Why Most SaaS Companies Fail at Performance Marketing (And How to Fix It) | Anthony Chiaravallo | 372

Episode notes

Anthony Chiaravallo, founder and CEO of Vallo Media — a performance marketing agency that has placed over $100 million in paid media — joins Jeff Mains on SaaS Fuel for a candid, no-BS conversation about what actually works (and what doesn't) in B2B paid advertising. The conversation goes deep on performance media for SaaS: why cold lead gen ads are the fastest way to burn budget, how to build warm audiences before asking for a demo, and the massive cost savings that come from full-funnel thinking. Anthony exposes the hidden world of click fraud and bot traffic, explains how to set up clean data signals, and makes the case for why last-click attribution is quietly killing B2B ad performance. He closes with a pointed recommendation on where SaaS founders should — and should not — spend their limited marketing dollars. Key Takeaways 3:44 — Anthony's Origin Story: From SVP to Founder Anthony's position was eliminated during COVID after five years building a paid media practice at a 4,000-person agency. He turned a side consulting hustle into Vallo Media, gave himself 6–12 months to match his corporate salary, and never looked back.