Gtm plan

Go-to-Market Plan Skill

How this skill behaves (read first)

This is a generative deliverable skill, and "write a GTM plan" is where an AI assistant defaults to a generic launch checklist — announce, blog post, social, email, press — with no strategy underneath. The deeper mistakes: treating GTM as a one-time launch rather than a living system, stage-skipping (bolting a reseller network or paid-acquisition engine onto a company with 8 customers), ignoring timing (seasonality, B2B budget cycles, market readiness), and funnel-forcing buyers through a pipeline on the company's schedule. A GTM plan that doesn't fit the company's stage burns the resources that should be going to the actual foundational work.

So this skill gates hard:

1. Establish context — GTM readiness (is demand validated?), company maturity stage, customer/business-model type, and timing conditions.
2. Apply the always-true core — GTM as a system of five interlocking components, stage-appropriate execution, channel-as-cost-structure, timing awareness, non-linear buyer journey.
3. Surface the context-dependent decisions (stage tactics, channel model, business-model motion, entry timing, partnerships) with trade-offs; let the user choose.

Then it hands off to pm-okr-metric-validity-audit (are the launch metrics valid, not vanity?) and pm-assumption-rigor-audit (is demand really validated, is the timing window real, will the channel actually work?).

Scope: this skill owns the go-to-market plan and its launch execution. It defers product strategy to pm-vision-strategy, positioning and competitive set to pm-competitive-analysis, pricing strategy to ux-pricing, buyer-journey/funnel analytics to pm-analytics, and post-launch experiments/learning to pm-experimentation-ab.

---

Step 0 — Establish context before planning

Ask if not known; state the assumption if proceeding without an answer:

• Is the product GTM-ready? No GTM plan repairs a product without validated demand. Readiness test: have real customers paid (or seriously committed), used it repeatedly, and can you explain why they bought and what would make them leave? If not, route back to validation (pm-discovery, pm-experimentation-ab) before building channels and pricing.
• What's the company maturity stage? Level 1 early traction (3–5 customers, manual) → Level 2 demand generation (5–25, one channel experiment) → Level 3 efficiency (25–100+, 2–3 proven channels) → Level 4 scaling TAM (platform/partnership decisions). Stage is set by context, not just customer count — business model, ticket size, customer type, and relationship complexity (3 enterprise contracts ≠ 3 consumer signups).
• Who's the customer / what's the business model? Consumer/prosumer (self-serve, product sells itself), SMB (weeks, light sales support), enterprise (6–18 mo, multi-stakeholder, consultative); and B2B / B2C / B2G / B2B2C — each changes the motion.
• What timing conditions apply? Seasonality, B2B budget cycle, first-mover vs. fast-follower position, and technology/regulatory readiness. Name these before setting the calendar.

---

The always-apply core (true for any GTM plan)

GTM is a system, not a launch

• Treat GTM as a living system, not a one-time launch plan. A launch plan is fixed; a GTM strategy adapts as the company grows and the market shifts. Revisit decisions at intervals — when a channel's performance drops, ask "is this still the right channel for where we are now?" not just "how do we fix it?"
• The five components interlock: customers, channels, pricing, timing, partnerships. None operates in isolation — changing pricing without reconsidering channel fit, or adding a partnership without a working direct motion, creates misalignment that compounds. (Pricing depth → ux-pricing; positioning → competitive-analysis.)
• Keep strategy, tactics, and operations aligned. Strategy = what game and how we win; tactics = the actions; operations = what we do today. Tactics without a strategic anchor default to repeating last week.

Fit the stage

• Do the work the current stage requires; don't skip stages. Each level builds on the one before — you can't run an efficient multi-channel motion (L3) without having found the channel that works (L2), which needs the direct customer learning only L1 forces. Borrowing a mature company's playbook early (reseller program at 8 customers, VP of Marketing before a proven sales motion) consumes the resources foundational work needs.
• Master one primary channel before going multi-channel. Multi-channel is an "eventually" — add a second channel as a tested experiment layered on a proven motion, not to paper over the first one's problems. Running three channels with limited resources runs all three poorly.

Choose channels and timing deliberately

• A channel is a cost structure and a relationship, not just "where customers come from." It determines margin, control, scale speed, and what business you're building. Match it to the mechanics of who buys (high-ticket/complex → direct; low-ticket/high-volume → digital/marketplace/affiliate); compute CAC per channel; and avoid single-channel dependency — start a second channel before the first shows strain, since channels break (algorithm changes, reseller shifts, fee changes).
• Timing can kill a good product. Indifference often reads as a product problem when it's a timing problem. Assess seasonality, B2B budget cycles (Q1 intent peaks), first-mover vs. fast-follower (first movers fund category education; fast followers harvest it), and technology/regulatory readiness — before committing major spend. Build a timing-aware calendar (the January push starts in November).

Respect how buyers actually buy

• The journey is non-linear — don't funnel-force. Buyers pause, backtrack, and move on their own timeline. Follow buyer signals (a pricing-page revisit, a trial invite) over calendar-driven follow-ups; aggressive funnel-forcing loses deals that were still in play. Map the journey from real customer conversations, and measure the conversion at each stage transition.
• Partnerships amplify what already works — they're not a shortcut. A signed partner deal is the start of the work, not the end. Earn partnerships with proof points, enablement materials, and a replicable direct-sales playbook; a partner will amplify a broken motion just as readily as a working one.

