How to Build an Effective Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy

Many GTM strategies are fighting the wrong battle. While your team obsesses over MQLs and conversion rates, 95% of your buyer’s journey is happening in complete darkness — invisible to every measurement system you’re using. This anonymous research activity, what we call the Dark Funnel, is where real buying decisions get made, yet most GTM strategies are built around the 5% of visible activity.

If you’re taking the common approach — using your marketing to drive customers to a web form and then crossing your fingers for form conversions — you are hindering your growth.

Our survey of over 2,500 buyers of B2B solutions reveals that buyers are nearly 70% through their purchasing process before engaging with sellers, and they already have a preferred vendor more than 80% of the time. Buyer behavior dictates a complete rethinking of how we approach go-to-market strategies.

This comprehensive guide will show you how to build a GTM strategy that works in today’s buyer-controlled landscape — from foundational concepts to advanced, data-driven execution that drives predictable revenue growth.

What is a go-to-market strategy?

A GTM strategy is the bridge between what you’ve built and who needs it most; a detailed blueprint that encompasses every aspect of how a product or service will be positioned, promoted, sold, and distributed to customers.

For B2B companies, particularly those with 500+ employees, a GTM strategy is far more complex than traditional marketing approaches suggest.

There are three critical components to a GTM strategy:

• Target market identification: Who you’re selling to and why they’ll buy
• Value proposition: What makes your solution compelling to specific buyer segments
• Execution plan: How you’ll reach, engage, and convert those target accounts

Here’s where most companies get it wrong: They treat GTM strategy as synonymous with marketing strategy or sales strategy. In reality, an effective GTM strategy is the orchestration layer that aligns marketing, sales, and customer success around a unified approach to market penetration.

Traditional GTM strategies fail because they’re built on the assumption that you can cast a wide net, generate leads through broad-based campaigns, and let sales teams sort out qualified prospects. This spray-and-pray approach worked when buyers depended on sellers for information. It doesn’t work when buyers have already chosen their preferred vendor before taking your first call.

The GTM blind spot everyone ignores

Stop trying to “generate” demand. Demand already exists — it’s just anonymous. The future of GTM isn’t about creating interest; it’s about illuminating the interest that’s already there but hidden from view.

Most B2B companies are solving the wrong problem. They’re trying to create demand with expensive and inefficient broad-based strategies when they should be focused on detecting and engaging existing demand signals that are invisible to traditional marketing tools.

While the industry debates “leads vs. accounts,” the real revolution is happening at the anonymous signal level. Buyers don’t engage with sellers until they’re 70% through their buying journey, at which point they’ve already made key decisions about who they will buy from. This means your entire lead qualification process is fundamentally mistimed.

The insight here is that by the time someone becomes a “lead,” most of the real buying activity has already happened anonymously. Your window of opportunity to influence the deal has closed.

GTM strategies need to be rebuilt around anonymous intent signals rather than form fills.

The evolution of B2B GTM strategies

From spray-and-pray to precision targeting

Traditional GTM approaches relied on volume-based tactics — cast the widest possible net, generate as many leads as possible, and hope your sales team could convert enough to hit revenue targets. Marketing qualified leads (MQLs) were the primary currency, and success was measured by lead quantity rather than quality.

This approach created a critical timing problem. When buyers fill out forms to access content during their early research phase (months 1-5 of an 11-month buying cycle), those leads get funneled into sales cadences immediately. But buyers won’t engage with sellers until month 8 on average. The result? Most leads are declared “dead” or “unresponsive” long before the buyer is actually ready to engage.

Modern GTM strategies flip this model. Instead of waiting for leads to raise their hands, successful companies proactively identify accounts showing buying signals and engage them with relevant content and experiences before they’re ready to talk to sales.

How buyer behavior has changed

Our B2B Buyer Experience research reveals several critical insights about modern B2B buyer behavior:

• Buyers initiate first contact with sales 81% of the time
• 85% of buyers have largely established their purchase requirements before they contact sellers
• Buyers contact the winning vendor first 81% of the time
• 84% of buyers have prior experience with their chosen vendors

These statistics paint a clear picture: the “discovery” and “education” phases of the traditional sales funnel happen largely without seller involvement. By the time buyers engage with your sales team, they’re in validation mode — confirming their existing preference rather than evaluating alternatives.

