How to choose a sales motion
The sales motion must match the economics. A high-touch enterprise motion on a low-price product loses money; a self-serve motion on a complex enterprise deal loses the deal.
As companies grow, they usually layer motions, adding an enterprise motion on top of PLG, or outbound alongside inbound.
Short answer
Choose a sales motion by matching it to your average deal size, buyer, and complexity. Product-led and self-serve fit low-price, high-volume products; inbound and SMB fit mid-market with efficient conversion; outbound and enterprise fit high-value, complex deals worth a rep's heavy investment. Most companies run more than one motion as they grow into different segments.
The main motions
Match to your deal economics.
- Product-led (PLG): users self-serve and adopt; sales assists and expands. Fits low-price, high-volume, fast-value products.
- Inbound: marketing generates demand, reps convert. Fits mid-market with efficient, repeatable deals.
- Outbound: reps proactively prospect target accounts. Fits higher-value deals worth the prospecting investment.
- Enterprise: high-touch, multi-stakeholder, long cycles. Fits large, complex, high-value deals.
How to choose
Deal size and complexity decide. A rough guide: very low deal size favors PLG and self-serve, mid-market favors inbound and SMB sales, and high deal size with complexity justifies outbound and enterprise motions. The heavier the sales investment, the larger the deal must be to pay for it.
How Ardovo runs this
Ardovo turns this from a slide no one opens into how the work actually happens. The stages, exit criteria, and plays live in the deal object, and Rook flags any deal that skips a step, drafts the next artifact, and keeps the data honest, so the motion matches the deal economics gets followed instead of forgotten.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose the right sales motion?
Match it to your average deal size, buyer, and complexity. Product-led fits low-price, high-volume products; inbound fits efficient mid-market deals; outbound and enterprise fit high-value, complex deals worth heavy rep investment. The sales investment must be justified by the deal size, so let the economics decide.
Can a company use more than one sales motion?
Yes, and most do as they grow. A common pattern is layering an enterprise motion on top of product-led growth to capture larger accounts, or running outbound alongside inbound. Different segments have different economics, so serving them well often requires distinct motions rather than forcing one to fit all.
When should I add an enterprise motion?
When you have enough high-value, complex deals to justify the heavy, high-touch investment enterprise selling requires. If large accounts are self-serving through your product-led motion but leaving expansion on the table, an enterprise motion can capture that upside. The deal size must be large enough to pay for the long cycle and multiple stakeholders.