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

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)

#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
• (02:39) - – Why Exit Five launched the Non-SaaS group
• (07:59) - – What makes non-SaaS marketing different
• (11:19) - – Budgets, sales cycles, and team structure
• (16:09) - – Why brand and trust matter more
• (18:19) - – Events > funnels in non-SaaS
• (27:44) - – How to build brand on a budget
• (33:14) - – Word-of-mouth and referral tactics
• (37:54) - – Gifting and relationship-driven growth
• (43:54) - – Scrappy, creative plays that actually work
• (49:24) - – What’s next for the Non-SaaS community

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
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