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PLG playbook

Product-led growth (PLG) for enterprise

Enterprise PLG: start with a self-serve wedge, then expand with product signals and sales-assist.

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What “PLG for enterprise” means

Product-led growth (PLG) for enterprise means starting with a self-serve wedge that proves value quickly, then using product signals and trust/governance needs to expand into larger plans with sales assist.

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Fit checklist
  • There is a self-serve wedge (a team can try without full procurement).
  • You can define and measure activation in that wedge.
  • Expansion to enterprise plans is driven by product usage and trust signals.
Not a fit (usually)
  • No user can touch the product without procurement first.
  • Value is mostly delivered via bespoke consulting, not product workflows.

How to implement PLG for enterprise (7 steps)

  1. Define a self-serve wedge that a team can adopt without full procurement.
  2. Set a wedge activation milestone and instrument it.
  3. Add account traits that drive routing (SSO need, security posture, plan).
  4. Define expansion triggers (team growth, governance needs, usage thresholds).
  5. Build sales-assist playbooks from product signals, not cold outreach.
  6. Package governance/trust features as the reason to upgrade.
  7. Run a weekly review loop: wedge adoption → expansion conversions → churn drivers.

Common pains

These are the recurring bottlenecks we see when teams try to “do PLG” for enterprise without a stable model and measurable milestones.

  • Procurement slows buying even when usage is strong.
  • You lack proof artifacts that support security and trust quickly.

Activation milestones

Define activation as a small set of outcomes that predict retention or upgrade. Avoid generic “logged in” style events.

  • Wedge workflow completed by a small team.
  • Repeat usage across multiple users.
  • Expansion triggers: invites, projects, usage thresholds.
Example

Activation definition: An account is activated when a small team completes the wedge workflow and returns for repeat usage across multiple users.

Time-to-value target: Under 1 week for a pilot team to prove value

First success event: wedge_workflow_completed

Expansion trigger: team_growth_detected or governance_feature_needed

Instrumentation notes

Ship PLG as a system: events and traits stay stable while copy and templates evolve.

  • Separate “wedge activation” from “enterprise readiness”.
  • Capture account traits that matter for enterprise routing (SSO need, security posture).
Example event schema
  • wedge_workflow_completed
    Pilot team completes the wedge workflow outcome.
    Properties: workflow, workspace_id
  • active_users_7d
    Account has multiple active users in 7 days (team adoption).
    Properties: workspace_id, active_user_count
  • governance_feature_needed
    Account attempts a governance feature (SSO, audit logs, roles).
    Properties: feature

Pricing and packaging

  • Use packaging to graduate from wedge → team → enterprise.
  • Make trust and governance features the reason to upgrade (not core value).
Upgrade trigger examples
  • Need SSO, audit logs, role-based access, or governance features.
  • Team adoption grows beyond pilot.
  • Usage threshold indicates production reliance.

Common mistakes

  • Trying to force enterprise deals through a generic self-serve flow.
  • No clear handoff definition between product signals and sales outreach.

How Skene supports this motion

Skene turns your codebase into onboarding journeys, milestones, and analytics. This lets you ship PLG mechanics without wiring everything by hand.

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Frequently asked questions