PLG Motion Launch Sprint

Eight weeks from now

DEFINED

The activation moment is specific and measurable. The free/paid boundary is a data-backed decision, not a compromise between sales and marketing. Every onboarding decision flows from one agreed north star.

INSTRUMENTED

Your PQL scoring model identifies which free users are worth calling — based on product behaviour, not firmographic guesses. Sales conversion from that list is significantly higher than cold outreach.

SEQUENCED

The 90-day execution plan builds foundations first, not conversion mechanics you can't measure yet. Engineering builds the right version of onboarding — the one targeted at activation, not the one that felt ambitious in a planning session.

THE MOTION SYSTEM

Nine deliverables. Everything needed to go from "we want self-serve" to a measurable PLG motion.

All 9 deliverables owned permanently. Instrumentation spec, onboarding brief, and 90-day roadmap ready to hand directly to engineering and design.

M

Map

PLG Readiness Audit — what needs fixing first

O

Origin

Activation Definition — the moment that predicts retention

T

Tier

Packaging — free/paid boundary from data

I

Instrument

Funnel map + PQL scoring model

O

Onboard

Onboarding brief + upgrade triggers

N

Navigate

Dashboard spec + 90-day roadmap

AUDIT · WEEKS 1–2

PLG Readiness Audit

Scored assessment across 6 dimensions — product usability, time-to-value, analytics quality, pricing architecture, funnel instrumentation, and team alignment.

What needs fixing before you start building
Problems found in week 1, when they're still cheap
Scored output shareable with board and leadership
Sequenced fix priority — not a list of everything wrong

RESEARCH · WEEKS 1–2

Activation Definition Document

The specific, measurable moment that predicts long-term retention for self-serve users — derived from cohort analysis and JTBD research, not a committee vote.

Every onboarding decision has a north star
The whole team is building the same thing
Experiment metrics flow from this one definition
Cohort-validated — not a planning session output

STRATEGY · WEEKS 3–4

Packaging & Free/Paid Boundary Design

Freemium vs. free trial vs. reverse trial recommendation, plus the exact feature list for each tier with the rationale behind each inclusion/exclusion.

The "what goes in free?" debate resolved with data
No more under-gating or over-gating
Feature tier list with per-item rationale
WTP framing applied to every tier decision

MAPPING · WEEKS 3–4

Self-Serve Funnel Map

Every stage from first visit to first payment — intended action, likely friction point, current measurement, and benchmark at each step.

Real constraint identified before you start building
Benchmark at every stage — not just conversion
The lever that actually moves the number is named
Teams typically find it's not the onboarding flow

INSTRUMENTATION · WEEKS 3–4

Instrumentation Spec + PQL Scoring Framework

Complete event taxonomy for PLG-specific signals — activation progress, feature depth, frequency, and upgrade intent. PQL scoring model that weights each signal.

Sales team stops guessing who to call
Weekly PQL list from product behaviour, not firmographics
Conversion from PQL list significantly outperforms cold outreach
Ready to hand to engineering immediately

DESIGN · WEEKS 5–6

Onboarding Flow Redesign Brief

A brief for product and design specifying the new self-serve onboarding flow — maximum 5 actions mapped to the activation path.

Engineering builds the right thing, not "slightly better current"
Activation milestone is the north star for every step
Steps that don't move toward activation get cut
Design and engineering brief in one document

CONVERSION · WEEKS 5–6

Upgrade Trigger & Conversion Mechanics Playbook

Behavioural triggers — value-based, limit-based, intent-based — that prompt upgrade at the right moment with the right message.

Upgrade prompts feel helpful, not annoying
Users see them at the moment they've already decided
Conversion rates from triggered prompts far exceed generic banners
Three trigger types with message templates for each

METRICS · WEEKS 7–8

PLG Metrics Dashboard Spec

The exact dashboard to build — with benchmark targets: 20%+ activation rate, 5–7% freemium-to-paid conversion, time-to-activation under 3 days.

One trusted dashboard, not six nobody agrees on
Benchmark targets included — not just metrics
"Is PLG working?" has a shared answer
First metric to improve is named before handover

DELIVERY · WEEKS 7–8

90-Day PLG Launch Roadmap

A sequenced build plan across three phases — foundational → conversion → optimise — with specific build priorities and success gates at each phase transition.

What to build in what order and why
Work that feels like progress but doesn't move activation gets deprioritised
Success gate at each phase before moving to next
Filter, not just a timeline

Who it's for

$5M–$30M ARR, Series A–B. Product is sales-assisted. Leadership wants self-serve.

