Key Elements of a Successful GTM Framework

Contrary to popular belief, having a GTM team offsite will not fix your go-to-market problem. Neither will a pipeline meeting on Wednesdays. Neither will a CMO-CRO bi-weekly coffee meeting. Neither will firing your CMO and trying to hire a unicorn marketing leader. It’s a Band-Aid. It might make it easier for people to work together. It might patch up the problem for a while that will come back to you in 3 months when you’re missing your pipeline for Q4. It’s a Band-Aid. The real solution? Redesign your GTM (aka the Factory that produces your revenue) - Starting with Financial Planning, Modeling, and Budgeting, and then working across the rest of GTM team to Sales, Marketing, Sales Dev, Ops, Post-Sale, etc. 1. Build a Unified View of GTM with Financial Data & GTM Data that measures both performance (effectiveness) and unit economics (efficiency) 2. Align the entire GTM leadership team on a core KPI stack that has *nothing* to do with attribution by department or channel 3. Categorize and evaluate GTM investment portfolio allocation by customer lifecycle stage, NOT DEPARTMENT. 4. Methodically break down compound metrics to isolate the biggest issues / risks / opportunities by customer lifecycle stage 5. Build and align on cross-functional initiatives to solve the biggest issues in your Revenue Factory 6. Monitor and evaluate impact against the core KPI stack that has nothing to do with attribution by department or channel. #finance #gtm #b2b #sales #marketing p.s. Just to drive home the message - you should be able to *clearly* understand how your GTM is performing and isolate the biggest issues/opportunities without ever discussing or using attribution by channel or department 🙂

$7M CEO: “we’re not hitting revenue targets.” me: “are your GTM teams aligned?” $7M CEO: “i think so…everyone’s working hard.” me: “sure, but are they solving the same problem?” $7M CEO: “honestly? i’m not sure.” me: “here’s where I’d start:” 1. ask the 8 questions (as a team) not in silos. not in strategy docs, no one reads. - who is your most relevant customer right now? - what GTM motions are working and why? - where can you grow the most? - what’s the ROI in the customer’s mind? if your team answers differently, that’s your problem. 2. align your leadership before your plan misalignment at the top multiplies everywhere else. - get the CEO, CMO, CS, product in the same room - map the current GTM on one slide - highlight where you’re out of sync (messaging, metrics, motions) GTM isn’t a playbook. it’s a leadership rhythm. 3. focus on fixing the system, not the function most teams try to fix GTM by fixing people. - fire the CRO - hire a new head of marketing - shift messaging mid-quarter but the system is what breaks, not the individuals. fix the structure, the sequencing, and the clarity. 4. run GTM like a system, not a reaction once you’re aligned, build the rhythm. - weekly GTM reviews with the full exec team - scorecards tied to motions and outcomes - iterate based on what the system tells you clarity > certainty alignment > being right systems > goals start with clarity. fix the system. then scale. p.s. follow Sangram Vajre for more insights on fixing your GTM and building something that actually scales.

The CEO must own GTM, but perhaps not in the way one might think. Staying accountable for the Company's GTM Strategy and the metrics it achieves delivers CEO agency. This visual can help everyone decide who owns what. Ultimately, everyone is responsible for GTM metrics; however, defining who owns which metrics is crucial for the effective orchestration of results. 1️⃣ Top Layer: The Company’s GTM Strategy This is the “north star” for the entire GTM organization. These outcomes are the result of coordinated efforts across product, marketing, sales, and customer success. Unified business goals that reflect the impact of all GTM functions (product, marketing, sales, customer success). Examples Include Revenue growth, market share, customer lifetime value, net retention, and profitability. 2️⃣ Second Layer: GTM Alignment and Macroperformance This layer tracks the effectiveness of high-level GTM strategies. It measures how well the GTM team is executing on strategic initiatives that drive business outcomes. Measures the effectiveness of cross-functional GTM strategies (e.g., product launches, market expansion, pricing, customer journey alignment). Examples: Pipeline velocity, win rates, product adoption, expansion revenue, cross-sell/upsell rates. 3️⃣ Third Layer: GTM Planning and Execution Here, the focus is on the operational health across GTM teams. Metrics in this layer help identify where execution is strong or where it needs improvement. Tracks operational health and execution across GTM teams. Examples: Lead conversion rates, sales cycle length, onboarding success, churn rates, NPS, product usage. 4️⃣ Fourth Layer: GTM Tactical Levers and Optimization Day-to-day, granular metrics for continuous improvement in all GTM functions. Metrics here are highly actionable and support continuous improvement, such as campaign performance, SDR activity, product usage analytics, and customer engagement. The CEO's GTM Partner, John P.S. DM me if you want a free GTM Assessment

