


Matt and Sandra cover:

  • How non-SaaS teams drive growth without demos, PLG, or huge lead volume
  • Why events, word of mouth, and referrals often outperform funnels in these orgs
  • Tactical ideas for gifting, partnerships, and pipeline-building on a lean budget

Whether you work in SaaS or not, you’ll walk away with creative, scrappy strategies to build trust and drive results in B2B.


Timestamps

  • (00:00 ) - – Intro

  • (03:14 ) - – Why Exit Five launched the Non-SaaS group

  • (08:34 ) - – What makes non-SaaS marketing different

  • (11:54 ) - – Budgets, sales cycles, and team structure

  • (16:44 ) - – Why brand and trust matter more

  • (18:54 ) - – Events > funnels in non-SaaS

  • (27:58 ) - – How to build brand on a budget

  • (33:28 ) - – Word-of-mouth and referral tactics

  • (38:08 ) - – Gifting and relationship-driven growth

  • (44:08 ) - – Scrappy, creative plays that actually work

  • (49:38 ) - – What’s next for the Non-SaaS community



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Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

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Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

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Beyond the SaaS Playbook: How Non-SaaS Teams Drive Pipeline with Sandra Rand

Beyond the SaaS Playbook: How Non-SaaS Teams Drive Pipeline with Sandra Rand

Exit Five