Balancing Product-Led Growth (PLG) with traditional sales efforts can be challenging but rewarding. With insights from Amplitude’s Franciska Dethlefsen, the session explored how self-serve and sales motions can work together without compromise. Hosted by Gururaj Pandurangi and Peter Wheeler, the discussion highlighted Amplitude’s journey to integrate PLG and sales seamlessly, with collaboration and timing as key themes. Understanding Product-Led Sales (PLS) Without the Jargon Franciska Dethlefsen broke down Product-Led Sales (PLS) as the practice of driving sales through the product itself. She explained that it’s not just about getting users to sign up for a free trial—PLS aims to use the product experience to create qualified leads. Amplitude’s approach to PLS is simple: use the product as a channel to generate and qualify sales opportunities. For instance, they utilize product usage data to identify which users are ready for deeper engagement, whether that means a demo, a trial extension, or support with setup. As Peter Wheeler noted, the term “product-led sales” might be misleading—it’s more like "product-assisted sales." The product becomes a powerful tool to assist and enable the sales process, providing context to the sales team on when and how to approach a user. When and How to Reach Out to Users Timing is everything in user outreach. Early interventions—like contacting a user immediately after sign-up—can often miss the mark and make users feel pressured. The key is to qualify leads before intervening. Distinguish between high-potential enterprise users who may need early sales support, and smaller users who benefit from independent exploration. Focusing on product signals—such as usage patterns or specific actions—can guide when to engage effectively. It’s about offering value at the right moment, not hard-selling. By monitoring user behavior, outreach becomes more helpful and timely, aligning with user intent and readiness. Amplitude’s Path to Building a Balanced PLG and Sales Motion Amplitude’s transition to a balanced PLG and sales strategy involved a cultural shift. Moving from a primarily sales-led model to one that incorporates PLG required building collaboration between growth and sales teams. The change wasn’t just structural—it was about ensuring both teams saw the value in working together. Early on, the focus was on establishing trust. Instead of seeing the self-serve model as a threat to larger deals, the sales team recognized that product-led users often ended up being stronger leads. This alignment allowed them to reach out to users at the right time, with a clear understanding of user intent and needs. Additionally, managing concerns around cannibalization—where self-serve might seem to undercut traditional sales efforts—was crucial. By focusing sales efforts on larger accounts and leaving smaller users to a self-serve experience, Amplitude successfully integrated both motions, ensuring no missed opportunities and a more efficient approach to growth. Getting Users to Activate Themselves Activation plays a key role in any PLG strategy. At Amplitude, activation means users can set up and explore the product independently, without needing support. Steps to Improve Onboarding: * Expand Low-Code/No-Code Options: Amplitude made it easier for non-technical users to connect data sources like GA4 or HubSpot. * Reduce Friction for Quick Wins: The team focused on helping users reach their "aha" moment faster, simplifying setup to enable early value. * Offer Pre-Built Templates: Providing ready-made templates for dashboards and metrics let users gain quick insights, making the product feel immediately useful. These steps deepened user engagement and ensured a smooth self-activation process. How Growth Teams Scale User Activation Amplitude’s growth team focused on creating a seamless self-activation journey. Rather than relying on direct sales interactions, they leaned