A play · one sale type

SaaS product journey

A user finds the product, tries it, reaches an aha moment, pays, and either expands or quietly churns.

Self-serve interest, activation, expansion.

The play

Scan the list. Open one.

01 · Aware · 7 items

Aware

How do they learn the category and your name in the same week?

Pain · 2

the problem has no name yet

Felt by Visitor

Dissatisfied

They feel a mess in the tool they already pay for.

Satisfied

A page gives the mess a name they can repeat.

Delighted

They use that name with a colleague the same week.

Avoid

Category language only the vendor uses.

Mitigate

Name the job in the words they already say.

Opportunity

You become the person who made the problem discussable.

Still owns: Content writer

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

they cannot tell you apart in a noisy category

Felt by Visitor

Dissatisfied

Every product says the same three words.

Satisfied

One difference they can repeat in a corridor.

Delighted

They use your difference as their own language.

Avoid

A slogan that could sit on any homepage.

Mitigate

Pick one difference and keep it on every first surface.

Opportunity

They choose you because the difference is useful.

Still owns: Marketer

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Customer risk · 1

they shortlist without you

Felt by Visitor

Dissatisfied

The comparison table already has three names.

Satisfied

You are on the first list they write down.

Delighted

They defend your place on that list.

Avoid

Waiting for inbound from people who already chose.

Mitigate

Be present where they first name the job.

Opportunity

The shortlist is written with your framing.

Still owns: Seller, Marketer

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Opportunity · 1

the first useful page earns a try

Felt by Visitor

Dissatisfied

You ask for a signup before you have helped.

Satisfied

Help first, then a try is natural.

Delighted

They start the try themselves.

Avoid

Gating the first useful explanation.

Mitigate

Give value on the public surface, then invite the try.

Opportunity

Attention moves from page to product.

Still owns: Marketer

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Seller-ops risk · 3

blank page

Felt by Content writer

Dissatisfied

Compare pages stay empty while ads run.

Satisfied

The page has a job, a claim, and a try.

Delighted

The writer and the trial tell the same story.

Avoid

No brief for the public surface.

Mitigate

A short brief tied to the live claim.

Opportunity

Aware is still a writing job.

Still owns: Content writer

A named way

spend without a brake

Felt by Media ops

Dissatisfied

Money runs at a page that cannot carry a try.

Satisfied

Spend waits on a ready first session.

Delighted

Paid attention becomes activated use.

Avoid

Buying clicks before the empty state is honest.

Mitigate

A ready-check: claim, try, first value.

Opportunity

Spend follows a path that works.

Still owns: Media ops

A named way

The seller cannot find the proof when the buyer asks.

Still owns: Content writer, Seller

A named way

See the leak

02 · Try · 11 items

Try

What happens in the first session — and who helps if they stall?

Pain · 4

they stall in the first session and never return

Felt by Visitor

Dissatisfied

The empty state is a puzzle.

Satisfied

They reach one result before they leave.

Delighted

They come back because something already worked.

Avoid

A tour of features with no first win.

Mitigate

One path to first value, then the rest.

Opportunity

The first session is the product.

Still owns: Success, Marketer

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

visitor leaves unanswered

Felt by Visitor

Dissatisfied

They hit a block and the page cannot help.

Satisfied

A governed answer in the same voice as the product.

Delighted

They feel the company was waiting for this snag.

Avoid

A brochure in the try.

Mitigate

Answers for the stalls you already know.

Opportunity

Help in the try is how they stay.

Still owns: Marketer

the internet already knows more than the seller

Felt by Prospect

Dissatisfied

They compared you last night. The tour starts at the homepage.

Satisfied

The try opens on the job they already named.

Delighted

They stay because the product, or the person, adds something the write-up could not.

Avoid

A generic tour after a specific question.

Mitigate

Start from the comparison they already made, then one proof.

Opportunity

The try is for judgement, not a recap.

Still owns: Seller, Application engineer

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

too much information, they are lost before they engage

Felt by Visitor

Dissatisfied

They drown in claims and never start.

Satisfied

One question, one answer, one next step.

Delighted

The page feels like a person who already knew what mattered.

