How StoreHub Gets 99% Inbound Leads (And Saved 2 Jobs with AI): StoreHub, Jonathan Nyst

Episode Description

Jonathan Nyst, Head of Marketing at StoreHub, manages one of the most efficient B2B engines in Southeast Asia - 99% inbound leads at a cost per SQL unlike anything in traditional B2B. In this conversation, he breaks down the 4-layer funnel strategy that drives thousands of sales-qualified leads monthly, how his team saved the equivalent of 2 full-time employees in 3 months by mapping AI workflows (not chasing hype), and why he believes "a head of social media means jack shit." Plus, we explore his contrarian take that 90% of company success is defined by product marketing (not channels), why being an outsider in SEA is a competitive advantage, and his framework for setting goals that are scary enough to drive real growth.

Key Takeaways

1. The 4-layer funnel: signals → lookalike → remarketing → aggressive remarketing (matching content to buyer stage)

2. AI that actually works: Map human workflows, identify where human touch doesn't add value, outsource to AI (saved 2 FTE in 3 months)

3. Structure marketing around business outcomes: market share, lifetime value, perceived value (not vanity metrics)

4. POP Framework: Problem (relatable), Opportunity (what if?), Practical steps (how), Promise (outcome)

5. Being an outsider = competitive advantage (no assumptions about target market)

6. Goals framework: Must be scary ("how the fuck do I do this?"), exciting (interests them), and important (company priority)

7. Vulnerable leadership builds trust: "I don't know but I'll figure it out" vs "what do I know, figure it out"

8. Features mean nothing to SMBs: "Cloud-based" → "You can finally take holidays because you see everything on your phone"

9. Coaching progression: Trust with task → problem → working with others → inspiring others to solve right problems

10. Southeast Asia requires hyper-localisation: Different cities, languages, cultural nuances = different marketing approaches

FAQ: StoreHub's Inbound Strategy & Marketing Frameworks from Jonathan Nyst

Q: How does StoreHub achieve 99% inbound leads in B2B SaaS? A: StoreHub uses a 4-layer funnel strategy that matches content to where buyers are in their journey. Layer 1 gathers signals from video views and website behaviour to identify potential customers. Layer 2 uses lookalike audiences to show why StoreHub is the best POS choice. Layer 3 remarketing pushes pricing and promotions to drive action. Layer 4 aggressively retargets lead form abandonment. By treating paid media like a B2C brand while serving B2B customers, they've achieved cost per SQL unlike anything in traditional B2B SaaS.

Q: What is the POP storytelling framework and how do you use it? A: POP stands for Problem, Opportunity, Practical steps, and Promise. First, identify a problem your audience feels deeply in their soul. Then present an opportunity - "what if there was a different way?" Next, outline the practical steps to get there. Finally, deliver the promise of what they'll achieve. Jonathan uses this framework for everything from WhatsApp messages to investor decks because all decisions are primarily emotional, even in B2B. The framework brings people up and down emotionally, creating engagement.

Q: How did StoreHub save 2 full-time employees with AI in just 3 months? A: StoreHub mapped all human workflows across their 18-19 person marketing team and identified where human touch didn't add real value. They outsourced those repetitive tasks to AI - like analysing knowledge base articles and suggesting improvements for readability. An AI does the first draft, then humans review to ensure quality. This freed up the team to focus on creating meaningful content featuring real merchants. The key wasn't chasing AI hype - it was systematically identifying workflow inefficiencies.

Q: Why does Jonathan say "head of social media means jack shit"? A: Jonathan believes every marketing function must tie directly to business outcomes, not channels. Instead of hiring a "head of social media," structure your team around: (1) Expanding market share, (2) Increasing lifetime value, or (3) Increasing perceived value (brand). If you tell your CEO "we got 100K views," they'll ask "and?" You need to tie every role to tangible business results. This clarity makes it easier to defend salary increases, show impact, and align marketing with company goals.

Q: What makes goals "scary, exciting, and important" - and why does it matter? A: Goals must make you think "how the fuck am I going to do this?" - that's the scary part that drives growth. If goals aren't scary, they're too comfortable and people won't stretch. But scary alone creates anxiety, so goals must also be exciting - matching what genuinely interests the person. Finally, they must be important for the company, connecting to the broader vision. When you nail all three, people become genuinely engaged and perform at their highest level, especially when combined with trust-building leadership.

