Enjoyed listening to Sam Jacobs of Pavilion on the topic of "Managing Growth Through Uncertainty" at this week's Chargebee's Beelieve London Conference.
Here are my top takeaways for anyone trying to grow efficiently in 2025:
📉 Growth at any cost is dead. Marketers need to understand the cost of capital, not just how to spend a budget. It’s not about hitting your number; it’s about hitting it at the right cost.
🔁 Retention is your growth strategy. Still over-indexing on acquisition? Sam made it clear: retention beats new logos. Make sure your funnel extends after the sale and on renewals.
🎯 Revisit your ROI assumptions. LTV is fragile if your churn’s creeping up or cost to serve is ballooning. Efficient growth needs solid unit economics. Benchmark: LTV:CAC ratio of 5:1, payback under 18 months.
🎢 Test, learn, experiment (I've always been a fan!). Use data to drive learning an split your budgets to support this mantra: 60%: on proven channels ; 30% on confident experiments ; 10% on risky but worth-it ideas.
📊 Run marketing like finance. That means:
Monthly cash flow forecasts (yes, even for marketing!)
Gradual scaling (10k on LinkedIn this month? Cap next month at 15k)
Aligning incentives around moments that create value, not just clicks
Most importantly: Don’t freeze. So many practitioners are delaying right now. But delay = decline. If your competitors hit pause, it might be your best shot at market share.
Biggest takeaway? "Let’s not create a self-fulfilling slowdown by pulling back on smart growth. Use the data. Make the case. Keep moving."
Thanks Sam for the clarity 🙌
And great to see you, albeit briefly, Katherine Torrence, Jessica Michael, Dhevesh Mewawalla.
#B2BMarketing #EfficientGrowth #Pavilion #RetentionMarketing #CMO #MarketingStrategy #Beelieve2025