Go-To-Market Strategy

Welcome to episode 6 of What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It with Louis Fernandes and Simon Daniels. Each week, together with occasional guests, we explore the challenges that face go-to-market leaders in SaaS scale-up businesses and suggest solutions to common issues.

Louis recounts his energising time spent with start-up incubator Founders Founders[SD1] , based in Porto, Portugal. The conversation, it just so happens, spanned everything we’ve been discussing on the podcast so far! Coincidence, or is just that these are the key topics that founders need to be thinking about…? Regardless, shout-out to Art Linkov and Miguel Albuquerque who organised the meet-up. Meanwhile, Simon hasn’t travelled much further than LinkedIn, where Ian Truscott’s article on the non-sensical nature of the term “MQL” amused him. They’re not qualified and they’re not leads, says Ian, much like Carphone Warehouse isn’t a warehouse and doesn’t sell car phones adds Simon!

This week’s topic is how to build a clear, impactful, and memorable GTM strategy. Here’s the TL;DL ( “too long, didn’t listen”) in case you don’t have time for the whole episode: In today's competitive SaaS markets, too many companies end up overcomplicating their GTM strategies, causing friction, confusion, and panic in the market. Having a straightforward, simple, easy to understand GTM strategy that customers can articulate, helps you get to value and aligns your teams.

Listen on as we discuss the importance of simplicity in developing a go-to-market (GTM) strategy. Overcomplicated strategies lead to friction and confusion, while a straightforward approach ensures team alignment and value delivery. We draw inspiration from the single mindedness and simplicity of Coca-Cola's approach and Louis outlines the rule of 1 3, 5 for developing GTM strategy. As Ben Rudgley commented on the newsletter, quoting one of his business school strategy professors: “If you can’t define your strategy in 2-3 sentences, or 140 characters, you don’t have a strategy.” The key takeaway is that clarity and consistency drive long-term success.

Other mentions in this episode:

Kasper Skou, CEO | co-founder, Synthesi

HBR IdeaCast  - When Sales Incentives Backfire

Read more on this topic in the corresponding edition of Louis’ What's Broken in GTM and How to Fix It newsletter.

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