Avoid

A first surface that tries to say everything.

Mitigate

One conversation, one next step, the rest on demand.

Opportunity

Less on the page is how they begin.

Still owns: Marketer

Customer risk · 1

the tour does not match the page they read

Felt by Prospect

Dissatisfied

The trial feels like another product.

Satisfied

The tour continues the page’s claim.

Delighted

They trust pay later because the try already did.

Avoid

A sandbox that drifted from the public story.

Mitigate

The application engineer owns the tour they see.

Opportunity

Try is technical sales, even alone.

Still owns: Application engineer

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Opportunity · 1

they hit an aha they can show a colleague

Felt by Visitor

Dissatisfied

They used it and have nothing to forward.

Satisfied

One result that travels.

Delighted

A colleague asks to be invited.

Avoid

Activation measured as logins.

Mitigate

Design the first win so it can be shared.

Opportunity

Internal proof starts in the try.

Still owns: Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Seller-ops risk · 5

they cannot tell if a person is on the other side

Felt by Seller, Sales Development Representative

Dissatisfied

The trial list is full. Nobody who can pay ever speaks.

Satisfied

A try that asks for a job only a person is doing this week.

Delighted

They call the workspaces that have a human next step.

Avoid

Counting every signup as a buyer.

Mitigate

One question a person with a team can answer; the rest can wait.

Opportunity

Pipeline is people, not signups.

Still owns: Seller, Sales Development Representative

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

the empty state has no owner

Felt by Success

Dissatisfied

New workspaces die in silence.

Satisfied

Someone owns what the first screen asks of them.

Delighted

Activation is a named job, not a hope.

Avoid

A pretty blank canvas.

Mitigate

A first-session owner and a dated check.

Opportunity

Empty is an ops risk, not a design mood.

Still owns: Application engineer, Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

form dies in an inbox

Felt by Visitor

Dissatisfied

They asked for help in the try and heard nothing.

Satisfied

A human reply with the workspace already in view.

Delighted

They continue because someone was waiting.

Avoid

A generic inbox for 'talk to sales'.

Mitigate

Route the try question to a named chair.

Opportunity

Help requested is a hot session.

Still owns: Sales Development Representative

The pack is a slide dump the engineer cannot run in the room.

Still owns: Seller, Application engineer

A named way

See the leak

The form dies in an inbox.

Still owns: Marketer, Sales Development Representative

A named way

See the leak

03 · Activate · 7 items

Activate

What is first value, and how do you know they hit it?

Pain · 1

they never hit first value

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

Seats are live. Nothing useful has happened.

Satisfied

They complete the one job you promised.

Delighted

They can show that job to the person who invited them.

Avoid

A checklist of features.

Mitigate

Name first value and watch for it.

Opportunity

Activation is a result.

Still owns: Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Customer risk · 2

they invited the wrong people

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

The workspace fills with spectators.

Satisfied

The people who do the job are in first.

Delighted

Weekly use starts in the right chairs.

Avoid

A launch all-hands and no operators.

Mitigate

Success and the champion agree the first cast.

Opportunity

The invite list is a product decision.

Still owns: Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

only one person knows how it works

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

When they are off, the workspace dies.

Satisfied

A second person can finish the job.

Delighted

The company owns the habit, not one fan.

Avoid

A hero user and no backup.

Mitigate

Pair the champion with one deputy early.

Opportunity

Adoption survives a holiday.

Still owns: Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Opportunity · 1

the job shows up in their week without a nudge

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

They only return when you email.

Satisfied

The work they already do opens you.

Delighted

You are in the week, not on a campaign.

Avoid

Nudge mail as the product.

Mitigate

Put the aha inside a job they repeat.

Opportunity

Habit is the activation goal.

Still owns: Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Seller-ops risk · 3

activation is a login count

Felt by Success

Dissatisfied

The board sees green. Nobody got value.

Satisfied

You report the first job done, not the first session.

Delighted

Expansion talks use a real number.

Avoid

A dashboard of vanity.

Mitigate

One activation event you would defend in a QBR.

Opportunity

Progress is a job completed.