The AI augmentation reality

Everyone’s terrified AI will replace sales reps, but our research shows 62% of BDRs report that AI makes their role more productive, with this number rising to 70% among those actively using AI tools.

The companies winning aren’t replacing humans — they’re augmenting them with AI that handles the impossible-to-scale research and prioritization tasks.

AI can help

• Manage and synchronize ad campaigns,
• Handle personalized email outreach and lead qualification,
• Prioritize sales activities, and
• Pull together account summaries that include updated intelligence based on company news and buyer behavior.

With these tasks automated, your marketers have more time for creative strategy and your sellers have more time to invest in building relationships with buying groups that are ready to decide on a solution.

The role of intent data and predictive analytics

Modern GTM strategies rely heavily on intent data and predictive analytics to identify accounts that are in-market but not yet engaging with sellers. This data reveals:

• Which accounts are researching solutions like yours
• What specific topics and keywords they’re investigating
• How their research intensity has changed over time
• Which competitors they’re evaluating

Companies like Marathon Health have used these insights to identify higher-quality leads and drive $66 million in net-new pipeline attributed to marketing. Troy Purdue, Director of Growth Marketing at Marathon Health, explains: “When we implemented 6sense, we found higher quality leads, and drove net-new sales. Ultimately, it opened the door for us to engage with more members and change more people’s lives through the healthcare services we provide.”

Types of GTM strategies

Just as you wouldn’t use the same blueprint to build a skyscraper and a beach house, different business situations call for different approaches to reaching your market. The complexity of your product, the sophistication of your buyers, and even your company’s current resources all play roles in determining which GTM model will drive the best results.

Product-led growth model

A product-led GTM strategy puts the product itself at the center of customer acquisition and expansion.

Key characteristics:

• Free trial or freemium model to reduce adoption friction
• Self-service onboarding designed for ease of use
• Product features that encourage viral sharing and team adoption
• Usage-based expansion opportunities

Best for: SaaS products with broad appeal, intuitive user interfaces, and clear immediate value.

Sales-led approach

Traditional sales-led GTM strategies rely on sales teams to drive customer acquisition and growth.

Key characteristics:

• Emphasis on direct sales teams and relationship building
• Higher touch customer acquisition process
• Customized demos and proposals
• Longer sales cycles with multiple stakeholders

Best for: Complex, high-value solutions requiring significant customization or implementation support.

Marketing-led strategy

Marketing-led GTM strategies focus on building brand awareness and generating qualified leads that convert through less resource-intensive sales processes.

Key characteristics:

• Heavy investment in content marketing and demand generation
• Strong emphasis on lead nurturing and scoring
• Automated or low-touch sales processes
• Focus on customer education and thought leadership

Best for: Products with defined market categories and straightforward value propositions.

Channel partner strategy

Channel-led GTM uses existing distribution networks and partnerships to reach target customers more efficiently.

Key characteristics:

• Development of partner enablement programs and resources
• Creation of partner incentive structures
• Co-marketing initiatives and lead sharing
• Streamlined partner onboarding and training

Best for: Companies expanding into new geographic markets or targeting industry verticals where established relationships are crucial.

Hybrid GTM models for B2B SaaS

Most B2B SaaS companies ultimately develop hybrid GTM strategies that combine elements of multiple approaches based on customer segments and lifecycle stages.

Example hybrid model:

• Product-led approach for SMB customers
• Marketing-led nurturing for mid-market prospects
• Sales-led engagement for enterprise accounts and expansion opportunities
• Channel partnerships for specific industry verticals or international markets

When to use each approach

Choosing the right GTM strategy depends on several key factors:

• Market maturity: Emerging markets often require more education (marketing-led), while established markets may respond better to product differentiation (product-led).
• Purchase complexity: Higher-consideration purchases typically benefit from sales-led approaches.
• Customer acquisition cost: Lower price points necessitate more efficient acquisition methods like product-led or marketing-led strategies.
• Competitive landscape: Highly competitive markets may require hybrid approaches to differentiate effectively.
• Available resources: Your company’s current capabilities and constraints will influence which GTM models are feasible.

