Gtm playbook

Go-To-Market Playbook

GTM Strategy Framework

The 5 GTM Questions

1. Who is your ideal customer? (ICP)
2. What problem do you solve better than alternatives? (Positioning)
3. Where do customers discover and evaluate solutions? (Channels)
4. How do you reach and convert them? (Motion)
5. Why will they pay? (Value + Pricing)

ICP Definition

ICP Template

Firmographic:
- Company size: [employees / revenue]
- Industry: [verticals]
- Geography: [regions]
- Growth stage: [startup / SMB / mid-market / enterprise]
- Tech stack: [relevant tools they use]

Demographic (buyer):
- Title / role: [Economic buyer vs Champion]
- Seniority: [VP / Director / Manager / IC]
- Team size they manage: [X]

Psychographic:
- Goals: [What success looks like for them]
- Pain: [What keeps them up at night]
- Fears: [Switching risk, budget scrutiny, career risk]
- Motivations: [Career, team, company, personal]

Behavioral:
- Where they consume content: [Communities, publications]
- How they buy: [Self-serve / demo / pilot / procurement]
- Buying group size: [Solo / 2-5 / 5+]
- Sales cycle length: [Days / weeks / months]

ICP Scoring Model

Score each prospect 1-5 on:

• Firmographic fit (company size, industry)
• Champion strength (title, influence)
• Pain urgency (actively looking to solve)
• Budget availability (can pay within cycle)
• Technical fit (can implement your solution)

Target: Accounts scoring 18+ out of 25

Anti-ICP (Define Who NOT to Sell To)

• Too small to get value
• Industry where regulation blocks your product
• Too price-sensitive for your model
• Requires extensive customization
• High churn risk characteristics

Positioning

Positioning Statement Template (Geoffrey Moore)

For [target customer]
Who [has this problem/need]
[Product name] is a [category]
That [key benefit/capability]
Unlike [primary alternative]
Our product [key differentiator]

Competitive Positioning Matrix

Criteria	You	Competitor A	Competitor B
Feature 1	✓	✓	✗
Feature 2	✓	✗	✓
Price	$$	$$$	$
Ease of use	High	Low	High
Support	High	Low	Low

Value Proposition Hierarchy

1. Headline: Single most important benefit (what + for whom)
2. Sub-headline: How it works / key feature (2-3 sentences)
3. Bullets: 3-5 specific benefits (avoid features, use outcomes)
4. Social proof: Number of customers, notable logos, stats

GTM Motions

Motion Selection by Customer Segment

Segment	ACV	Motion	Team
SMB	<$5k	Product-led / self-serve	Marketing
Mid-market	$5k-$50k	Sales-assisted PLG	SDR + AE
Enterprise	$50k+	Enterprise sales	AE + SE + CS

Product-Led Growth (PLG) Motion

1. Free tier or trial (remove friction)
2. Aha moment in < 5 minutes (activation optimization)
3. Viral loop built into product (invite, share, embed)
4. PQL (product-qualified lead) score for sales handoff
5. Sales-assist on high-usage free users

Sales-Led Motion

1. SDR outbound → Discovery call (1:1 ratio call:connect)
2. AE demo → Technical evaluation
3. POC/pilot → Champion builds business case
4. Procurement → Legal → Signature
5. CS handoff → Onboarding → QBR

Launch Sequencing

Pre-Launch (8 Weeks Before)

• Define launch goal: metric + number + date
• Identify launch type: silent / beta / full launch
• Build ICP list for early access (500-1000 names)
• Create launch landing page
• Prepare launch content (blog, video, press release)
• Brief analyst/press contacts
• Set up tracking (UTMs, goals in GA4, conversion events)
• Build waitlist/early access email sequence

Pre-Launch (4 Weeks Before)

• Launch product hunt listing drafted
• Social content scheduled
• Email sequences loaded
• Sales team briefed with new materials
• Customer testimonials collected
• Influencer/partner outreach sent
• Support team trained
• Pricing finalized and uploaded

Launch Week

• Day -1: Teaser to email list
• Day 0: All channels simultaneously
  • Email blast to full list
  • Social posts (all platforms, same time)
  • Product Hunt submission (12:01am PST)
  • Blog post live
  • Press release distributed
  • Paid ads activated
• Day 1-7: Engage every comment/DM/review
• Day 7: Results roundup email

Post-Launch (Weeks 2-4)

• Send case study to early adopters
• Double down on winning channel
• Retarget launch traffic with conversion offer
• Gather user feedback → rapid iteration
• Update sales materials with real data

Sales Enablement Package

Core Materials

1. 1-pager: Problem → Solution → Proof → CTA (one page)
2. Battle card: How to win against each competitor
3. Demo script: Scripted narrative, 25-35 minutes
4. Objection handling guide: Top 10 objections + responses
5. Case study library: 2-3 stories per vertical
6. ROI calculator: Input company data → output $ value
7. Pricing guide: Packages, discounting rules, approval matrix

Battle Card Template

## vs [Competitor Name]

**When you encounter them:**
[How to identify Comp deals in pipeline]

**Their strengths (acknowledge honestly):**
- [Strength 1]
- [Strength 2]

**Our advantages:**
- [Advantage 1] → Proof: [stat or customer quote]
- [Advantage 2] → Proof: [stat or customer quote]

**Their weaknesses:**
- [Weakness 1] → Ask: "How do you handle [scenario]?"
- [Weakness 2] → Ask: "What happens when [edge case]?"

**Trap questions to ask in discovery:**
- "How important is [our differentiator] to you?"
- "What's your experience with [their limitation]?"

**Customer quote we use:**
"[Quote from customer who switched from competitor]"

**Closing line:**
"[Competitor] is good if [condition]. We're better when [your ICP's condition]."

Channel Strategy

Channel-Market Fit Assessment

Test each channel with $1-5k budget or 2-week sprint:

• Measure: CAC, lead quality (ICP fit score), conversion rate
• Cut: channels with CAC > 3x target or <10% ICP fit
• Scale: channels with CAC < target + >30% ICP fit

Channel Mix by Stage

Stage	Primary channels
Pre-PMF	Founder sales, warm intros, communities
Early growth	Content + SEO, product-led, partnerships
Scaling	Paid acquisition, outbound SDRs, events
Scale	All channels, brand, analyst relations

GTM Metrics Dashboard

Metric	Formula	Target
CAC	Spend ÷ New customers	< LTV/3
LTV	ARPU × Avg lifetime	> 3x CAC
LTV:CAC ratio	LTV ÷ CAC	> 3:1
Payback period	CAC ÷ Monthly margin	< 12 months
Win rate	Won ÷ Total opps	20-30%
Sales cycle	Avg days to close	Benchmark vs industry
Pipeline coverage	Pipeline value ÷ Quota	3-4x
MQL→SQL rate	SQLs ÷ MQLs	20-40%