StarZero All shows Try the podcast clipper →

Oct 4, 2022 · 28m · saastr

Scaling Revenue Today: What’s the Same and What's Different? | Confluent President Erica Schultz

Erica Schultz · 26m spoken
0:00 / 0:00
▶ Watch on YouTube →

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

Confluent President of Field Operations Erica Schultz shares five core strategies for scaling enterprise software revenue efficiently, emphasizing customer-centric personas, hybrid PLG and enterprise sales motions, consumption-based monetization, and disciplined operational execution.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. How this is scored →

Jason as informed peer 0.0 Guest teaching 0.0 Guest disagreement 0.0 Jason pushing back 0.0
05100:0010:0020:001:39–4:16 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Strategy One: Starting Customer-Back and Rethinking Personas Erica Schultz gives a solo keynote presentation detailing strategy one: starting customer-back and continuously rethinking buyer personas. Because this is a monologue presentation without an active host dialogue, all host metrics and combativeness are zero.4:19–9:21 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Strategy Two: Designing a Modern Connected Customer Experience Schultz discusses mapping out multi-track customer journeys for both novice and sophisticated enterprise users. She walks through the entire adoption cycle from discovery to customer advocacy in a solo instructional lecture format.9:24–13:52 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Strategy Three: Combining Product-Led Growth and Enterprise Sales Schultz breaks down how product-led growth and enterprise sales serve complementary buyer personas rather than being mutually exclusive. She draws directly on operational lessons from New Relic and Confluent.13:57–18:44 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Strategy Four: Cultivating a Consumption-Based Culture Schultz explains why consumption-based pricing is fundamentally a company-wide cultural shift rather than a simple billing change. She details the structural adjustments required across product, marketing, and sales compensation.18:46–24:41 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Strategy Five: Maximizing Growth While Increasing Efficiency Schultz presents methods for balancing top-line growth with capital efficiency in a shifting macroeconomic market. She emphasizes focused market bets, codifying repeatable playbooks, and optimizing cycle speed across operational functions.24:44–28:14 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Leading Through Transformation and Presentation Summary Schultz concludes her keynote by outlining a change-management framework based on communicating the why, how, and what of organizational shifts. She synthesizes the core takeaways of her talk before concluding.1:39–4:16 · Guest teaching 0/10 Strategy One: Starting Customer-Back and Rethinking Personas Erica Schultz gives a solo keynote presentation detailing strategy one: starting customer-back and continuously rethinking buyer personas. Because this is a monologue presentation without an active host dialogue, all host metrics and combativeness are zero.4:19–9:21 · Guest teaching 0/10 Strategy Two: Designing a Modern Connected Customer Experience Schultz discusses mapping out multi-track customer journeys for both novice and sophisticated enterprise users. She walks through the entire adoption cycle from discovery to customer advocacy in a solo instructional lecture format.9:24–13:52 · Guest teaching 0/10 Strategy Three: Combining Product-Led Growth and Enterprise Sales Schultz breaks down how product-led growth and enterprise sales serve complementary buyer personas rather than being mutually exclusive. She draws directly on operational lessons from New Relic and Confluent.13:57–18:44 · Guest teaching 0/10 Strategy Four: Cultivating a Consumption-Based Culture Schultz explains why consumption-based pricing is fundamentally a company-wide cultural shift rather than a simple billing change. She details the structural adjustments required across product, marketing, and sales compensation.18:46–24:41 · Guest teaching 0/10 Strategy Five: Maximizing Growth While Increasing Efficiency Schultz presents methods for balancing top-line growth with capital efficiency in a shifting macroeconomic market. She emphasizes focused market bets, codifying repeatable playbooks, and optimizing cycle speed across operational functions.24:44–28:14 · Guest teaching 0/10 Leading Through Transformation and Presentation Summary Schultz concludes her keynote by outlining a change-management framework based on communicating the why, how, and what of organizational shifts. She synthesizes the core takeaways of her talk before concluding.1:39–4:16 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Strategy One: Starting Customer-Back and Rethinking Personas Erica Schultz gives a solo keynote presentation detailing strategy one: starting customer-back and continuously rethinking buyer personas. Because this is a monologue presentation without an active host dialogue, all host metrics and combativeness are zero.4:19–9:21 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Strategy Two: Designing a Modern Connected Customer Experience Schultz discusses mapping out multi-track customer journeys for both novice and sophisticated enterprise users. She walks through the entire adoption cycle from discovery to customer advocacy in a solo instructional lecture format.9:24–13:52 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Strategy Three: Combining Product-Led Growth and Enterprise Sales Schultz breaks down how product-led growth and enterprise sales serve complementary buyer personas rather than being mutually exclusive. She draws directly on operational lessons from New Relic and Confluent.13:57–18:44 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Strategy Four: Cultivating a Consumption-Based Culture Schultz explains why consumption-based pricing is fundamentally a company-wide cultural shift rather than a simple billing change. She details the structural adjustments required across product, marketing, and sales compensation.18:46–24:41 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Strategy Five: Maximizing Growth While Increasing Efficiency Schultz presents methods for balancing top-line growth with capital efficiency in a shifting macroeconomic market. She emphasizes focused market bets, codifying repeatable playbooks, and optimizing cycle speed across operational functions.24:44–28:14 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Leading Through Transformation and Presentation Summary Schultz concludes her keynote by outlining a change-management framework based on communicating the why, how, and what of organizational shifts. She synthesizes the core takeaways of her talk before concluding.1:39–4:16 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Strategy One: Starting Customer-Back and Rethinking Personas Erica Schultz gives a solo keynote presentation detailing strategy one: starting customer-back and continuously rethinking buyer personas. Because this is a monologue presentation without an active host dialogue, all host metrics and combativeness are zero.4:19–9:21 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Strategy Two: Designing a Modern Connected Customer Experience Schultz discusses mapping out multi-track customer journeys for both novice and sophisticated enterprise users. She walks through the entire adoption cycle from discovery to customer advocacy in a solo instructional lecture format.9:24–13:52 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Strategy Three: Combining Product-Led Growth and Enterprise Sales Schultz breaks down how product-led growth and enterprise sales serve complementary buyer personas rather than being mutually exclusive. She draws directly on operational lessons from New Relic and Confluent.13:57–18:44 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Strategy Four: Cultivating a Consumption-Based Culture Schultz explains why consumption-based pricing is fundamentally a company-wide cultural shift rather than a simple billing change. She details the structural adjustments required across product, marketing, and sales compensation.18:46–24:41 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Strategy Five: Maximizing Growth While Increasing Efficiency Schultz presents methods for balancing top-line growth with capital efficiency in a shifting macroeconomic market. She emphasizes focused market bets, codifying repeatable playbooks, and optimizing cycle speed across operational functions.24:44–28:14 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Leading Through Transformation and Presentation Summary Schultz concludes her keynote by outlining a change-management framework based on communicating the why, how, and what of organizational shifts. She synthesizes the core takeaways of her talk before concluding.

