# Top 10 in Tech - What to know for Week ending July 14, 2023

Published: 13 July 2023
Canonical: https://www.top10in.tech/posts/week-ending-july-14-2023

## 1. SaaS METRIC OF THE WEEK

[Get stuck into the world of lead generation metrics with PPC (Pay-Per-Click) and PPL (Pay-Per-Lead)](https://www.kalungi.com/blog/b2b-saas-ppl-and-ppc) campaigns, where you can track impressions, clicks, click-through rates, cost-per-click, and conversion rates. PPL is super nuanced but can be super effective in driving quality leads.

Link: https://www.kalungi.com/blog/b2b-saas-ppl-and-ppc

## 2. CONVERTIBLE LOANS

They are a kind of debt [until they are not](https://medium.com/entree-capital/the-math-challenge-with-convertible-notes-safes-8352d250e43). But Convertible Loans are a quick way to access money quickly via an interested investor. Point Nine Capital [describes in detail what is involved in a convertible loan](https://medium.com/point-nine-news/convertible-loans-what-to-look-out-for-404e888ea0c2) and what to look out for.

Link: https://medium.com/entree-capital/the-math-challenge-with-convertible-notes-safes-8352d250e43

## 3. UN-SCALE

Sometimes, while building a repeatable scaleable business model, some un-scaleable things have to be done. [This article highlights three specific non-scalable things sales teams should be doing right now](https://www.forbes.com/sites/steliefti/2020/08/14/why-doing-things-that-dont-scale-is-a-must-in-b2b-sales/#2d7e0b1e3992).

Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steliefti/2020/08/14/why-doing-things-that-dont-scale-is-a-must-in-b2b-sales/#2d7e0b1e3992

## 4. SECONDARY MARKETS

[Pitchbook analyzes that LPs are under performance pressures](https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/secondaries-LP-DPI-distributions-fundraising-VC) and a lack of liquidity as cash distributions from VC funds are far from great right now. Check [this chart](https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/secondaries-LP-DPI-distributions-fundraising-VC) for how different pre-2016 funds are to 2019. This is manifesting itself as secondary stakes in portfolio companies, but it's a buyer's market, so only the best assets are in demand.

Link: https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/secondaries-LP-DPI-distributions-fundraising-VC

## 5. VALUATIONS

Adding onto this buyers market theme above, we all know by now the shift of value in SaaS from growth to valuing based on profitability. [Tomasz Tunguz notes that in public markets, software companies have seen 40-112% increases in valuations](https://tomtunguz.com/how-markets-value-saas-in-mid-2023) over the last few months, but only for the top performers - strong unit economics & margins are vital to seeing this valuation creep. [The era of efficient growth is now](https://www.saastr.com/why-the-era-of-efficient-growth-is-now-the-2023-vc-state-of-the-market-with-saastr-ceo-and-founder-jason-lemkin-podcast-video/).

Link: https://tomtunguz.com/how-markets-value-saas-in-mid-2023

## 6. PLG

A successful PLG strategy goes beyond just having sexy UIs and "delightful" onboarding experiences. [This Substack article](https://plgstack.substack.com/p/plg-is-not-a-waiting-game) highlights the importance of what needs to be under the hood - good data analytics, conducting experiments, and building a community centered around the product.

Link: https://plgstack.substack.com/p/plg-is-not-a-waiting-game

## 7. DIFFERENTIATION

Tricky question founders get asked all the time. Standing out in a saturated sea of SaaS is a tricky problem to solve - pro-tip - never do it on price alone. So ask yourself, "Why should someone buy from you?" It requires balancing familiarity and differentiation - [read this article to get you thinking on the topic more.](https://cxl.com/blog/differentiation-strategy/)

Link: https://cxl.com/blog/differentiation-strategy/

## 8. A/B Tests

If you're looking for a concise guide on how to run, measure, and react to split test experiments, [this bookmark-worthy article is a valuable resource](https://www.indiehackers.com/post/heres-how-to-set-up-run-and-react-to-your-split-tests-b98bc150e6).

Link: https://www.indiehackers.com/post/heres-how-to-set-up-run-and-react-to-your-split-tests-b98bc150e6

## 9. WEBSITE

I've had this discussion at least four times this two weeks, and Jason Lemkin's blog post on the need for quality Marketing Websites this week wraps #6, #8, and #10 in this week's newsletter nicely together. [Yes, your marketing site really does matter](https://www.saastr.com/yes-your-marketing-site-really-does-matter).

Link: https://www.saastr.com/yes-your-marketing-site-really-does-matter

## 10. CASE STUDY

[This chart got me](https://openviewpartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Visilys-new-monthly-signup-growth-from-October-2022-through-April-2023.png) on this one. It visually shows how finding your Ideal Customer Profile can lead to way more organic growth, word of mouth, and referral vs. Paid, low-quality paid signups: [How Visily scaled to 100K signups in 5 steps](https://openviewpartners.com/blog/ideal-customer-profile-how-visily-scaled-to-100k-signups).

Link: https://openviewpartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Visilys-new-monthly-signup-growth-from-October-2022-through-April-2023.png

## POD OF THE WEEK

[Customer Acquisition Strategies with Farzad Rashidi](https://open.spotify.com/episode/6n4KWLN0kER7Pqv75bdyeT?si=Y48vs397SpOj8x7Zam_-mQ), who discusses how to grow and convert website traffic, get landing pages to rank, what content promotion strategies work best, and more.

Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6n4KWLN0kER7Pqv75bdyeT?si=Y48vs397SpOj8x7Zam_-mQ