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SaaS Talk™ live and in-person: Why can't we all just get along? Aligning finance and FTM with SaaS metrics

April 23, 2025 · Authored by Ray Rike, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Benchmarkit; Dave Kellogg, Executive in Residence, Balderton Capital and Principal, Dave Kellogg Consulting

From the 2025 Technology Finance Symposium - West

Attendees were treated to a live recording of the popular SaaS Talk™ with the Metrics Brothers podcast, hosted by Ray Rike, founder and CEO of Benchmarkit, and Dave Kellogg, enterprise software veteran and industry commentator.

The session, titled Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?, tackled the long-standing friction between finance and go-to-market (GTM) teams – and how metrics can be used to foster alignment.

The conversation opened with a fundamental question: What does real alignment look like? Rike stressed the importance of shared strategy and clarity around key metrics. “Alignment starts with having a strategy that’s associated with priorities and a North Star that the entire executive team aligns upon,” he said. Rike emphasized that metrics only matter if they’re tied to business objectives and supported by all department leaders.

Kellogg echoed that sentiment but warned against superficial agreement. “I think the biggest problem I see is what I might call faux alignment,” he said. He explained that while finance and GTM leaders often nod along during planning sessions, they may not genuinely buy into the agreed-upon goals. “Do you guys believe this is a doable target? Do you believe this is an achievable target?” he asked, encouraging CFOs to press for honest answers before locking in performance plans.

The discussion touched on how metrics can mislead if taken in isolation. Kellogg cautioned against so-called “metrics myopia,” where executives focus on single KPIs without context. He cited customer acquisition costs and payback periods as examples of metrics that require nuanced interpretation depending on deal structures and business models.

Both speakers agreed that finance leaders play a pivotal role in connecting strategic plans to operational realities. Rike advocated for cascading performance metrics throughout the organization, ensuring that every team’s KPIs roll up to company-wide goals. “Establishing stovepipe and silo performance goals and measurements that you hold sales responsible for theirs and marketing responsible for theirs — that's not alignment,” Rike noted. “In fact, that’s a lack of alignment.”