CPO / HEAD OF GROWTH

Board asked "why don't we have self-serve?"

$5M–$30M ARR · Series A–B

Why this fits

PLG is the decision. The "how" is a Figma mock and a backlog ticket. Nobody has defined the activation moment for self-serve users. The free/paid boundary is a guess. The onboarding flow that works for sales-assisted users won't work for someone who signed up without ever talking to anyone.

What you leave with

Activation moment defined and measurable before engineering starts
Free/paid boundary decision backed by data, not a compromise
90-day roadmap sequenced so foundations come before conversion mechanics

The board conversation changes from "when are we launching self-serve?" to "here's what we're launching and why this specific version."

VP PRODUCT

Free tier launched. Nothing is converting.

$10M–$30M ARR · Post-launch plateau

Why this fits

Users are signing up. Conversion to paid is flat. The instinct is to fix the onboarding flow. This engagement typically finds the real constraint is upstream — the activation definition is wrong, the free/paid boundary gives away too much, or the upgrade prompts fire at the wrong moment. The funnel map shows you which lever to pull before you spend another sprint on onboarding.

What you leave with

Funnel map identifying the actual constraint, not the assumed one
Upgrade trigger playbook with behavioural triggers at the right moments
PQL scoring so sales knows which free users to call

You stop A/B testing the onboarding headline and fix the thing that's actually broken.

RECURRING BUYER

Post-PMF sprint. Ready to add the PLG layer.

$5M–$30M ARR · Post-PMF engagement

Why this fits

You have confirmed ICP, validated PMF, and a positioning brief. The next constraint is acquisition efficiency — the sales-led motion is working but the cost per acquisition is high and the low-ACV segment isn't viable at sales headcount. PLG adds the self-serve channel to the existing sales motion without replacing it.

What you leave with

Activation definition built on top of the JTBD research from your PMF engagement
PQL model calibrated to your existing customer data
Packaging design informed by the positioning brief already in place

The PLG motion is built on the foundation you already have — not started from scratch.

Eight-week timeline

Research and definition first. Build brief and roadmap last.

Weeks 1–2

PLG readiness audit + activation definition research. Cohort analysis and JTBD interviews to define the activation moment from data. Readiness audit scored and shared.

Weeks 3–4

Packaging design + funnel mapping + instrumentation spec. Free/paid boundary decision. Full funnel mapped with benchmarks. Event taxonomy and PQL scoring model documented.

Weeks 5–6

Onboarding brief + upgrade trigger playbook. Self-serve onboarding flow specified for product and design. Behavioural upgrade triggers mapped with message templates.

Weeks 7–8

Dashboard spec + 90-day roadmap + full handover. PLG metrics dashboard specified with benchmark targets. 90-day build plan sequenced and handed over.

How it works

Four steps from first call to a live PLG motion.

01

30-minute call

We review your current analytics setup, existing free tier or self-serve attempts, and what's driving the PLG decision. You leave knowing whether the data is there for this engagement to produce reliable output. No pitch. No deck.

02

2-page proposal

Specific scope: deliverable list, timeline, cohort analysis requirements, interview count. Price confirmed. If the analytics quality or data access isn't there, we'll flag it before you sign. Nothing ambiguous.

03

The 8-week engagement

Four phases: audit + activation definition → packaging + funnel + instrumentation → onboarding brief + upgrade triggers → dashboard spec + 90-day roadmap. Weekly review at each phase gate.

04

Full handover

All 9 deliverables delivered. Instrumentation spec and onboarding brief ready to hand to engineering and design. 90-day roadmap sequenced and ready to run. No ongoing dependency.

Value stack

What this would cost to build separately.

Standalone market rates for each component.

PLG readiness audit (consultant day rate)~$2,500

Activation definition (cohort analysis + JTBD)~$2,500

Packaging + free/paid boundary design~$1,500

Self-serve funnel map~$1,500

Instrumentation spec + PQL scoring model~$2,500

Onboarding flow redesign brief~$1,500

Upgrade trigger + conversion mechanics playbook~$1,500

PLG metrics dashboard spec~$1,000

90-day PLG launch roadmap~$1,500

Standalone total~$16,000

PLG Motion Launch Sprint$9,500–$14,500

Pricing

Fixed scope. One-time fee.

$9,500–$14,500

One-time. Varies with existing analytics quality, cohort data availability, and product complexity.