Still owns: Success, Sales ops

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

the kickoff date slips while the trial clock runs

Felt by Success

Dissatisfied

Time ends before first value.

Satisfied

A date held as tightly as billing.

Delighted

They convert because they already won.

Avoid

A flexible onboard that means never.

Mitigate

Book the first-value hour before the trial is idle.

Opportunity

The clock is an ops constraint.

Still owns: Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Tickets pile up and nobody takes over.

Still owns: Success, Support

A named way

See the leak

04 · Subscribe · 9 items

Subscribe

What removes doubt at the paywall or upgrade?

Pain · 1

the paywall is a different product to the one they tried

Felt by Prospect

Dissatisfied

They liked the try. Pay looks like another company.

Satisfied

The plan matches the job they already did.

Delighted

They pay without a new evaluation.

Avoid

A pricing page of bundles they did not taste.

Mitigate

Sell the path they just walked.

Opportunity

The paywall is a continuation.

Still owns: Seller, Marketer

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Customer risk · 2

they cannot get a yes without a person who was not in the try

Felt by Prospect

Dissatisfied

The user loves it. Finance has never heard of it.

Satisfied

A pack the quiet champion can send upstairs.

Delighted

Budget hears the same job the try proved.

Avoid

A self-serve wall with no internal leave-behind.

Mitigate

A short commercial page the champion can forward.

Opportunity

Product-led still needs an internal sale.

Still owns: Seller

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

they pay for seats nobody will use

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

The order looks big. The week stays empty.

Satisfied

They start with the chairs who already got value.

Delighted

The bill matches the habit.

Avoid

Selling volume before activation.

Mitigate

Price the path they walked, then grow.

Opportunity

Honest seats survive renewal.

Still owns: Seller, Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Opportunity · 1

they upgrade because the next job is already visible

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

Every upgrade is a cold conversation.

Satisfied

The limit they hit is named, with a next step.

Delighted

They ask to pay because the work is stuck.

Avoid

A generic upgrade banner.

Mitigate

Trigger the ask from a real limit, not a calendar.

Opportunity

Expansion starts in the product.

Still owns: Seller, Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Seller-ops risk · 5

we have no idea who decides and influences the purchase

Felt by Seller, Sales ops

Dissatisfied

The trial has users. Nobody can name who pays or who can kill the deal.

Satisfied

Subscribe includes who signs, who influences, and who was not in the try.

Delighted

Upgrade is a conversation with a map, not a surprise.

Avoid

A seat count with one champion and no upstairs path.

Mitigate

Map the group before the commercial page goes out.

Opportunity

Paywall is a buying-group job.

Still owns: Seller, Sales ops

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

quote from memory

Felt by Seller

Dissatisfied

The discount in the call is not in the cart.

Satisfied

The price they heard is the price they see.

Delighted

They pay without a correction.

Avoid

A custom number in a private note.

Mitigate

Quote from the same source checkout uses.

Opportunity

Trust at pay starts in the draft.

Still owns: Seller

A named way

the forecast is a hope with no next step

Felt by Seller

Dissatisfied

Trials in commit have no owner and no date.

Satisfied

Each converting workspace has a dated next step.

Delighted

Monday's number matches Friday's work.

Avoid

A colour on a row.

Mitigate

No next step, no commit.

Opportunity

Progress is a date.

Still owns: Sales ops

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

forgotten call notes

Still owns: Seller

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

The call notes are forgotten before the next meeting.

Still owns: Sales Development Representative, Seller

A named way

See the leak

05 · Use · 6 items

Use

How do they get unstuck without opening a ticket they will regret?

Pain · 2

they cannot get unstuck without a ticket they will regret

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

The job stops. Help looks like a queue.

Satisfied

They get free in the product, or a clean human.

Delighted

They stay in the week, not in a portal.

Avoid

A help centre that answers a different product.

Mitigate

Answers next to the stall, in brand voice.

Opportunity

Unstuck is the weekly product.

Still owns: Support

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

ticket pile, no takeover

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

They wait, and nobody takes the ticket.

Satisfied

An answer or a clean escalation, consistent with policy.