Building your GTM strategy: A step-by-step approach

Creating an effective GTM strategy requires an approach that builds on data-driven insights rather than assumptions. Here’s a proven framework for building predictable revenue engines.

Step 1: Define your value proposition

An effective GTM strategy starts with a clear proposition that articulates:

• What specific problem your product solves
• How it solves this problem better than the alternative
• Why prospects should choose you over competitors (and the inertia of doing nothing)

Key actions:

• Conduct competitive analysis to identify unique differentiators
• Develop messaging that clearly articulates your unique value
• Validate your value proposition with target customers
• Ensure your value proposition aligns with actual product capabilities

Step 2: Identify your ideal customer profile (ICP)

For precise targeting, develop detailed ideal customer profiles that define:

• Firmographic criteria (company size, industry, growth stage)
• Technographic indicators (existing technology stack, adoption patterns)
• Business challenges and pain points
• Buying committee roles and influences

Key actions:

• Analyze your current most successful customers
• Identify common characteristics and patterns
• Validate ICPs through customer interviews
• Create tiered account priorities based on fit and potential value

Step 3: Map the customer journey

Understanding how customers discover, evaluate, purchase, and expand their relationship with your solution is critical for effective GTM execution.

Key actions:

• Document each stage of the buying process from awareness to purchase
• Identify key touchpoints and decision points
• Map relevant content and interactions to each journey stage
• Define hand-off processes between marketing, sales, and customer success
• Identify potential friction points and address them proactively

Step 4: Develop your messaging framework

Consistent, compelling messaging is the foundation of effective GTM execution. Your messaging framework should include:

• Core value proposition and key differentiators
• Primary and secondary messages by buyer persona
• Common objections and effective responses
• Industry-specific messaging adaptations
• Competitive positioning statements

Key actions:

• Create messaging hierarchies for different audiences
• Develop messaging that addresses specific pain points
• Test messaging effectiveness with target audiences
• Create guidelines for consistent messaging across channels

Step 5: Select your marketing and sales channels

Based on your ICP and customer journey mapping, determine the most effective channels for reaching and engaging your target audience.

Key considerations:

• Where do your target customers research solutions?
• Which channels offer the most efficient access to decision makers?
• What content formats perform best for your audience?
• Which channels provide the best ROI for similar solutions?

Common B2B GTM channels:

• Content marketing and SEO
• Paid digital advertising
• Industry events and conferences
• Direct outreach (email, phone, social)
• Channel partners and referral networks
• Community building initiatives

Step 6: Create your launch plan

A detailed launch plan orchestrates all GTM activities across functions and channels.

Key components:

• Launch phases and milestone dates
• Cross-functional responsibilities and dependencies
• Required resources and budget allocations
• Internal enablement and training requirements
• External communication sequence and timing
• Risk mitigation plans and contingencies

Key actions:

• Develop detailed launch timeline with key milestones
• Conduct pre-launch readiness assessment
• Create communication plans for internal and external stakeholders
• Establish regular launch team check-ins
• Document launch criteria and go/no-go decision process

Step 7: Establish success metrics

Maximize the impact of your GTM strategy with clear success metrics that align with business objectives.

Key metrics to consider:

• Customer acquisition metrics (CAC, conversion rates by stage)
• Revenue metrics (ACV, ARR, growth rate)
• Engagement metrics (content consumption, event attendance)
• Efficiency metrics (sales cycle length, resource utilization)
• Competitive win/loss rates
• Customer satisfaction and expansion metrics

Key actions:

• Define primary and secondary KPIs for your GTM strategy
• Establish measurement frameworks and reporting cadence
• Set realistic targets based on industry benchmarks
• Create dashboards for cross-functional visibility
• Implement regular review processes to drive optimization

Common GTM strategy pitfalls to avoid

Even well-designed GTM strategies can falter in execution. Watch for these common pitfalls.

