C2 · Motions & channels · 38 terms
Motions
& Channels
Motion is a forced move, not a preference. ACV vs cost-to-serve determines it.
Motion is a forced move set by ACV vs cost-to-serve, not a strategic preference. PLG is the rational default below ~$2,000/month ACV when time-to-value is under 30 days. Sales-led is the forced choice above ~$15,000 ACV or when the buyer is C-suite. Hybrid covers the band between them. 73% of top-quartile SaaS companies use hybrid by Series B.
The motion inequality (thesis T5)
Motion is not chosen — it is revealed by the ACV vs cost-to-serve inequality. When ACV < cost-to-serve via a direct sales motion, PLG or a low-touch model is the only profitable option. When ACV is large enough to justify sales investment, the opportunity cost of not having a sales motion becomes the binding constraint.
| ACV band | Forced motion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| < $500/month | PLG or self-serve | CAC from a sales team exceeds LTV at any reasonable churn rate |
| $500–$5,000/month | PLG + inside sales (hybrid) | ACV supports light-touch sales; PLG drives pipeline quality |
| $5,000–$25,000/month | Hybrid or field sales | Complex buying committees require human coordination |
| > $25,000/month | Enterprise sales-led | Procurement, legal, and security reviews require dedicated AEs |
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PLG is a loop, not a funnel (thesis T14)
Product-led growth compounds through a recursive loop: product usage generates word-of-mouth, which generates new signups, who use the product, which generates more word-of-mouth. But B2B virality never sustains k ≥ 1 — the loop converges, which is why PLG is a highly efficient acquisition channel, not perpetual motion. Retention is upstream of virality: k_effective = k_raw × R, so churn kills the loop before it starts.
All 38 terms
- ABMAccount-Based Marketing A focused motion where marketing and sales jointly target a defined set of high-value accounts with personalized program… abm
- Activationactivation milestone, aha moment The point where a new user first experiences core product value; the leading indicator of PLG conversion and retention. plg
- Advocacyreferrals, word-of-mouth Existing customers actively recommending the product, generating high-trust pipeline. motion
- Agentic ABMagentic account-based, ABX (account-based experience) Signal-led, context-aware, account-level ABM where agents connect scattered buyer signals (ad click, webinar, site revis… abm
- Bottom-Up Adoption Traction starts with individual users or small teams, then expands to broader organizational adoption — the classic PLG … plg
- Channel Strategydistribution strategy Choosing the small set of primary channels where your ICP actually is and how they prefer to buy — deliberately, rather … channel
- Channel/Partner-Ledchannel sales External partners (resellers, VARs, integrators, alliances) source, influence, and close deals on your behalf, tapping t… motion
- Co-Marketing Partnering with another company to co-produce content or events, sharing reach and credibility. channel
- Community-Led Customers, fans, and builders drive awareness, acquisition, and expansion. Instead of marketing TO an audience, you crea… motion
- Content-Led A content engine (SEO pages, tutorials, thought leadership) creates organic demand and captures search intent over time. motion
- Ecosystem-LedELG Growth driven by integrations, marketplaces, and ecosystem partners that make the product more valuable inside partner w… motion
- Event-Ledevent-led growth In-person and virtual events are the primary channel for pipeline generation and engagement. motion
- Feature Adoption How many users actively use a specific feature — a proxy for value delivery and stickiness. plg
- GTM Motiongo-to-market motion, sales motion The primary engine by which you acquire and expand customers. Motions are composable (different motions for different se… motion
- Hybrid MotionPLG+SLG, product-led sales (PLS) Blends self-serve adoption with sales-assist: the product drives initial adoption and qualification; sales steps in when… motion
- Land and Expand A motion that wins a small initial footprint, then grows it within the account over time. The economic engine behind NRR… motion
- Marketing-Led / Inbound-Led Pull demand via content, SEO, and organic channels so leads arrive already trusting the brand; sales engages later. motion
- Marketplace A platform (e.g. cloud or app marketplace) where your product is listed and transacted inside a partner ecosystem. channel
- MQAMarketing Qualified Account An account (not an individual) that meets ICP and engagement thresholds enough to warrant sales outreach within an ABM f… abm
- Named Accountstarget account list (TAL) The explicit, finite list of accounts a team is assigned to pursue (e.g. '200 named target accounts'). abm
- North Star MetricNSM The single metric that best captures the core value a product delivers and predicts long-term growth — the number teams … plg
- Onboarding Guiding a new user or customer to first value and successful setup. Owned by CS in SLG, by product design in PLG. plg
- Outbound-Led Proactively reach prospects who have not discovered you, via cold email, calls, and sequences. The hardest execution lay… motion
- Paid-Led Paid media generates awareness and traffic quickly through targeted media buying; fast and scalable but stops when spend… motion
- Partner Enablement Equipping partners with training, playbooks, and co-marketing so they can sell effectively on your behalf. channel
- PPCPay-Per-Click, paid search Paid advertising charged per click; a fast demand-capture channel measured on conversion quality, not just click-through… channel
- PQLProduct Qualified Lead A lead qualified by in-product behavior (usage hitting expansion-predictive thresholds) rather than marketing engagement… plg
- Product Analytics Instrumentation of in-product behavior to learn which features drive activation and which usage patterns predict expansi… plg
- Product-Led GrowthPLG, product-led The product is the primary driver of acquisition and expansion; users self-serve via freemium or trial and experience va… plg
- Retargetingremarketing Serving ads to people who already engaged, to pull them back into the funnel; a mid-funnel reinforcement tactic. channel
- Sales-Led GrowthSLG, sales-led Human sales reps drive growth through relationships and structured processes. Fits complex, high-ACV enterprise products… motion
- Self-Serve A buying path where customers sign up, onboard, and pay without sales involvement. plg
- SEOSearch Engine Optimization Optimizing content to rank in organic search and capture buyers researching a problem. A TOFU/MOFU demand-capture and cr… channel
- StickinessDAU/MAU ratio How habitually users return; commonly measured as daily-active over monthly-active users. plg
- Time to ValueTTV How long it takes a new user or customer to reach the product's core value. Shorter TTV lifts activation, retention, and… plg
- VARValue-Added Reseller A partner that resells your product bundled with their own services (onboarding, training, integration). channel
- Webinar A live or recorded online presentation used for mid-funnel education and lead capture. channel
- Word-of-MouthWOM Organic peer recommendation; the growth mechanism behind community-led motions and much of the dark funnel. motion