PLG Readiness Audit (6 dimensions)
Activation Definition Document
Packaging & Free/Paid Boundary Design
Self-Serve Funnel Map
Instrumentation Spec + PQL Scoring Framework
Onboarding Flow Redesign Brief
Upgrade Trigger & Conversion Mechanics Playbook
PLG Metrics Dashboard Spec
90-Day PLG Launch Roadmap

Book a 30-minute call

All 9 deliverables owned permanently. Instrumentation spec and onboarding brief are ready to hand directly to engineering and design on delivery day.

WHO'S DOING THE WORK

Jake McMahon · Founder, ProductQuant

Jake McMahon

8+ years building growth systems inside B2B SaaS · Bachelor's in Behavioural Psychology · Master's in Big Data

Eight years as a product leader inside B2B SaaS companies — product manager, growth lead, head of product, from seed-stage to $80M ARR. He kept watching smart teams make the same mistake: good tools, real talent, no system connecting any of it.

PLG work built on cohort analysis and JTBD research — the activation definition comes from data, not a framework workshop. ProductQuant is what he'd hire if he were still an operator. There's no team of junior analysts.

What he won't do:

Promise revenue numbers he can't verify
Hand you a strategy deck and disappear
Recommend work you don't need
Build something that only works if you keep paying him

"Could we figure this out over the next few months internally?"

Teams that try to build PLG motions without a defined activation moment spend the first 3–6 months optimising the wrong thing. The activation definition requires cohort analysis most teams don't have the bandwidth or tooling to run while also managing a roadmap and a sales motion. The PQL scoring model requires calibration against conversion data that most teams haven't structured yet. The MOTION System is designed to get through all eight weeks of work — including the sequencing that makes each piece build on the last — before engineering starts building.

Teams Jake has worked with

Common questions

Frequently asked.

We haven't launched a free tier yet. Is it too early?

No — this is the ideal timing. This engagement is specifically designed to happen before you build, not after. The activation definition, packaging design, and funnel map are all inputs to what you build, not fixes to something already broken. Teams that run this engagement after a failed free tier launch spend weeks 1–2 diagnosing what went wrong before they can move forward. Teams that run it before launch skip that entirely.

What data do you need from us to get started?

Access to your product analytics platform (PostHog, Amplitude, or Mixpanel) for the readiness audit and activation research. 6–12 months of cohort data if available. A list of 10–20 current customers available for JTBD interviews. We'll confirm data access and quality in the first call — if it's not there, the scope adjusts.

How is this different from "just reading the ProductLed book"?

Wes Bush's framework is excellent for understanding what PLG is. This engagement produces the documents your team needs to build it: a cohort-validated activation definition, a data-backed free/paid boundary decision, an instrumentation spec ready for engineering, and a 90-day sequenced roadmap. The difference is the same as reading a book on architecture versus having an architect design your building. ProductLed's private sprint is $20K and delivers ideation. This delivers instrumentation.

What if our engineering team is already building the onboarding flow?

The sooner we run this, the less expensive the course-correction. If engineering is in the middle of building, the activation definition and onboarding brief can still redirect the build before it ships. The PQL scoring model and instrumentation spec are independent of the onboarding build and can run in parallel.

What's the difference between PQL scoring and lead scoring?

Traditional lead scoring uses firmographic and behavioural signals from marketing touchpoints — page views, email opens, form fills. PQL scoring uses in-product signals: activation milestone progress, feature depth, frequency, and upgrade intent actions. A user who has hit 80% of the activation milestone and used a core feature 5 times in the last week is a better sales call than a user who opened three emails. The PQL model gives your sales team a ranked list based on product behaviour, which converts at significantly higher rates.

Can this work alongside our sales-led motion?

Yes — the most common configuration for $5M–$30M ARR companies is a hybrid: PLG for low-ACV or self-service, sales-led for mid-market and enterprise. The PLG Sprint is designed for exactly this. The PQL model generates leads for the sales team from free users who demonstrate product intent. The packaging design separates self-serve and sales-assisted in a way that's coherent to buyers at both levels.

Ready to build the PLG motion that actually converts?

30 minutes. You'll leave knowing whether the data is there for this to work — and what the scope looks like.

Book a 30-minute call

Adding a PLG motion is not the same as having one.

Nine deliverables. Everything needed to go from "we want self-serve" to a measurable PLG motion.

$5M–$30M ARR, Series A–B. Product is sales-assisted. Leadership wants self-serve.

Research and definition first. Build brief and roadmap last.

Four steps from first call to a live PLG motion.

What this would cost to build separately.

Fixed scope. One-time fee.

Frequently asked.

Ready to build the PLG motion that actually converts?