GTM converts intent into revenue through a repeatable, measurable system. The core is a sharply defined ICP, a focused value narrative, and a route-to-market that fits your product, price point, and buyer behavior.
Build the Motion
Start with segmentation. Choose one primary ICP—be specific about company size, industry, role, and pain points. Document what triggers their buying process and what evidence they need to evaluate your solution.
Segmentation Framework
- Company Attributes: Size, industry, geography, tech stack
- Buyer Persona: Role, title, decision-making authority, budget
- Pain Points: Specific problems your solution addresses
- Buying Triggers: Events that prompt evaluation (e.g., contract renewal, incident, growth milestone)
Pipeline Design
Standardize pipeline stages with clear exit criteria:
- Lead: Qualified by ICP and interest signal
- Opportunity: Budget confirmed, timeline defined, decision-maker engaged
- Proposal: Solution scoped, pricing presented, evaluation in progress
- Closed Won: Contract signed, payment terms agreed
Set conversion benchmarks for each stage (e.g., 30% lead-to-opportunity, 25% opportunity-to-proposal, 40% proposal-to-close). Track velocity and adjust.
Enablement
Arm your team with consistent messaging:
- Value Proposition: One sentence that captures why you matter
- Messaging by Role: Tailored to different buyer personas
- Battlecards: Competitive positioning and rebuttals
- Discovery Scripts: Questions to uncover pain and quantify impact
Attribution
Build an event model that tracks the customer journey:
- UTM parameters for all marketing touchpoints
- Channel attribution (organic, paid, partner, direct)
- Channel ROI and payback windows
- Multi-touch attribution to understand full funnel
GTM Models: Sales-Led, Product-Led, Partner-Led
Sales-Led GTM: High-touch, high-value transactions. Focus on outbound prospecting, personalized demos, and relationship-building. Common for enterprise B2B.
Product-Led GTM (PLG): Self-serve, low-touch, freemium or trial model. Focus on product activation, engagement, and expansion. Common for developer tools and SMB SaaS.
Partner-Led GTM: Channel partnerships, integrations, and reseller programs. Focus on partner enablement, co-marketing, and revenue sharing. Common for platform businesses.
Many startups blend models. Start narrow, instrument well, then scale.
Common GTM Mistakes
- ICP too broad or not validated with real customers
- Pipeline stages not standardized or measured
- Messaging not differentiated from competitors
- Attribution not instrumented or not trusted
- Scaling before proving repeatability
Next Steps
Whether you're building your first GTM motion or optimizing an existing one, we help founders design, instrument, and scale their go-to-market strategy.
See our Strategy Consulting services for market entry and go-to-market planning.