gtm-strategy

Go-to-Market Strategy

Frameworks for selecting sales channels and building go-to-market motions.

Channel Selection Matrix

ACV-Based Motion Selection

Sales Motion Archetypes

Founder-Led ($0-$1M ARR)

Founder does everything:
  - Prospecting → Discovery → Demo → Close → Onboard
Focus: Learning what works, documenting wins
Goal: Find repeatable motion before hiring

First Sales Hire ($1M-$3M ARR)

Hire: Full-cycle AE or SDR
Split: Founder handles enterprise, AE handles SMB
Focus: Can someone else close deals?
Goal: Prove non-founder can sell

Sales Team ($3M-$10M ARR)

Structure: SDR team → AE team → CSM
Specialization: Hunting vs farming
Focus: Repeatability and predictability
Goal: Quota attainment without founder

Capacity Planning Model

Revenue Target ÷ ACV = Deals Needed
Deals Needed ÷ Win Rate = Opportunities Needed
Opportunities ÷ SQL→Opp Rate = SQLs Needed
SQLs ÷ MQL→SQL Rate = MQLs Needed
MQLs ÷ Marketing Conversion = Traffic Needed

For Outbound:
Deals Needed ÷ Win Rate = Meetings Needed
Meetings ÷ Meeting Rate = Contacts Needed
Contacts ÷ Contacts/Rep/Month = Reps Needed

Multi-Channel Strategy

Rule: Don't spread thin. Dominate one channel before adding another.

GTM Launch Phases

Phase 1: Validation (0-3 months)

• Manual outreach to ICP
• Founder-led demos
• Goal: 10 paying customers

Phase 2: Repeatability (3-6 months)

• Document winning process
• First sales hire
• Goal: Non-founder closes deals

Phase 3: Scale (6-12 months)

• Add SDR/AE capacity
• Layer in marketing
• Goal: Predictable pipeline

Channel-Specific Playbooks

Outbound Playbook

• ICP list building → Sequence automation → Meeting booking → Demo → Close
• Key metric: Meetings/SDR/month (target: 15-20)

Inbound Playbook

• Content → SEO/Ads → Lead capture → Nurture → MQL → Demo → Close
• Key metric: MQL→Customer rate (target: 5-15%)

PLG Playbook

• Free trial/freemium → Activation → Engagement → Upgrade trigger → Expansion
• Key metric: Free→Paid conversion (target: 2-5%)

GTM Health Metrics