GTM & Sales Strategy
The sales strategy normally builds on the superordinate corporate strategy. So, the access point for the sales strategy could be the strategic drivers of the company strategy and the resulting objectives.
The sales strategy starts with a holistic analysis, followed by strategic target setting and must finalize in a Go-to-Market model which fits your domain and customers´ buying process.
My target is to analyze your toughest challenges and design strategic plans for predictable growth
Due the rise of the silicon valley and the thought leadership of Eric Reiss and Steve Blank on lean startup methods and agile customer development, product innovation processes look different today. To find product-market-fit we don´t develop behind locked doors and build products without customer feedback. Instead we navigate from idea to solution by co-creating with customers along the Customer Development-Process defined by Steve Blank.
But still we see many failures when trying to scale revenue growth of solutions within transformation processes
So what happens after we think we have a good Product-Market-Fit?
Why does still so many new Go-to-Market approaches, whether they are for new solutions or within sales transformation processes fail? What happens after the first "win-at-all-cost" discovery phase? You need a Go-to-Market Fit!
Peering with hundreds of scaling companies, Mark Roberge - SVP of HubSpot diagnosed, before "strike out" for scaling we need to design our strategic Go-to-Market Fit.
At GTMindset, I believe that Go-to-Market strategy is the primary engine of scalable growth — it shapes your trajectory and defines your future success. And we believe that we have much to gain from more scientific and data-driven GTM approaches.
Agile Customer Integration in Early Innovation Phases:
I researched almost 300 startups to understand what differentiates successful startups from not failing ones. The result: a sales centric, customer oriented organization model with three major moderators for successful business development.
Our research has shown five major strategic areas for a best possible Product-Market Fit development:
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a sales oriented organizational set-up and cross-fuctional collaboration
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an agile customer integration in the innovation process
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active usage of (in)formal networks and strategic partnerships
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early segmentation of your adressable customers by the Lead-User concept
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a reduction of the perceived risk of customer and creation of customer acceptance.
With my deep industrial insights, wide partner network and representative framework, I partner with B2B companies for customer centric business model design and agile business development to drive your market success.
My GTMindset framework for GTM and sales strategy is defined by three dimensions:
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a holistic analysis
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a strategic GTM plan designed for the needs of the individual growth phase
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a business development approach to bring your designed GTM plan to life
Analysis: Confront the brutal facts
Every great plan starts with a honest and holistic analysis. Ever heard of the Stockdale Paradox?
The Stockdale Paradox is a concept named after Admiral James Stockdale, a United States Navy officer who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for over seven years. It revolves around two fundamental beliefs:
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Unwavering Faith: On one hand, it's the belief that you will ultimately prevail and succeed in your goals or endeavours. It's about maintaining a positive outlook even when things get tough. Admiral Stockdale survived his captivity by never losing hope that he would eventually be free.
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Confronting the Brutal Facts: On the other hand, it involves confronting the realities of your circumstances with brutal honesty. This entails recognizing the challenges, obstacles, and setbacks without deceiving yourself. For Stockdale, it meant acknowledging the harsh realities of his captivity, uncertain of when or if he would ever regain his freedom.
The Stockdale Paradox teaches us that both of these beliefs are important. You can not be blindly optimistic and not acknowledge the difficulties your organization is facing. However, you won’t get far if you only focus on those difficulties without keeping hope.
Whether you are working for a new company, a matured SMB or a corporate division - GTM strategy is about target setting, target market, your resources, demand generation and customer message. BUT for what you will analyze highly depends on the individual solution and market development phase.
E.g. if you are in an early Produc-Market Fit phase you should target for customer and early adopters. Are you ready for scaling? Target for revenue growth rate and efficient opportunity management vs. new sales experiments.
My GTMindset Analysis model ensure you are covered. A systematical, method driven and holistic analysis of your individual Go-Market-Plan.
Based on my experience a well prepared GTM strategy must consider:
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Market environment: Branch analysis and macrotrends
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Internal organization: sales resources, processes, systems, technology and pricing
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Customer: needs, challenges, segments, buyer personas and buyer´s process
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Channels: demand generation, sales structure and channel management
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Competition: benchmarking and positioning
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Accelerators: social networks and strategic alliances
Strategic target setting - is H.A.R.D.
Important: Do not mix this up with operational sales management goals, which are adjusted annually or even quarterly. This is about defining one or more goals for this strategic phase. Which could be for a startup in go-to-market fit phase 6-12 months or for a matured SMB 3-5 years. So it is not just about timeframe, it´s about strategic direction.
A good strategy primarily consists of clear priorities. Nothing will cause a strategy to fail more than a lack of focus. Which actions, plans, and decisions will have the greatest impact?
You can only set clear priorities effectively if you have a clear understanding of what your stakeholders expect from you. First and foremost, you need to clarify the expectations of your management:
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When do you go too far?
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When do you deliver too little?
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What are your limits of authority?
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How much time do you have?
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What speed of change is expected?
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What is desired—rapid transformation or stability?
In my experience, many strategic leadership roles fail because they do not clearly define their mandates. Delivering too slowly or too quickly can both lead to dissatisfaction among executives and management.
I figured out that the H.A.R.D. method is very helpful in this stage to define strategic targets with the most effective communication towards the team and other stakeholders.
H.A.R.D. stands for:
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Heartfelt – Emotionally meaningful
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Animated – Visually and vividly imagined
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Required – Necessary for change
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Difficult – Challenging but achievable
The difference from the SMART method is that SMART defines goals analytically (specific, measurable, realistic, etc.), while HARD focuses on emotional and motivational aspects. It aligns with Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle, which starts with “Why”.
Keep in mind that the strategic target setting highly depends on the current Go-to-Market Phase. I will support you with first principle thinking for your root cause analysis and strategic target setting.
Develop with me your Go-to-Market Plan
Who are your ideal customers? How do they buy? How can you sell to them? And who do you need for what? These are all questions which need to be answered by your GTM Strategy. To ensure your GTM Strategy will become a real life plan which can be rolled out effectively and adjusted when needed it is important to go for the right plan design!
If you want to find out more about "how to define a best-in-class" Go-to-Market plan read my blog post on GTM Strategy or get in touch we me directly.