Delighted

They feel heard before they regret opening it.

Avoid

A pile with no owner.

Mitigate

Resolve, escalate, keep answers consistent.

Opportunity

Care after subscribe is why they stay.

Still owns: Support

A named way

Customer risk · 1

they quietly stop and you call it healthy

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

The seat is paid. The job moved elsewhere.

Satisfied

Someone notices the stall while there is still time.

Delighted

They come back because you reached them with their own work.

Avoid

Health as logins.

Mitigate

Watch the job, not only the session.

Opportunity

Silence is a risk, not a green row.

Still owns: Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Opportunity · 1

they get unstuck without leaving the job

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

Every snag is a context switch.

Satisfied

Help arrives where they already are.

Delighted

They finish the job the same hour.

Avoid

A new tab and a ticket form.

Mitigate

Put the known answers on the known stalls.

Opportunity

Time-to-unstuck is a product metric.

Still owns: Support, Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Seller-ops risk · 2

support answers from memory while the product moved

Felt by Support

Dissatisfied

Two answers, two versions, one angry customer.

Satisfied

The reply matches what is live.

Delighted

They trust the next answer.

Avoid

A stale article next to a new release.

Mitigate

The people who change the product update the answers.

Opportunity

Consistency is an ops job.

Still owns: Sales ops, Support

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

the QBR has no product proof

Felt by Success

Dissatisfied

The meeting is slides about a tool they barely use.

Satisfied

The room sees their own jobs completed.

Delighted

They argue for you with your numbers.

Avoid

A generic deck.

Mitigate

Pull the week’s real work into the room.

Opportunity

The QBR is a mirror, not a pitch.

Still owns: Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

06 · Renew & expand · 6 items

Renew & expand

Is expansion earned in the product, or only in a QBR?

Pain · 1

nobody knows what is already installed, or where it sits in the lifecycle

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

They have to recap seats, plans, and what expires.

Satisfied

The seller can name the estate and the dates.

Delighted

Renew starts from what is actually running.

Avoid

A blank-page commercial conversation.

Mitigate

Keep plan, seats, usage, and dates on the account.

Opportunity

Knowing the estate is how renew stays honest.

Still owns: Seller, Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Customer risk · 2

expansion is only a QBR, never earned in the product

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

The only upsell is a meeting they dread.

Satisfied

The next plan is visible where they work.

Delighted

They expand because the next job is stuck.

Avoid

A quarterly hunt for budget.

Mitigate

Earn the ask in use, then confirm in the room.

Opportunity

The QBR confirms; it does not invent.

Still owns: Seller, Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

finance cannot see why this is worth another year

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

The champion has a feeling. The bill has a shock.

Satisfied

A one-page story of jobs done and money at risk.

Delighted

Finance signs because the year is visible.

Avoid

Usage they cannot translate.

Mitigate

Write the renew pack in finance language.

Opportunity

Renew is an internal sale you must resource.

Still owns: Success, Seller

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Opportunity · 1

they add a seat because the work already spilled over

Felt by Customer

Dissatisfied

Every extra seat is a cold pitch.

Satisfied

The limit they hit is the offer.

Delighted

They add because the week demands it.

Avoid

A campaign of unused features.

Mitigate

Sell the overflow, not the catalogue.

Opportunity

Expansion is a traffic jam you can name.

Still owns: Seller

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

Seller-ops risk · 2

the estate lives in a spreadsheet nobody trusts

Felt by Seller

Dissatisfied

Three lists of seats and dates.

Satisfied

One record seller and success both open.

Delighted

A new seller can brief renew in an hour.

Avoid

A personal tracker.

Mitigate

Required: plan, seats, usage, end date, next job.

Opportunity

The company knows the estate.

Still owns: Sales ops, Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.

success nags for a review while renew is still fragile

Felt by Success

Dissatisfied

The only ask is publicity during a tense yes.

Satisfied

The ask waits on a renew they already felt.

Delighted

They offer a sentence after they stay.

Avoid

A case-study hunt in notice period.

Mitigate

Health first, then the public ask.

Opportunity

Advocacy lags care.

Still owns: Success

A named way

No named way on this item yet.