SaaS Therapy hosts Todd Kirk and Casey Trujillo talk with Dallin Palmer, co-founder of Halda AI, about building an enrollment marketing platform for universities, why higher ed is surprisingly open to AI, and how “seeking truth” (not vanity metrics) drives real customer value. Dallin shares hiring and CS practices, product prioritization, and a simple homework assignment: flip fear into curiosity when working with customers.
Takeaways
What we've tried before when we tried to lead a horse to water, it's just not working.
85% of schools said, my number one problem is I need more leads.
We're looking at the landing pages and we kept coalescing around the same advice.
Your calls to action are clear, but not compelling.
Nobody cares about any of those things.
A bunch of people have the same thing they want more leads.
If I can solve this, I can scale a business.
Big group of people, same problem.
Understanding client needs is crucial for effective marketing.
Compelling calls to action can significantly improve conversion rates.
Contents
00:01 — Intros; meet Dallin Palmer (Halda AI)
01:11 — Accidental entrepreneur → sales mindset shift
03:29 — Halda in a line: AI enrollment + full-funnel agents
05:33 — Why higher ed’s ready for AI (demographics, ROI skepticism, competition)
09:09 — Message shift: “more leads” → full platform
13:38 — Research > shiny tech; weak CTAs insight
16:37 — Core value: “Seek truth” (anti fake-it culture)
21:53 — CS philosophy: strategic partners, empower to fix
30:36 — Run by weekly metrics (GRR/NRR + growth)
33:11 — Biggest churn: VP change; fix with exec reviews, in-person
36:02 — Funding reality: retention > growth
38:00 — Would he do it again? Yes
40:10 — Homework: turn fear into curiosity
Resources
Credits
Show manager: Jenna Mollinet