business model, customer development, e245, engr245, lean launchpad, lean startup, stanford, startup, steve blank

1. Scaling B2B startup sales with
strategic lead generation

3. Day 1
Project
management for
freelance work
Pareto
110 Interviews
Now
Scaling B2B
startups with lead
generation
Lucy Zhang
Mentor
Phoebe Yao
Visionary
Monil Singhal
Hustler
Rayan Krishnan
Hacker

4. ● Upwork, Fiverr,
Inv.Tech, Other
BPO agencies
● PM mentors
● Task managers
1. Project users
(students,
researchers,
hobbyists)
1. Business users
(Entrepreneurs,
SMEs, social
media influencers
Save time and
management
overhead with
managed freelance
projects
1. Freelance project managers (full-time)
2. Freelance expert teams (contract based)
1. Pay-per-project model (~$10/hour based on project
complexity)
● PM talent pool
● IP (Matching
algorithms)
● 3rd party
integrations
(Messenger, Trello,
Slack)
Project management
based on:
● Trust
● Transparency
● Automation
● Recruit, train, and
match PM’s
● Design and build
user-friendly
workflows
B2C
● Direct outreach
● Referrals
● Digital marketing
B2B
● Network Referrals
● Digital marketing
Key Partners Key Activities Value Propositions Customer Relationships Customer Segments
Key Resources Channels
Cost Structure Revenue Streams
Individual
Project Users
Business Users
(Entrepreneurs,
SMBs)

5. Week 1
Week 3
Revenue: $2,000
Team Members: 5
Interviews: 37
Team Members: 4

6. We had found a need for project management of freelancers
Customers
Freelancers
Experts
“Vetting and managing is insanely
hard”
Amanda (Founder)
“So much time is wasted creating
proposals and negotiating”
Kaixi (Freelancer)
“The real problem is connecting
projects to the right freelancers ”
Matt (Founder)

7. PM as a Service

8. So we launched an MVP, and interviewed customers

9. We did not get conversions
Managing freelance work is a challenge.
Founders need a pressing use case to get started
0.6%
CTR
0%
Conversions

10. We needed to find a high-need vertical
Value Proposition
Save time and overhead
through managed freelancing
for a key, high-frequency
business vertical
Value Proposition
Save time and
management
overhead with
managed freelance
projects

11. In this process,
our team
alignment
struggled...

12. Week 1
Week 5
Interviews: 58
Team Members: 3
Week 3

13. Customer Service
Lead Generation
Content Moderation
Small Businesses
Enterprise
Exploring verticals and customer segments
WHAT? FOR WHOM?

14. We did not find a fit with enterprise clients
“There are many tools that we
use to keep inefficiency low”
Colton (Docusign)
“People select tools that
integrate well together and
eventually integrate with
salesforce”
Marleyna (Snowflake)

15. But early-stage startups loved us!
“This has literally been the biggest
issue for us in the last couple of
months. Hiring an intern to do this
for us next week”
Head of Growth, VA

16. Young startups wanted better customer discovery
Insights to get to PMF
Warm introductions

17. We pivoted to focus on customer discovery
Value Proposition
Insights-driven
customer discovery
lead generation to
accelerate PMF
Customer
Segments
Early stage, pre-
PMF, B2B startups
Value Proposition
Save time and
overhead through
managed freelancing
for a key, high-
frequency business
vertical
Customer Segments
● Enterprise teams
● SMB Sales
● Managers in Startups

18. PMF as a Service

19. Week 1
Week 5
Interviews: 78
Team Members: 3
Week 3
Week 7

20. Version 1:
Lead generation outsourcing for sales teams
We struggled to find the right positioning

21. Version 2:
Help startup founders find product market fit with
customer discovery
We struggled to find the right positioning

22. Sushi not Dead Fish

23. Version 100:
Qualified lead generation for early-stage
founders to scale B2B startup sales
We struggled to find the right positioning

