From Growth to Efficiency: Navigating SaaS Market Shifts and AI Disruption with Roee Hartuv

The New Reality: Efficient Growth > Growth-at-All-Costs

The SaaS industry has shifted dramatically since the end of 2021. For over a decade, valuations were fuelled by growth-at-all-costs. Headcount was added as fast as possible, money was cheap, and profitability could wait until long after IPO.

That all changed with a market correction—signalled by DocuSign’s 40% stock drop in late 2021. Now, money is expensive, IPOs demand profitability upfront, and leadership teams must learn to scale with fewer resources.

“Investors expect efficiency. Growth is still required, but with disciplined spending and productivity gains across the revenue engine.” — Roee Hartov

A Market Shakeout Ahead

Back in 2021, there were roughly 1,200 private SaaS unicorns compared to just 346 public SaaS companies. Fast-forward to today: only a handful of IPOs have happened, while many unicorns remain stuck in private markets.

Some will exit via M&A. Others will be forced to shut down. Even strong companies face valuation cuts—like TrueLayer, which saw a 30% markdown despite solid growth.

The lesson? Productivity and efficiency aren’t optional—they’re existential.

A Simple Framework: Processes, Tools, Skills

So where should CROs and revenue leaders start? Roee suggests a practical framework built around three levers:

1. Processes — Standardised, repeatable workflows that increase win probability.
2. Tools — Technology that reduces effort and automates friction points.
3. Skills — The capability uplift that helps sellers execute in tougher conditions.

Let’s break them down.

1. Processes: Small Changes, Compound Effects

Not all productivity wins come from sweeping transformation. Incremental changes add up.

Example: consistently closing calls with a recap, action items, and next meeting scheduled. It seems obvious, yet many sellers skip it—leading to ghosting and stalled deals. Standardising this one step dramatically improves conversion.

“You can’t take win rates from 20% to 30% overnight. But small behavioural changes, multiplied across a team, create compounding results.” — Roee Hartov

Processes also make performance measurable. Without them, forecasting and improvement are guesswork.

2. Tools: Where AI Fits Today

There’s plenty of noise about AI in revenue teams. Roee argues the biggest gains (so far) are in:

• Call transcription & analysis (e.g. Gong) → unstructured conversation data + CRM = forecasting clarity.
• AI coaching → roleplay bots and objection-handling practice at scale.
• Automation → faster notes, personalised outreach, and eventually self-serve demos that could move up-market.

The frontier? Forecasting accuracy. AI is increasingly able to predict conversion based on firmographics + call data + behaviour patterns, reducing reliance on rep gut feel.

3. Skills: Upskilling the “Frozen Middle”

The talent strategy is shifting. Automation may reduce headcount in SDR and CS roles, but the sellers who remain must be more skilled, specialised, and impactful.

Roee suggests focusing enablement resources on the middle 40–50% of reps—those hitting 50–100% of quota.

• Top performers often resist change or already excel.
• Bottom performers require disproportionate effort for limited ROI.
• Middle performers represent the best leverage: upskill them, and you lift overall attainment.

This aligns with what we see at Uhubs: A-players are often hungry for more, but the frozen middle is where coaching investment pays back fastest.

Data Models: From Gut Feel to Measurable GTM

Improving process and skills only works if you can measure outcomes. Roee recommends implementing a data model (like Winning by Design’s “bowtie”) to track conversion through the entire customer journey:

• MQL → SQL → Opportunity → Closed Won → Renewal
• Stage conversions: discovery → demo → proposal → close

When metrics dip (e.g. demo → proposal conversion falls), leaders can ask: is it skill or process? Measurement drives targeted improvement, not blanket fixes.

Looking Ahead: AI, Self-Serve, and Leaner Teams

Roee predicts gradual but significant change:

• AI-led discovery and demos will extend self-serve into higher ACV ranges.
• Forecasting will shift from spreadsheets to AI models reading call data.
• Revenue teams will be smaller, but roles will demand sharper skills in negotiation, storytelling, and impact.

Motivating top performers remains a leadership challenge, but the bigger story is that the skill profile of sales is changing—and fast.

Key Takeaways

• Efficiency is the new growth. Profitability matters before IPO.
• Small process changes (like next-step scheduling) compound into major productivity wins.
• AI is real—in coaching, forecasting, and automation—but full self-serve sales journeys are still evolving.
• Upskill the middle. This is where CROs get the highest ROI.
• Measure everything. Data models like the bowtie give clarity on where to intervene.

Final Word

The SaaS boom years taught leaders to grow at all costs. The next decade will reward those who grow efficiently, by tightening process discipline, using tools wisely, and elevating skills where it matters most.

At Uhubs, this is exactly what we enable: Pulse diagnostics to see the gaps, tailored coaching to close them, and an LMS to reinforce skills over time.