Just getting caught up from a four-day road trip in Boston. I attended the Software Business SaaS and SLAM conference for three days, including the Selling Up Selling Out M&A workshop that I conducted the day before the conference. As I find everywhere, SaaS is all the buzz; and at a SaaS Conference, it is like preaching to the choir. People are almost giddy about the opportunities they see. Many of the companies I met were either in startup mode or had recently released a SaaS version of their client server solution. Most had a solid idea on the value proposition to their users, but a less clear idea of how they would roll out their solution and were still wrestling with the details on marketing, pricing, sales compensation schemes, integration with third party applications, and the like, let alone how to fund the transition to a subscription model. SaaS is something no one can ignore, but far from something everyone has figured out. There were many vendors and consultants on hand with solid advice and technology solutions to meet many of these needs. After two days of presentations, many were ready for my closing keynote theme of Doing Deals in a Downturn. After all, as much as you want to run a SaaS company, there still needs to be a exit strategy, and never too early to start the planning process.