
Startup sales vs marketing - where does the payroll go?
These two functions are obviously interdependent. But different industries devote significantly different resources to each. All sorts of fun reasons why, from product-led growth playbooks to major marketing campaigns...
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𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 Startups in these categories spend a larger share of their payroll on marketing vs sales.
Gaming (by a lot)
Consumer
𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 Startups here do the opposite!
Biotech
Healthtech
Fintech (only slightly)
Medical Devices (only slightly)
SaaS (by a lot)
Adtech
No perfect answer, obviously, and a wide range of strategies within each industry. But the aggregated differences do suggest some strongly-held GTM frameworks for each startup sector.
#cartadata #startups #payroll #functions #sectors
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