24. Updated positioning to communicate value, not process
Revenue Model
Pay per meeting set-up
$50-$100
Revenue Model
Pay per hour
$12/hours, based
on complexity

25. Week 1
Week 5
Interviews: 96
Team Members: 3
Week 3
Week 7
Week 9

26. We struggled with lead gen delivery
“We were a bit disappointed in the # and quality of leads”
Lead gen customer
6
Sales
4
Retained

27. 1. Create Ideal Customer Profile
2. Filter through online databases
3. Design Email Template
4. Send and track email campaign conversion
We tested our own lead gen strategy

28. And refined our process
32%
Response rate in
dogfooding trial
7
Successful lead gen
pilots delivered

29. And refined our process
Key Partners
Strategic Alliances
CB Insights
LinkedIn Sales
Joint Business Development
Venture Capitalists
Accelerators / Incubators
Traffic Partners
Bay Area Entrepreneurial
communities: StartX, Elpha,
Union

30. Strategic Alliances
CB Insights
LinkedIn Sales
Joint Business
Development
Venture Capitalists
Accelerators /
Incubators
Traffic Partner
Bay Area
Entrepreneurial
communities:
StartX, Elpha,
Union
1. Project users
(students,
researchers,
hobbyists)
1. Business users
(Entrepreneurs,
SMEs, social
media influencers
Customizable, end-
to-end sales
pipeline
Data driven insights
to iterate ideal
profile
Workforce hired and upskilled
Workforce managers to ensure high quality
Pay per meeting $50-$500
● Build human -in-the-
loop workflows
● Meet with founding
teams and key
partners
Generate startup buzz,
program partners
Cross-sell other junior
services to become a
startup-toolkit
● Effectively trained
management and
workforce
● Software for
efficient lead-gen
and client interface
Direct Sales
Channel Partnerships
with VCs and
Accelerators
Key Partners Key Activities Value Propositions Customer Relationships Customer Segments
Key Resources Channels
Cost Structure Revenue Streams
Early-stage B2B
startup founders
about to scale
English-speaking
freelancers

31. Week 1
Revenue: $2,000
Team Members: 5
Revenue: $4,000
Team Members: 3
Now
First profitable
month!

32. Strategic Functions

33. A human-in-the-loop startup assistant:
● Lead generation
● Image labeling
● Data digitization
Long term vision

34. Continuing with Pareto full-time next quarter
Pursuing MBA and other ideas. Summer at BCG.
Pursuing research and projects. Summer at Microsoft.

35. Thank you Team LLP

37. Distribution & Channels
Pareto delivers its product and service through two primary
channels...Direct
Sales● Outbound Sales
● Social Media Marketing
● SEO
We pursued a combination of offline +
online strategies in raising product
awareness, including
VC & Accelerator Channel
Partners
Marketing Flyers. We distributed ~200
color-printed Pareto flyers over Stanford
campus, Palo Alto + San Francisco cafes
frequented by founders and VCs
Facebook Ads. We worked with $500
worth of Facebook ad credits to A/B test
two ad copies, with varying degrees of
detail.
We aim to raise
awareness from
forming
partnerships in
the startup
ecosystem

38. Marketing Approach: Social Media Marketing

39. A. MONTHLY
REVENUE
$300 $4000
B. MONTHLY CHURN 10% 2%
C. CAC $80.00 $270.00
D. GROSS LTV
A*(1-B) / (B)
$2700.00 $196,000
E NET LTV
GROSS LTV - CAC
$2620 $195,730
Customer Acquisition Cost and Lifetime Value
Direct to Founding Team / Sales Team
Via Accelerator Programs + VC Funds
Convert to
Paid User2
2.00%
Conversion
Estimate
Paid
Acquisition1
$1.08 - $1.25 CPC
0.52% CTR
Actual - Facebook Ads
Program
Offer2
$80 Sign on
Bonus
Partnerships1 Word of mouth
Free
$54 - $63
CAC
$80
CAC
Lead
Qualification
Pay as you go
Cross-Sell:
Startup Toolkit
Pay as you go