Scaling SaaS Growth: Sales and Marketing Tactics by Stage

Key Takeaways:

• Cold outreach drives early traction: In the earliest SaaS stages, cold email and direct sales outreach remain the most effective—and often necessary—methods of securing early customers when inbound traffic is low.

  
  

• Content becomes king in the growth stage: As traction builds, SaaS startups should shift focus toward inbound channels like SEO-driven blogs, case studies, and lead magnets to scale interest organically.

  
  

• Enterprise growth demands credibility: In later stages, SaaS companies win by investing in brand authority—via keynote events, strategic partnerships, and thought leadership content that attracts enterprise buyers.

Introduction

Growing a SaaS company from an early-stage startup to a late-stage powerhouse requires a well-balanced approach to sales and marketing. While some tactics remain consistent throughout a company’s journey, how they are executed and prioritized shifts dramatically as the business scales.

For early-stage startups, outbound sales and paid acquisition dominate. Inbound marketing and account-based strategies become central as companies reach the growth stage. Late-stage companies with established brand equity shift toward enterprise sales, partnerships, and organic expansion.

This article will break down the most effective sales and marketing tactics for early-stage (Pre-Seed to Series A), growth-stage (Series B to Series C), and late-stage (Series D and beyond) SaaS startups—along with insights into budget allocation and industry benchmarks.

Sales & Marketing Strategies by SaaS Funding Stage

Early-Stage SaaS Growth (Pre-Seed to Series A)

At the early stage, SaaS companies are focused on validating their product, acquiring early customers, and generating initial revenue. Since brand awareness is low and inbound channels like SEO take time to yield results, startups typically rely heavily on outbound sales and paid acquisition to gain traction(1).

Cold Email & Sales Outreach: The Go-To Strategy

• Cold email outreach remains a cost-effective way to generate leads in early-stage SaaS(2).

  
  

• SDRs (Sales Development Representatives) or Founders in the FLS (Founder Led-Sales) model manually reach out to decision-makers, nurturing prospects through direct engagement(3).

  
  

Paid Media May Yield Immediate Leads, But Costly

• Well-funded early-stage SaaS companies may allocate up to 30% of their budget toward paid acquisition through Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads(4).

  
  

• Since SEO takes months to develop, paid media may offer immediate visibility and lead generation but remains costly and out of reach for most early-stage SaaS companies(5).

  
  

• Most Early-stage SaaS companies cannot cover this type of budget. Therefore, alternative means of demand generation will likely be much more cost-effective.

  
  

Content Marketing: Laying the Foundation

• Although content marketing requires consistent effort over time, early-stage startups should still invest 10% of their marketing efforts into blogs and opt-in lead magnets(6).

  
  

• Well-crafted blog articles and landing pages will generate organic traffic over time.

  
  

• Utilizing content marketing and ABM will educate, inform, and engage your target audience, creating a warm prospect when sales outreach begins.

  
  

Trade Shows & Webinars

• Many early-stage startups lack the budget for large industry events, but attending niche trade shows and hosting small-scale webinars can boost credibility.

  
  

• Webinars serve as an effective lead-nurturing tool, helping early adopters understand the product's value.

Growth-Stage SaaS (Series B to Series C)

At this growth stage, SaaS companies have product-market fit, initial revenue traction, and a growing customer base. The focus shifts from outbound-heavy strategies to scaling inbound channels, optimizing conversion rates, and building brand authority.

Content Marketing Becomes a Priority

• Content marketing now represents 25% of marketing efforts.

  
  

• SEO-driven blog articles, whitepapers, and industry reports attract inbound leads.

  
  

• SaaS startups leverage case studies and customer success stories to improve conversions.

  
  

Refining Paid Media & Demand Generation

• Growth-stage companies refine their paid ad strategy to focus on higher ROI channels.

  
  

• Retargeting campaigns become crucial to re-engage lost leads.

  
  

BDRs & Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

• While cold outreach remains essential, it becomes more targeted and account-based.

  
  

• SDRs now focus on multi-touch sales sequences across email, LinkedIn, and phone calls.

  
  

Trade Shows, Partnerships, & Co-Marketing

• Startups in this stage increase spending on industry events, using them for brand exposure and partnerships.

  
  

• Strategic alliances with complementary software providers help expand reach and improve credibility.

Late-Stage SaaS Growth (Series D & Beyond)

At this stage, SaaS companies have significant revenue traction and focus on enterprise expansion, retention, and market dominance.

Enterprise Sales & Expansion

• Outbound sales shifts from prospecting to upselling and expanding existing accounts.

  
  

• SDRs focus on high-value enterprise deals rather than mass outreach.

  
  

Brand & Organic Growth Dominates

• Content marketing becomes the most significant driver of inbound leads.

  
  

• Late-stage SaaS companies invest heavily in thought leadership via research reports, high-profile guest posts, and speaking engagements.

  
  

Trade Shows, Webinars & Keynote Events

• Companies at this stage sponsor major industry events and conduct large-scale virtual summits.

  
  

• Webinars evolve into high-value lead generation tools, often featuring well-known industry speakers.

Conclusion: Aligning Strategy with Growth Stage

The right sales and marketing mix evolves as a SaaS company grows:

• Early-stage startups rely on cold outreach and paid media to generate leads quickly.

  
  

• Growth-stage SaaS companies transition to content marketing and account-based sales.

  
  

• Late-stage companies leverage brand authority, enterprise sales, and strategic partnerships to sustain growth.

  
  

By aligning marketing and sales strategies with funding stages, SaaS companies can maximize revenue potential at each step of their journey.

Beyond Solutions, a Strategic Partnership

Engaging The Rinna Group goes beyond simply acquiring solutions. You gain access to a wealth of expertise, experience, and proven methodologies.

We effectively augment your in-house team without a W2 commitment. We work as an extension of your company, collaborating to achieve your unique growth objectives.

Remember, you're not alone in this journey. Let's partner to transform your challenges into stepping stones for fueling revenue growth!

Sources

1. B2B SaaS Marketing Budget Planning & Allocation Guide – Rampiq Agency.

2. B2B SaaS Marketing Budget: Breakdown & Examples – First Page Sage.

3. How Much SaaS Companies Spend on Marketing – DataDab Insights.

4. 2023 B2B SaaS Marketing Benchmarks Report – Kalungi, Inc.

5. B2B SaaS Marketing Statistics, Studies, and Trends for 2024 – Powered by Search.

6. Guide to B2B SaaS Marketing Budget: Structure, Strategy, and Execution – ThinkCap Advisors.