Your go-to-market strategy isn't failing. It doesn't exist. After looking at 50+ startup GTM plans this year, I've noticed something concerning: most founders confuse "doing marketing stuff" with having a strategy. Here are 3 signs you're operating without a real GTM strategy: 1. You're running "random acts of marketing" → LinkedIn ads one month → Content marketing the next → Then suddenly "trying" TikTok You're just throwing tactics at the wall. 2. You can't answer "Why this customer, why this solution, why now?" If your team members give different answers to these questions, you're missing core strategic alignment. 3. Your metrics are all over the place No clear north star. No defined success metrics. Just vibes. Here's your GTM Strategy Framework: 1. Customer Layer • Define your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) • Map their pain points • Document their buying journey • Identify their decision criteria 2. Solution Layer • Clear value proposition • Competitive differentiation • Pricing strategy • Product positioning 3. Execution Layer • Channel strategy • Marketing tactics • Sales process • Success metrics I know what you're thinking: "That seems like a lot. I'm not sure I have time for that. I'll just wing it." Good luck! The fastest way to waste resources is by running random tactics without strategy. Quick reality check: Recently, a startup founder walked me through their "GTM strategy" → It was just a list of marketing and sales tactics → $50K spent on random activities → Zero strategic framework → Zero measurable results Don't be that founder. Strategy before tactics. Frameworks before execution. Planning before spending. Question: What's the biggest GTM challenge you're facing right now? #B2BMarketing #StartupStrategy #GTMStrategy

Your sales team is sprinting. Your marketing team is in a planning cycle. And customer success is in post-sale chaos mode. And somehow, you’re supposed to align all three with “Monday meetings”? GTM doesn’t fail because of bad execution. It fails because no one’s marching to the same beat. Here’s what most orgs get wrong: They treat sales, marketing, and CS like adjacent departments When they actually function like dependent systems. If your sales team learns something in the field and it doesn’t make it into your campaign logic, Your marketing is out of touch. If your CS team sees churn red flags, But your sales team keeps closing misfit accounts. Your pipeline is broken from the inside. You can’t “align” that with a slide deck. Here’s a tactical breakdown of what actually works: 1. Unify Goals > Mirror Metrics If your teams don’t share KPIs, they’ll compete instead of collaborate. - Marketing: MQL to Opportunity Ratio - Sales: Opportunity to Closed-Won - CS: Expansion/Churn tied back to original acquisition source Build a shared scorecard that forces accountability across the funnel. 2. Centralize GTM Ops Ownership Someone needs to be accountable for the operating rhythm itself. That’s where Marketing Ops and RevOps step in. Own the cadence Track system health Identify feedback loops Flag GTM friction before it hits revenue 3. Run GTM Like a Product Create a backlog of GTM experiments → Funnel friction → Content gaps → Win/loss insights → Tool bloat or confusion Sprint. Measure. Ship. Repeat. No one gets to "opt out" of the rhythm just because they're customer-facing or campaign-led. Stop aligning through meetings and start aligning through systems. The rhythm is the strategy. If you can't hear it— You're not really in market. #GTMStrategy #MarketingOps #RevOps #Leadership #CustomerExperience #OperationalExcellence