SaaS Growth Engine: Acquire Retain and Expand Customers

Connect SaaS positioning, acquisition, activation, retention, expansion, customer success, and unit economics

Created byDr. Law Payne

Last updated 11/2026

English

What you'll learn

Build a complete SaaS growth system connecting acquisition, activation, retention, expansion, customer success, and economics.
Create stronger SaaS positioning, acquisition choices, and demand-generation strategy.
Improve onboarding, activation, time to value, retention, expansion, and customer success.
Use unit economics and disciplined experiments to make responsible scale decisions.

Course content

2 sections • 11 lectures • 1h 49m total length

The SaaS Growth Model and Customer Journey10:02
This lecture explains the strategy, evidence, execution choices, quality controls, and business measurements behind the SaaS growth model and customer journey. Students apply the framework to a continuing case and complete a practical assignment.
Positioning Acquisition and Demand Creation9:50
This lecture explains the strategy, evidence, execution choices, quality controls, and business measurements behind positioning, acquisition, and demand creation. Students apply the framework to a continuing case and complete a practical assignment.
Activation Onboarding and Time to Value9:54
This lecture explains the strategy, evidence, execution choices, quality controls, and business measurements behind activation, onboarding, and time to value. Students apply the framework to a continuing case and complete a practical assignment.
Retention Expansion and Customer Success9:57
This lecture explains the strategy, evidence, execution choices, quality controls, and business measurements behind retention, expansion, and customer success. Students apply the framework to a continuing case and complete a practical assignment.
Unit Economics Experiments and Sustainable Scale9:43
This lecture explains the strategy, evidence, execution choices, quality controls, and business measurements behind unit economics, experiments, and sustainable scale. Students apply the framework to a continuing case and complete a practical assignment.

Workshop 1: The Product-Led Growth Business Model10:01
Work through the practical lesson: The Product-Led Growth Business Model. This applied study preserves the original Product-Led Growth Engine - Usage into Revenue case context, then transfers its decision method to SaaS Growth Engine: Acquire Retain and Expand Customers.

Complete Strategy Decision Brief and Ideal Customer Profile Worksheet. Make a specific business decision visible before selecting activities or tools. Define the customers you can serve well and specify observable qualification and exclusion criteria.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.
Workshop 2: Ideal Users Value Moments and Product Positioning9:59
Work through the practical lesson: Ideal Users Value Moments and Product Positioning. This applied study preserves the original Product-Led Growth Engine - Usage into Revenue case context, then transfers its decision method to SaaS Growth Engine: Acquire Retain and Expand Customers.

Complete Activation and Adoption Map and Retention and Expansion Diagnostic. Define the observable value moment and design a path that helps the right users reach it. Understand recurring value, loss of value, and appropriate expansion rather than treating all customers alike.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.
Workshop 3: Onboarding Activation and Time to Value9:53
Work through the practical lesson: Onboarding Activation and Time to Value. This applied study preserves the original Product-Led Growth Engine - Usage into Revenue case context, then transfers its decision method to SaaS Growth Engine: Acquire Retain and Expand Customers.

Complete Experiment Design Card and Measurement and Learning Plan. Design a controlled test that can distinguish a useful mechanism from noise or wishful thinking. Select a small set of defined measures and use them to make decisions rather than report activity.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.
Workshop 4: Engagement Retention Expansion and Product Signals10:05
Work through the practical lesson: Engagement Retention Expansion and Product Signals. This applied study preserves the original Product-Led Growth Engine - Usage into Revenue case context, then transfers its decision method to SaaS Growth Engine: Acquire Retain and Expand Customers.

Complete Pricing and Packaging Test Plan and Acquisition Economics Worksheet. Compare price and packaging options using customer value, delivery cost, and evidence of choice. Calculate customer acquisition economics using consistent definitions and explicit assumptions.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.
Workshop 5: Experiments Economics Sales Assist and Scale9:52
Work through the practical lesson: Experiments Economics Sales Assist and Scale. This applied study preserves the original Product-Led Growth Engine - Usage into Revenue case context, then transfers its decision method to SaaS Growth Engine: Acquire Retain and Expand Customers.

Complete Stakeholder Decision and Influence Map and Product Opportunity and Roadmap Board. Understand stakeholder interests and decision rights so that communication supports a real decision. Prioritize product opportunities using customer evidence, strategic fit, constraints, and expected value.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.
Workshop 6: Forecast Scenarios and Scale with Financial Discipline10:02
Work through the practical lesson: Forecast Scenarios and Scale with Financial Discipline. This applied study preserves the original Customer Acquisition Economics - Scale Marketing Profitably case context, then transfers its decision method to SaaS Growth Engine: Acquire Retain and Expand Customers.

Complete Retention and Expansion Diagnostic and Forecast Assumptions and Scenario Review. Understand recurring value, loss of value, and appropriate expansion rather than treating all customers alike. Build a forecast from explicit drivers and compare scenarios that are plausible enough to inform decisions.

Use the attached workbook to separate evidence from assumptions, compare alternatives and record an accountable next action with a review trigger. The final worked case is a separate fictional practice exercise.

Requirements

No coding experience is required; basic business, product, or marketing familiarity is helpful.

Description

This course contains the use of artificial intelligence.

SaaS Growth Engine: Acquire Retain and Expand Customers gives professionals a structured, evidence-based system for turning saas growth into measurable business value. The course moves beyond surface-level tactics. Students learn how to define outcomes, organize customer evidence, evaluate strategic options, execute with discipline, protect trust, and connect activity to financial or operational results.

The course is designed for SaaS founders, product marketers, growth teams, product managers, and revenue leaders. Across five detailed lectures, students work through a continuing business case, decision frameworks, implementation guidance, quality controls, common failure modes, and assignments that can be used immediately.

Dr. Law Payne combines doctoral-level leadership education with extensive business experience. He holds a Doctor of Business Administration specializing in Organizational Leadership and Development, a master’s degree in Educational Psychology, a master’s degree in Business, and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing. His background includes nine-figure entrepreneurship, published work reaching more than one million copies, more than one billion dollars in managed sales, and over fifteen years of teaching, coaching, and mentoring.

The course follows a practical sequence: The SaaS Growth Model and Customer Journey; Positioning Acquisition and Demand Creation; Activation Onboarding and Time to Value; Retention Expansion and Customer Success; Unit Economics Experiments and Sustainable Scale. As you progress, use the assignments to connect each lesson to a real situation in your business or professional role. Define your objective, record the evidence behind your decisions, identify constraints, and choose a next step you can evaluate. The downloadable worksheets provide a place to document your thinking and develop an implementation plan. Review your results against your original objective and adjust your approach as you learn.

Who this course is for:

SaaS founders, marketers, product leaders, growth teams, customer success professionals, consultants, and analysts.

SaaS Growth Engine: Acquire Retain and Expand Customers

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Build the Complete SaaS Growth System5 lectures • 49min

Applied Workshop Lab: Evidence, Experiments and Execution6 lectures • 1hr

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: