Built for the deck, not the market
Nine out of ten go-to-market strategies fail. Not because of the product. Because of assumptions nobody ever tested with a real decision maker.
The five biggest mistakes
- Textbook personas instead of conversations with buyers
- Features instead of outcomes. Nobody buys functions, everybody buys results
- No repeatable demand. Hoping for referrals and trade fairs is not a system
- Marketing and sales out of sync. Result: leads nobody wants
- No controlling. Without CPL and a reliable forecast, every discussion is opinion
What works
- Target account focus with personas from real interviews
- Test before scale: landing page, simple funnel, active outreach
- Involve sales from day one with playbooks and test scripts
- One core channel first, then diversify
- See the funnel as process plus buyer psychology
- Measure from day one: CPL, conversion rate, sales cycle, CAC
Example: software for law firms
A software provider for law firms. A content funnel of SEO, webinars and referral videos, plus HubSpot and targeted outbound. Result: far more qualified leads at falling cost per lead, and ARR more than doubled in two years.
Growth doesn't come from more calls. It comes from better narratives.
Bottom line
Go-to-market decides traction. It demands clarity, focus and the willingness to ask uncomfortable questions early.
FAQ
How long does a go-to-market test take?
A first reliable test with landing page and outreach runs in four to eight weeks.