For years, we’ve perfected the art of Product-Led Growth (PLG), building self-serve funnels that convert users frictionlessly. But what happens when your product attracts enterprise leads who need a human touch? We’re seeing the rise of a powerful new model: Product-Led Sales (PLS).
PLS is the crucial bridge between your self-serve motion and your sales team. It’s about leveraging product usage data—what features are they using? when do they hit a paywall? which users are inviting teammates?—to create Product-Qualified Leads (PQLs). Instead of cold calling, your sales team engages with users who have already experienced the product’s value firsthand.
For us PMs, this changes the game. We’re no longer just building for user adoption; we’re building to generate buying signals. Our event tracking, user onboarding, and feature gating now serve a dual purpose: delivering user value and qualifying leads. It requires an even deeper partnership with sales and marketing, aligning the product roadmap with revenue goals in a more direct way than ever before. It’s a fascinating, data-driven evolution of our role.
How are you instrumenting your product to identify users who are ready for a sales conversation without disrupting the self-serve experience?