How a tiny team sold Perch into elite sports

When we sold the company, we had two salespeople covering the entire country. Two. They were animals. But their performance was the result of a cohesive effort between product, marketing, and sales. Quality over quantity.

Founders ask me all the time for our GTM playbook at Perch. It was deceptively simple.

Product built things worth talking about and fueled the content engine. Marketing created awareness and gave sales the assets they needed. But most of our pipeline and ARR did not come from marketing. Sales was the muscle. They leveraged a differentiated product and marketing-generated assets to drive pipeline and close deals.

50% of our pipeline came from outbound. 85% of our new ARR did too.

Here's the playbook behind it.

1️⃣ Start with product clarity.

We listened early. Coaches wanted velocity-based training data, but hated the tethered devices they had to use to get it. So we stopped leading with data quality and started leading with experience. Cameras. No tethers. Just lift. That became our everything.

2️⃣ Create awareness through email.

Athletic department contacts are public. We ran account-based campaigns to full staffs, not just head coaches. Early on it was education. Later it shifted toward differentiation. Don't spam people. But if you're building something that genuinely helps coaches and athletes, they want to hear from you.

3️⃣ Ship fast. Feed the content engine.

Rapid iteration gave us something new to talk about constantly. New features meant new emails, new demos, new reasons to reach back out. Shipping fast wasn't just a product strategy. It was a growth strategy.

4️⃣ Build a real sales machine.

Our reps were full funnel. We ran sequences, but managed them centrally. Consistent message, consistent quality, sales and marketing working together. Outbound was everything. Every week we'd brainstorm one creative outbound idea to try. When your customer pool is small, creativity is a competitive advantage.

5️⃣ Get in front of people.

This was the biggest unlock. Response rates when a rep was already in market were dramatically higher. In-person meetings converted at a rate nothing else matched. If a rep was visiting the University of Georgia, they'd reach out to every high school in the area. FOMO on trade shows is expensive. Explore early, double down on your best one or two.

6️⃣ Turn every closed deal into content.

Negotiate video rights into contracts upfront. Work with athletic department social media teams. Coaches wanted to be featured because we'd built a brand worth being associated with. Post logos consistently. Every new logo made the next conversation easier.

A few things that didn't lead to lasting returns: PR, digital ads, advisory boards, referral programs.

This is a simplified version of what worked. But if you're early and selling into sports, or any niche market, this is what I'd hand you.

What's one thing not on this list that's worked for you?