Go-To-Market Plans Based Upon Strategy

Many go-to-market plans start with activities instead of strategy—and that’s a costly mistake.

Companies say, “We need leads. We need awareness. We need visibility.” But without a deep understanding of customer needs, those efforts lack direction. What is the only way to build a go-to-market (GTM) plan that lasts? Start with the customer:

Ask them what they need—not what you assume they need
o  Test scenarios and observe their reactions
o  Prioritize their responses to guide product and messaging decisions
o  Align it with the customer journey—delivering the right message at the right time, from the right source.

An activity-driven GTM plan lacks the foundation to create lasting differentiation, condition the market, or build a compelling story. One of my customers learned this firsthand.

They built a solution for a single customer and assumed it would work for the entire industry. Confident in their product, they launched an aggressive GTM plan—email campaigns, outreach, ads. The result: No interest. No leads. Taking a step back, they redefined their customer base and engaged directly with prospects. What they discovered was game-changing:

o  The initial customer had completely different priorities than the broader market.
o  The real opportunity wasn’t the original feature set, it was ease of use for a much wider audience.
o  They refined the product, adjusted their messaging, and built a GTM plan that resonated.

The result? A strategy that actually worked—because it was built around customer needs, not assumptions. When you do this, you don’t just generate leads—you condition the market, build a lasting story, and create true differentiation.

Have you ever had to rethink your GTM strategy based on customer insights? Let’s discuss.