Product-Led Growth Isn’t a Product Decision
It only works when your buyers don’t need anyone else to say yes
It Looks Like the Obvious Path
We’ve seen it work. Slack. Figma. Notion.
The product spreads. Users onboard themselves. Adoption grows without sales.
So we ask if we should do the same.
It feels like the most efficient way to scale.
What We Think PLG Solves
We assume PLG is a better way to sell: less friction, lower cost, faster growth.
If the product is good enough, it should carry the motion. So we focus on onboarding. Activation. Usage.
But the outcome doesn’t match the expectation.
Why This Feels Like the Right Answer
The model is compelling.
We want growth without heavy sales. We want the product to do the work. We want something that scales cleanly. Who doesn’t?
PLG promises all of that. So when it doesn’t work, we assume the product isn’t strong enough.
We improve features. Refine the experience. Try to increase usage.
But the issue isn’t the product.
The Real Constraint Isn’t the Product
PLG only works when a single person can discover, try, and decide to buy the product on their own.
No committee. No approval process. No competing stakeholders.
Once multiple stakeholders are involved, the motion changes. Each person is evaluating what the decision means for them.
Not for the company.
For themselves.
This is what the Reditus B2B Buyer Model defines. Complex buying isn't a unified committee making a rational decision; it's multiple individuals each evaluating personal consequence: what the decision does to them, what it says about them.
A product trial can speak to value. It cannot navigate that system.
Where PLG Breaks Down
PLG works until one person is no longer enough to say yes.
The product drives adoption. But the buying process requires something else: approval from finance, sign-off from legal, validation from IT.
A champion may love the product. But they cannot move the decision forward alone.
The product did its job.
The buying process didn’t.
How to Read Your Buying Process
The question isn’t whether PLG is good. It’s whether your buyers can act alone.
If a single person can discover, adopt, and purchase without involving anyone else, PLG is viable.
If multiple stakeholders are involved, a sales motion is required to complete the purchase.
PLG can still play a role. It can create awareness, drive adoption, and generate usage signals.
But it cannot carry the deal to completion.
The Model Has to Match the Buyer
If the buying process is simple, PLG works. If it is complex, PLG alone will stall when decisions require coordination.
The product can open the door.
But it cannot navigate what happens after.
PLG is not a strategy we choose. It’s a strategy that fits the buyer…or doesn’t.