#142: Strategy | Jason Lemkin on What Makes a Great VP Marketing in SaaS, Working with the CEO, and Lessons from SaaStr

Dave is joined by Jason Lemkin. Jason is the founder of SaaStr, the world’s largest community of SaaS executives, founders, and entrepreneurs. Before SaaStr, Jason founded EchoSign, which was sold to Adobe in 2011. They discussWhy Jason started SaaStrWhat makes a great VP of Marketing in SaaS and how to hire oneHow tech and SaaS have changed since 2020CROs vs CMOsImportance of alignment between the CEO and marketing teamTimestamps(00:00) - - Intro (04:00) - - Understanding the Importance of Revenue Goals (07:24) - - Evolving Motivations and Changing Perspectives (11:30) - - From Solopreneur to Founder: The Journey of Exit Five (15:26) - - The Challenge of Transitioning from Solopreneurship (17:25) - - Insights into Jason's Content Creation Process (20:09) - - Efficiency in writing: a five-minute rule (25:17) - - LinkedIn: A Haven for Text-Based Writers (26:43) - - LinkedIn's Good Community and Marketing Potential (29:28) - - Importance of Building Relationships in Business (34:13) - - Marketing Essentials: Brand, Field, Demand, Growth (36:50) - - Finding the Right Fit: Aligning Marketing Roles with Company Vision (39:55) - - Finding Alignment: The Role of Marketing in Company Leadership (44:07) - - CROs and Marketing (46:56) - - Balancing Heads: Sales, Marketing, and Post-Sales in SaaS Leadership (50:16) - - Event Planning (52:11) - - SaaStr: Connecting Founders and Revenue Professionals Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterLearn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/***Brought to you by:Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.Vector - A contact-level ads platform that lets you build audiences from actual people on your site, clicking your ads, and checking out your competitors. Learn how to build an ABM program that scales at vector.co/exitfive.Join us in Stowe, Vermont for Drive 2026 - three days away from your desk to learn what's working in B2B marketing from the people who are actually doing it. Grab your ticket at exitfive.com/drive.Walker Sands - An integrated B2B marketing and growth services agency that helps marketing leaders turn strategy into measurable business impact through their Outcome-based Marketing model. Learn more at walkersands.com/exitfive.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more