speaking balance: gold is Jason, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%0:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%3:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%3:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%6:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%6:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%9:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%9:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%12:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%12:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%15:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%15:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%18:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%18:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%21:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%21:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%24:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%24:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%27:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%27:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 9:24 Rejecting the PLG vs. enterprise sales binary

Schultz addresses a common industry dilemma, firmly rejecting the notion that companies must choose either product-led growth or enterprise sales exclusively.

 Hardest push from Jason ▶ 0:00 Keynote presentation format

There is no host pushback in this episode because the session is a solo presentation delivered directly to an audience.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 14:50 Reframing consumption models beyond pricing

Schultz educates the audience on why shifting to consumption is an all-company operational and cultural transformation rather than merely a packaging tactic.

 Jason holds their own ▶ 0:00 Solo presentation structure

There is no host dialogue or counter-argument demonstrated because this recording is an individual keynote address.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicJason as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementJason pushing backWhy
Strategy One: Starting Customer-Back and Rethinking Personas 0000 Erica Schultz gives a solo keynote presentation detailing strategy one: starting customer-back and continuously rethinking buyer personas. Because this is a monologue presentation without an active host dialogue, all host metrics and combativeness are zero.
Strategy Two: Designing a Modern Connected Customer Experience 0000 Schultz discusses mapping out multi-track customer journeys for both novice and sophisticated enterprise users. She walks through the entire adoption cycle from discovery to customer advocacy in a solo instructional lecture format.
Strategy Three: Combining Product-Led Growth and Enterprise Sales 0000 Schultz breaks down how product-led growth and enterprise sales serve complementary buyer personas rather than being mutually exclusive. She draws directly on operational lessons from New Relic and Confluent.
Strategy Four: Cultivating a Consumption-Based Culture 0000 Schultz explains why consumption-based pricing is fundamentally a company-wide cultural shift rather than a simple billing change. She details the structural adjustments required across product, marketing, and sales compensation.
Strategy Five: Maximizing Growth While Increasing Efficiency 0000 Schultz presents methods for balancing top-line growth with capital efficiency in a shifting macroeconomic market. She emphasizes focused market bets, codifying repeatable playbooks, and optimizing cycle speed across operational functions.
Leading Through Transformation and Presentation Summary 0000 Schultz concludes her keynote by outlining a change-management framework based on communicating the why, how, and what of organizational shifts. She synthesizes the core takeaways of her talk before concluding.

Statements from this episode (4)

Insight
Schultz: Most Enterprise Offerings Suit Both PLG and Enterprise Sales Motions
“And I'm a big believer that many companies, if not most offerings can be suited to both. And the trick is to think about, okay, who are the personas that we're serving and might one model or the other be a better fit for that specific persona?”
Erica Schultz Oct 4, 2022 ▶ 9:51
Insight
Schultz: Adopting consumption models requires cultural transformation, not just pricing changes
“And again, I think many organizations think of this as kind of a pricing model change or a billing model change, but we have learned and I have learned over the years, it's actually so much more than that. It really takes a cultural change and kind of a mindse…”
Erica Schultz Oct 4, 2022 ▶ 15:27
Disclosure
Schultz: Confluent uses a hybrid subscription and consumption business model
“In our case, we've actually, we have a hybrid model. We maintain a subscription model and we have consumption elements.”
Erica Schultz Oct 4, 2022 ▶ 18:21
Insight
Schultz: Maximizing top-line growth is a primary driver of efficiency
“One of the best ways to drive efficiency actually is to maximize the top line. I mean, the steeper the growth curve in the top line, the more that you can you know, the more room you have to invest, and you can actually you know, great growth kind of gives you…”
Erica Schultz Oct 4, 2022 ▶ 19:49
Made with StarZero

Turn any episode into a week of clips.

This entire site, over 400 episodes transcribed, diarized, checked and made playable, runs on the StarZero media pipeline. Drop in your own episode and the podcast clipper finds the moments worth sharing, cuts them, captions them, and reframes them for every feed.

Try the podcast clipper Learn more