Execute the launch (when ready)

• Lead with value proposition + messaging, aligned across teams. Frame the value proposition around outcomes ("For [customer] who [need], our [product] is a [category] that [benefit]. Unlike [alternative], we [differentiator]"); keep product, marketing, sales, and support aligned (a RACI + shared timeline); ready sales/support 2–3 months out.
• Define success metrics with baselines before launch. Across campaign (leads, reach), product adoption (activation, retention), market impact (revenue, share, CAC), and qualitative feedback — set baselines and targets up front so the launch can be honestly evaluated. (Validate those metrics with okr-metric-validity.)

---

The context-dependent decisions (surface, don't auto-apply)

Present each with its trade-off and a recommendation tied to Step 0; let the user choose. Applying a later stage's playbook early is the failure mode.

Decision	Apply when	Avoid / adapt when	Default recommendation
Stage-appropriate tactics	L1: manual direct selling + learning; L2: direct + one channel experiment; L3: optimize 2–3 proven channels + coordination; L4: platform partnerships, channel teams, brand	Running L3/L4 tactics (resellers, paid engine, brand ads, VP hires) at L1/L2	Diagnose the real stage from context; do only that stage's work
Channel model	Direct for high-ticket/complex/relationship sales (max learning, margin, control); indirect (reseller/affiliate/distributor/marketplace) for reach/speed once demand is proven	Indirect before the direct motion is understood; distributors before proven demand (they require it)	Direct first to learn; add indirect as a tested second channel when the first is working
Business-model motion	Consumer/prosumer → self-serve/freemium; SMB → product + light sales; enterprise → consultative, multi-stakeholder; adapt for B2B/B2C/B2G/B2B2C	A human sales motion on a low-ticket consumer product, or self-serve on a complex enterprise sale	Match the motion to ticket size, cycle length, and who's in the buying group
Entry timing position	First-mover when you can build switching costs/brand before rivals; fast-follower to differentiate on an underserved segment after demand is established	Funding category education as a first mover with no lock-in (followers harvest it)	Fast-follower differentiation unless you can defend a first-mover lead
Timing window	Align peak spend to peak receptivity — seasonality (consumer), Q1 budgets (B2B), regulatory deadlines	Launching into a seasonal trough, a budget-freeze quarter, or regulatory uncertainty	Build a timing-aware calendar; start the push ahead of the intent wave
Partnerships	After a proven direct motion, with enablement + proof points, to extend reach	As a shortcut to fix a struggling sales motion, or at L1/L2	Defer until the motion works; then use partners to amplify it

A couple of contexts flip several defaults at once: a pre-PMF / Level 1 company should have a deliberately minimal GTM (founder-led direct selling, manual onboarding, no partnerships or paid engine); a regulated B2B product weights timing windows, multi-stakeholder motion, and proof points far more heavily.

---

Validate the result (orchestration)

Hand-offs name each lens by its installable skill name. Invoke one only if that skill is installed; if it isn't, this skill's own core already carries these rules — proceed without it rather than blocking.

After producing or revising, hand it to the audit lenses rather than declaring it done. These are candidate lenses — posture per docs/orchestration-policy.md, or route the whole artifact through pm-product-review. Here assumption-rigor is the always-relevant lens (auto-runs); the others are offered, tied to what the artifact actually contains. If the user invoked this skill for one specific thing, respect that scope.

• pm-assumption-rigor-audit (auto-runs) — the plan rests on load-bearing bets: that demand is genuinely validated, that the timing window is real, that the chosen channel will perform, that the partner will prioritize you. Are those evidenced or assumed?
• pm-okr-metric-validity-audit (offer — if it names launch/success metrics) — are the launch/success metrics valid and actionable (activation, retention, revenue, share) rather than vanity (press hits, total signups), with baselines set before launch?
• pm-decision-quality-audit (offer — if it makes a high-stakes, hard-to-reverse channel or timing commitment) — checks the decision process behind it.

Composition (per docs/orchestration-policy.md §9): this skill feeds from and defers to its neighbors. Strategy (pm-vision-strategy), positioning/competitive set (pm-competitive-analysis), pricing (ux-pricing), and buyer-journey/funnel analytics (pm-analytics) are upstream inputs; post-launch experiments (pm-experimentation-ab) are downstream (offer to produce next, don't auto-generate). If the audits surface a conflict, resolve toward the purpose: a GTM plan exists to reach customers in a way that fits the company's stage — if it skips validation, borrows a later stage's tactics, or ignores timing, fix that before spending.

---

Common do/don't patterns

❌ Don't	✅ Do
Write a generic launch checklist	Build a system of customers, channels, pricing, timing, partnerships
Treat GTM as a one-time launch	Treat it as a living system, revisited as the company grows
Plan GTM for an unvalidated product	Confirm validated demand first (readiness test)
Apply a later stage's playbook early	Diagnose the real stage; do only that stage's work
Spin up multiple channels at once	Master one primary channel, then add a tested second
Treat a channel as just a traffic source	Treat it as cost structure + relationship; compute CAC per channel
Depend on a single channel	Build a second before the first strains
Ignore timing	Assess seasonality, budget cycles, first/fast-follower, readiness
Funnel-force buyers on your calendar	Follow buyer signals; map the journey from real conversations
Use partnerships to fix a broken motion	Earn partnerships with a proven motion + enablement
Report vanity launch metrics	Set valid campaign/adoption/impact metrics with baselines
Ship the plan unchecked	Hand off to okr-metric-validity + assumption-rigor

---

Source lessons (Uxcel)

• The Go-to-Market Strategy
• Go-To-Market Strategy
• Direct vs. Indirect Channels
• Market Timing & Entry Conditions
• The Customer & Their Buying Journey
• How Channel Strategy Evolves
• The Company Maturity Model