What are some examples of Dutch companies that have positioned themselves really well?

The fintech sector, while incredibly competitive, offers clear examples of strong positioning. Two Dutch players that stand out are Mollie and bunq.

Mollie excels in positioning itself based on its product capabilities and dedication to customer experience. They’ve embedded functionalities like seamless integration, exceptional customer service, and a smooth onboarding process directly within their product. This focus on user experience sets them apart in a competitive landscape.

Bunq takes a different but equally effective approach to positioning. They target specific customer segments with unique needs, such as expats, freelancers, digital nomads, and SMEs. By identifying these pain points, bunq tailors its products and offerings to directly address them.

Understanding the struggles of Dutch newcomers, bunq offered temporary accounts for those without a BSN number, addressing a key pain point in the market.

What are the key elements of an effective GTM strategy?

Building a successful Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy starts with a clear understanding of your core offering. Here are some key steps to refine your approach:

Define your problem space

• Start with the basics. Revisit your “problem space” – the core issue your product solves. Is it defined by you, the market, or your competitors’ messaging?
• Sell the problem, not the solution. Focus on the significance of the problem you address. Emphasise the pain points and why it matters to your target audience. Integrate your “why” (your purpose) into your product offering.

Differentiation is key

• What makes you stand out? Analyse your product offering for unique selling propositions (USPs). Don’t settle for surface-level features; identify the deeper “sticky” values that truly differentiate you.

Know your competitive landscape

• Map the competition. Conduct a thorough competitive analysis. Identify your direct rivals, emerging players, contenders, and even smaller competitors who might be chipping away at your market share (ankle biters).

Identify your target audience

• This is crucial to get right, and it’s more complex than many realise…

Let’s talk more about target audience identification. What do companies often get wrong?

Many B2B SaaS startups focus too heavily on Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) while overlooking a critical factor: the Decision-Making Unit (DMU).

Each DMU member has unique interests and concerns. Success requires crafting different value propositions for each decision-maker and securing buy-in across the entire unit.

To better understand your DMU, try these tactics:

Customer interviews: Ask existing customers about their buying process and who was involved.

Win/loss analysis: Analyse successful and failed deals to understand decision-making factors.

Content and workshops: Offer content or events focused on your product and see which roles within companies attend.

Prospect research: Discover who is involved in purchasing decisions at your target companies.

What key challenges do Dutch B2B tech companies face as they scale?

Scaling a B2B tech company beyond its initial success is a monumental task, especially within the Dutch market. Here are three key challenges you’ll likely encounter:

Shifting team focus
Scaling inevitably means a shift in your team’s priorities. While agility was your startup superpower, rapid growth can lead to a slower pace. It’s important to manage this transition effectively. Don’t sacrifice the experience of existing customers for the sake of new ones. Prioritise maintaining a balance between growth and customer satisfaction.

The cost of growth
As your company expands, so do your expenses. Salaries, marketing budgets, and infrastructure needs all increase. It’s critical to ensure your revenue growth outpaces your cost increases. The Dutch tech scene exemplifies this challenge, with companies re-evaluating aggressive growth plans due to cost concerns.

Amplification – good & bad
Scaling removes the veil of obscurity. While positive news spreads quickly, negative experiences can tarnish your reputation even faster. Be prepared for bumps in the road—develop a crisis management plan and refine your customer recovery process.

What should companies consider when expanding internationally?

Dutch tech scaleups have incredible potential, but navigating the go-to-market phase can be tricky. I often see the same two common pitfalls:

1. Skipping the big picture. Many leaders rush into launch plans without considering the impact on the business. This creates “unfocused launches” – strategies disconnected from metrics that actually generate value. It’s like trying to build a house without a blueprint. Leaders get stuck in the weeds, creating ad-hoc plans for the immediate moment instead of a strategy aligned with long-term goals.
2. Flying blind without measurement. Without a clear measurement plan, you can’t tell if your go-to-market efforts are working. Disconnected strategies often lead to measuring the wrong things, or worse, measuring nothing at all. This makes it impossible to track success, identify problems, or adjust your approach to improve results.

A successful go-to-market strategy is a three-legged stool:

1. Go-to-Market roadmap. This is the foundation, typically an annual plan, that connects your product marketing activities to stakeholder goals, product roadmap specifics, and overall business considerations. Think of it as a high-level overview of your launch journey.
2. Launch plan. This dives deeper into each individual launch on the roadmap. It organises activities by audience segment and channel, detailing specific goals for each tactic. Here’s where you map out exactly what you’ll do to reach your target customers.
3. Measurement plan. This tracks the measurable value of your launch activities. It identifies which customer segments are driving results and helps you diagnose and course-correct any execution mistakes quickly. This feedback loop allows you to learn from each launch and continuously improve your go-to-market approach.

How should B2B tech companies approach their pricing strategy?

B2B scaleup leaders should focus on two key areas to build their monetisation strategy.

Product use case
This defines the problem your product solves, the target audience experiencing that problem, and the alternatives they currently use. Here are some questions to consider:

• What specific problem does your product solve?
• Who are your ideal customers facing this problem?
• How do they currently address this problem (existing solutions)?
• Why would your product be a better choice?
• How often do your target customers encounter this problem?

Monetisation model
This involves understanding how pricing scales with user value. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements:

• Value Metric: This defines how much value users receive based on their chosen features or usage patterns.
• Features/Attributes: What specific features or functionalities are included at each price point?
• Price: This is the actual monetary amount charged for the product or service.
• Billing Frequency: How often is the customer charged (monthly, annually, etc.)?

What approaches help ensure pricing scales with value?

As your B2B company scales, it’s crucial for customers to feel the value they receive increases alongside the price. Here are three common value metrics used to achieve this:

1. Feature–differentiated: This model caters to a broader customer base by offering different feature sets at varying price points. Think of Apple’s iPhone upgrades: more features (better camera, battery) come with a higher price tag. This approach allows you to cater to a wider range of use cases.
2. Usage–based: The price scales based on how much a customer uses the product. A good example is Jasper, an AI writing tool, where users pay for word credits consumed within a specific timeframe.
3. Outcome–based: This model charges based on the results achieved by the customer. HubSpot, for instance, charges marketing teams based on the number of “marketable contacts” generated, essentially a “pay-for-performance” approach.