Elena Verna · 9 min read · Growth
Congrats, your sales problems in PLG are completely unoriginal
Read the original on elenaverna.com →
The piece argues that many PLG companies face the same tension between growing via self-serve PLG and chasing large enterprise deals, and that this shift often derails the PLG engine. It warns that big ACVs tempt teams to change acquisition motions, budgets, and talent in ways that slow activation and expansion. The takeaway is to recognize these recurring patterns and choose a GTM approach that preserves product-led growth while strategically engaging enterprise needs.
Key Takeaways
- PLG-to-enterprise tensions are widespread, not unique to a single company.
- Big ACVs require a different acquisition model with distinct channels, talent, and economics, risking PLG momentum.
- Pursuing enterprise too early can slow activation and self-serve expansion, drying up future enterprise pipeline.
- Don’t equate signups with leads; protect product-led activation and scalable growth while addressing enterprise opportunities.
Excerpt
I’ve worked with enough PLG (Product-led growth) companies at this point that I’m starting to think we all work at the same company. Different logo, different Slack, slightly different shade of purple or gold on the pricing page, but somehow the exact same conversations. Watching companies go through the same PLG-to-enterprise growing pains over and over again makes me feel like I’m Bill Murray in Groundhog Day . I’m not really seeing this at Lovable and I will do everything in my power so that it will continue this way, but as I talk to other companies, it is always…