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Selling Features That Don’t Exist? Why SaaS Brands Risk Trust for Growth

The controversial tactic boosting short-term deals but threatening reputations (see the Go-To-Market Strategy & Execution section for more...)

Author

Tyler Morian
May 08, 2025

This week: Why some SaaS companies close deals with features that don't exist, how AI laggards face a "deadly slow roll" threatening their survival, and the hidden "Struggle" phase happening long before customers reach your signup form. Time to rethink B2B growth!

Brand & Positioning

Does your marketing team truly understand how buyer decisions are made? Often, there's a disconnect between the logical way we think buyers operate and the messy, emotion-driven reality. As Liam Moroney explains, buyers rarely follow a linear path from problem awareness to solution research. Instead, memory associations, context clues, and peer influence shape perceptions long before rational evaluation begins.

Your brand doesn't live on your website or in your feature list; it exists purely in the minds of your buyers, emphasizes Peep Laja. The goal of brand marketing isn't immediate conversion but implanting memory structures and purchase triggers for future buyers. Traditional analytics dashboards won't reveal these mental associations; only ongoing brand tracking that surveys the entire category can show if your brand is truly resonating.

BIG IDEA: Your brand is fundamentally what buyers remember and feel about you, not what you logically tell them.

WHY IT MATTERS: Relying solely on feature lists and logical arguments ignores how B2B buyers actually form preferences. Understanding the psychological nature of branding allows you to build mental availability and influence future purchases, even when buyers aren't actively looking.

Comment insights:

  • Kevin Krossing adds that brand tracking reveals how buyers remember you (associations, emotional cues), which is as vital as if they remember you.

  • Pete Vomocil highlights the danger of "looking like" category leaders, which often reinforces the leader's position rather than differentiating the challenger.

  • Christopher Owens notes that marketing's job isn't persuasion, but repeatedly linking the brand with jobs-to-be-done in buyers' minds, especially for those not currently in-market.

AI in Practice & Adoption

Are you moving fast enough on AI? While many companies talk about AI transformation, actually embedding it into workflows is creating a widening competitive gap. According to Jason Lemkin, delaying AI adoption could be fatal for SaaS businesses, as competitors leverage AI for 30-50% productivity gains in code production and improved customer satisfaction.

This isn't about asking ChatGPT questions; it's fundamentally changing how work gets done. Companies like Box are actively pursuing "AI-first" culture, while the rise of AI agents signals a shift toward buying "work" rather than just software seats. However, a major hurdle is the perceived lack of AI expertise within the C-suite, as highlighted by a Gartner survey, hindering strategic deployment.

BIG IDEA: AI isn't just a feature; it's becoming the operational backbone, and delaying meaningful adoption puts your company's future growth at risk.

WHY IT MATTERS: Your competitors are gaining efficiency and enhancing customer experience with AI now. Falling behind isn't just about missing efficiency gains; it's about potentially becoming irrelevant as AI reshapes workflows and customer expectations.

Comment insights:

  • Edgar Kussberg notes the challenge when sales sells AI features that aren't built yet, highlighting the need for better sales-product alignment.

  • Jordan Woods observes that AI tools analyzing customer feedback help expose internal biases, leading to more objective understanding of user needs.

  • Frank DiZenzo highlights that AI valuation tools still need to factor in buyer intent, showing AI complements but doesn't fully replace nuanced human assessment.

Go-To-Market Strategy & Execution

Are your GTM motions truly built for scale, or are you just polishing the hood of a stalled engine? According to TK Kader, many PE-backed SaaS companies hit growth plateaus because they lack a repeatable GTM engine fit for today's market, relying instead on outdated levers like cost-cutting or minor product tweaks. He emphasizes re-architecting the ICP, narrative, and sales execution as essential components.

Smart GTM requires going beyond generic tactics. Robert Kaminski shares how Abdulrahman Advany used "mock features" to close deals without wasting development resources on aspirational requests from buyers who wouldn't use them. Meanwhile, Pylon's remarkable success ($2M ARR per rep annually) demonstrates the power of an inbound-only, sales-assisted motion focused on a specific ICP and pain point.