Q: How does StoreHub compete on value when local competitors compete on price? A: StoreHub focuses on delivering value at every stage: pre-sales, during sales, and after sales. Instead of talking about "cloud-based POS," they translate features to emotional outcomes - "you can finally take holidays because you'll see what's happening at your shop on your phone." They're not racing to the bottom with Walmart pricing. They're building perceived value (the emotional connection with the brand) so merchants see the complete value of working with them, not just the cheapest option. In Southeast Asia, there's no single dominant player like Toast in the US, giving mid-market players room to compete on value.

Q: Why is hyper-localisation critical for marketing in Southeast Asia? A: You can't market the same way across Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. In Malaysia, advertising in English vs Chinese vs Malay requires different approaches. Tier 1 cities have different pain points than tier 2 or tier 3 cities. Philippines has an aspirational culture (like the US) but if you lean too much into emotions, lead quality drops. In Thailand, when the Queen died, business stopped for weeks - you have to accept and adapt. Jonathan's advantage as a Belgian outsider is he never assumed he knew the market, forcing him to work twice as hard to understand cultural nuances.

Q: Why does Jonathan predict B2B SaaS will embrace the creator economy? A: Two reasons: (1) People are tired of the same B2B advertising and content. It's getting harder to cut through the noise. (2) It's becoming easier to launch B2B companies globally, but you can't scale content by just hiring more people. Working with creators makes sense for audience cross-pollination, content production efficiency, and localisation. StoreHub is already testing a UGC creator route to scale content on platforms like Xiaohongshu (Red/Little Red Book) in Malaysia with creators who can produce content in languages and niches StoreHub's internal team can't cover.

Episode Timestamps

[00:00] Intro: 99% inbound leads and saving 2 jobs with AI

[02:16] Jonathan's journey: From war photographer to accidental marketer

[04:47] The POP storytelling framework for everything (Problem, Opportunity, Practical, Promise)

[06:56] Being an outsider in Southeast Asia = competitive advantage

[09:26] Hyper-localisation: Why you can't market the same across SEA

[13:43] Why values without behaviours is worth "jack shit"

[17:19] StoreHub's actual values: Communication, Humble & Hungry, Authentic but not an Asshole

[19:28] Where StoreHub competes (and doesn't compete) vs Lightspeed, Square, Shopify

[22:25] Selling tech to non-tech-savvy SMB owners: Features → Outcomes

[26:29] Why "head of social media means jack shit" (structure around business outcomes)

[29:30] Building high-performing teams: Trust, goals, coaching

[32:15] The 3 criteria for goals: Scary, exciting, and important

[34:35] Proactive salary conversations (don't wait for them to ask)

[36:42] What's driving the most qualified pipeline at StoreHub right now

[39:26] The 4-layer funnel strategy (signals → lookalike → remarketing → aggressive)

[41:03] AI that actually works: Saved 2 FTE by mapping workflows

[44:05] The difference between AI hype and AI that adds value

[45:54] Marketing bet that failed: The podcast experiment

[48:25] Current test: UGC creator route to scale content in multiple languages

[50:17] Product-led growth + sales-led: When humans intervene in PLG flows

[52:22] What he'd do with unlimited budget (hint: not much different)

[54:13] What he learned from BigPay's $100M raise about marketing

[55:29] Marketers to follow: April Dunford, Cinch, Cheryl Goh (Grab CMO)

[57:36] Prediction: B2B SaaS will embrace the creator economy in 18 months

Guest Bio

Jonathan Nyst is Head of Marketing at StoreHub, a B2B SaaS company serving 18,000+ merchants across Southeast Asia with an all-in-one POS system for retail and F&B businesses. Originally trained as a journalist and war photographer with a background in peace, security, and conflict studies, Jonathan accidentally fell into marketing and has spent the last 9 years building regional marketing strategies across Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. He's known for his contrarian approach to marketing org structure (no "head of social media" roles), his obsession with tying every function to business outcomes, and building one of the most efficient inbound B2B engines in Southeast Asia. Jonathan is a Belgian marketer living in Kuala Lumpur who believes vulnerability in leadership, proactive salary conversations, and scary goals are the keys to high-performing teams.

Find Jonathan: LinkedIn | StoreHub.com | Instagram: @SynthSloth (AI-generated short films)