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Are you leading a professional services organization that’s constantly under pressure — from customers demanding more, executives demanding margin, and a team stretched too thin?
Professional services is the hardest job in SaaS. It sits at the intersection of sales promises, product capabilities, and customer expectations, and it’s usually the PS leader who absorbs when all three fall out of alignment.
Written by Johan Steynberg, a PS executive with over 30 years of experience at Nokia, Redwood Software, Reltio, and M-Files, this is not a theoretical framework. Every concept and tool in this book was forged in the field: in war rooms, escalation calls, and the difficult conversations that define great PS leadership.
What You’ll Learn:
- Build the foundation right. Segment intelligently, build customer personas that reflect how buyers actually think, and develop a service portfolio that drives growth – not just delivery.
- Design services that scale. From productizing offerings and pricing for profitability, to building a delivery methodology your team will follow under pressure – you’ll go from scattered delivery to a repeatable, measurable engine.
- Master the hardest moments. Escalations, difficult customers, executive scrutiny. Johan walks you through exactly how to handle them, including the human dynamics most leadership books ignore.
- Lead, measure, and report with confidence. Resource management, talent strategy, financial reporting, executive communication, contracting, and partner ecosystems – the full operating model, in one book.
What’s Inside:
- 14 comprehensive chapters covering the full lifecycle of a PS organization — from strategy and portfolio design to delivery, finance, talent, and executive communication
- Appendices packed with ready-to-use tools: templates, sample job descriptions, competency frameworks, and key metrics definitions
- Real-world case studies drawn from Johan’s career, with details changed to protect confidentiality — but the lessons left completely intact
- “The Hard Part” sections at the end of key chapters that tackle the real obstacles every PS leader faces: holding price discipline under pressure, enforcing methodology when deals are at risk, and making the calls that protect both customers and the business
Who This Book Is For:
- VP and Director-level PS leaders who need a comprehensive operating model for their organization
- New PS executives stepping into their first leadership role and needing a trusted guide
- SaaS founders and CEOs who want to understand whether their services organization is built for scale – or quietly creating liability
- Private equity and M&A professionals conducting due diligence on SaaS companies with PS components
- Consultants and advisors who work with technology services organizations and need a shared framework for transformation
Why This Book Is Different:
Most business books give you concepts. This one gives you the playbook.
Johan Steynberg spent decades in the PS trenches — not writing about them from a distance. He has turned around underperforming organizations, built PS teams from scratch, navigated brutal escalations, and sat across the table from customers who were angry, confused, or ready to walk. He has presented to boards, negotiated contracts, and managed the tension between doing right by customers and protecting the business.
This book is what he wishes someone had handed him on day one.
“I believe there is value in this playbook for everyone who takes on the most challenging job in the SaaS world: successfully leading a professional services organization.”
— Johan Steynberg