BIG IDEA: Scalable growth requires an intentional, modern GTM strategy focused on a precise ICP, differentiated messaging, and consistent execution, not just more activity or optimization tweaks.

WHY IT MATTERS: Relying on brute force (more campaigns, more outbound) or superficial changes won't overcome fundamental GTM weaknesses. Understanding your ideal customer deeply and crafting a unique narrative is essential for sustainable growth, especially when easy levers like price hikes are exhausted.

Comment insights:

  • Megan Gonyo cautions against overusing "mock features," suggesting it risks damaging brand trust if not managed carefully.

  • Lee Kaiser shares that rebooting GTM around a sharper ICP and narrative, combined with founder-led content, has led to significant valuation increases for PE-backed companies.

  • Milan Abels notes that misalignment, often stemming from messaging that tries to please everyone, is a common reason SaaS teams stall.

Market Dynamics & Economics

Is your growth strategy accounting for the underlying market reality? Many companies mistake category growth for their own success or attribute slowdowns solely to internal factors, ignoring broader market shifts. As Liam Moroney points out, how much marketing succeeds is heavily influenced by existing market share dynamics and overall category health.

Market share tends to be sticky, especially in mature categories. Early winners often stay winners, benefiting from network effects and established brand preferences. Consequently, stealing significant share in a flat market requires a fundamentally different, more aggressive strategy than riding category growth. This market reality impacts pricing too, as Jason Lemkin cautions that simply raising prices isn't a sustainable growth strategy.

BIG IDEA: Your growth isn't happening in a vacuum; understanding underlying market share stability, category health, and competitive dynamics is critical for setting realistic strategies.

WHY IT MATTERS: Attributing growth solely to your own efforts during a boom, or blaming only internal factors during a slowdown, leads to flawed strategies. Recognizing the stability of market share informs more realistic planning and resource allocation.

Comment insights:

  • Dale W. Harrison emphasizes that growth truly only comes from category expansion or taking share from competitors – requiring different approaches depending on market context.

  • Roee Hartuv suggests that strategic pricing and packaging transformation (rethinking alignment with customer value) is a growth lever, distinct from simple price hikes.

  • Mats Georgson argues that real growth often comes from new dynamics like adding new uses or innovative distribution, rather than just optimizing within existing category constraints.

Trust & Customer Understanding

How well do you truly understand your customers' journey before they ever reach your signup form? According to Jochem van der Veer, the customer experience begins long before the first click, rooted in the "Struggle"—the silent frustration and consideration phase where buyers contemplate change. Optimizing only the post-signup journey means you're likely already too late.

This resonates with Steli Efti's story about a botched trial experience. His co-founder salvaged the relationship with radical honesty ("Subject: We Fucked Up"), underscoring that B2B sales are fundamentally about relationships and integrity. Furthermore, Peep Laja finds that B2B recommendations often come from peers who simply know and like your brand, built through events, content co-creation, and genuine thought leadership.

BIG IDEA: Building trust and deep customer understanding starts long before a sales engagement, rooted in addressing pre-purchase struggles and cultivating genuine relationships.

WHY IT MATTERS: Focusing solely on optimizing funnels ignores the critical pre-awareness phases where trust is initially formed or broken. Investing in relationship-building and demonstrating integrity creates the foundation for recommendations that direct sales tactics alone cannot achieve.

Comment insights:

  • Georgiana Laudi highlights that focusing on the end-to-end customer journey helps bridge the common gaps between product and GTM teams.

  • Ken Marshall notes that integrity directly builds trust, which impacts long-term brand reputation more significantly than short-term sales wins.

  • Finn Thormeier adds that a visible founder brand on social platforms is an accessible way for smaller companies to build trust against larger competitors.

Sound Bites

Quick insights from videos and podcasts:

Until next week!