Poor cross-functional alignment

Problem: Siloed planning creates disconnected customer experiences and internal friction.

Solution: Implement joint planning sessions and share GTM metrics across functions.

Insufficient market validation

Problem: Launching with untested assumptions leads to missed targets and wasted resources.

Solution: Conduct thorough market testing before full-scale launch.

Overly complex messaging

Problem: Technical or feature-focused communication fails to resonate with business buyers.

Solution: Emphasize business outcomes and simplify value communication.

Ineffective sales enablement

Problem: Sales teams unprepared to effectively communicate value and handle objections.

Solution: Invest in comprehensive enablement programs and continuous learning.

Inadequate competitive positioning

Problem: Failing to clearly differentiate from alternatives in the market.

Solution: Develop and validate clear competitive differentiation.

Poor timing

Problem: Launching at the wrong time relative to market readiness or buying cycles.

Solution: Research industry buying patterns and align launch timing accordingly.

Unrealistic expectations

Problem: Setting unachievable targets based on flawed assumptions.

Solution: Use benchmark data and bottom-up forecasting to set realistic goals.

Insufficient resources

Problem: Underfunding critical GTM activities required for success.

Solution: Align resource allocation with strategic priorities and success drivers.

How modern GTM tools help to avoid these pitfalls

The most successful GTM strategies aren’t built on new processes — they’re built on making existing tools 10x more intelligent. For instance, sellers can access 6sense insights, alerts, and dashboards directly within Salesforce, HubSpot CRM, or Microsoft Dynamics 365. The future of GTM isn’t about replacing your tech stack; it’s about making it impossibly smart.

Advanced GTM platforms help companies avoid these common mistakes by providing:

• Data-driven account identification: Use firmographic, technographic, and intent data to identify high-fit accounts
• Account-specific insights: Understand the unique characteristics and needs of each target account
• Coordinated team workflows: Align sales and marketing activities around shared account strategies
• Quality-focused targeting: Prioritize accounts based on fit and intent rather than just volume
• Account-based measurement: Track metrics that matter for account-based strategies

JAGGAER’s experience demonstrates these benefits. By implementing modern GTM tools and processes, they saved $77,459 in the first two months compared to hiring additional in-house resources while achieving better results.

Measuring GTM strategy success

Marketing intelligence tells you what happened. Revenue intelligence tells you what’s about to happen. The difference between lagging and leading indicators isn’t just timing — it’s the difference between reporting and predicting revenue.

What gets measured gets optimized. Here’s how to establish measurement frameworks that drive continuous improvement in your GTM performance.

Key performance indicators for GTM strategies

Account-level metrics

Focus on metrics that capture account engagement and progression:

• Account Engagement Score: Composite metric measuring website visits, content downloads, email opens, and other engagement activities
• Account Penetration Rate: Percentage of key stakeholders within target accounts who have engaged with your brand
• Account Progression Velocity: Time it takes accounts to move between buying stages
• Competitive Displacement Rate: How often you win against specific competitors in target accounts

Revenue metrics

Track metrics that directly correlate with revenue outcomes:

• Pipeline Influence: Percentage of pipeline that can be attributed to GTM activities
• Deal Size by Account Tier: Average contract value for different account segments
• Win Rate by Engagement Model: Conversion rates for different types of account engagement
• Customer Lifetime Value by Segment: Long-term revenue potential of different account types

Efficiency metrics

Measure the efficiency of your GTM investments:

• Cost Per Engaged Account: Total GTM spend divided by number of meaningfully engaged accounts
• Marketing Influenced Pipeline: Pipeline that can be attributed to marketing activities
• Sales Productivity Metrics: Revenue per sales rep, activities per opportunity, etc.
• Channel ROI: Return on investment for different marketing and sales channels

Custom Truck One Source demonstrates the power of tracking efficiency metrics. By measuring the impact of their AI-powered outreach, they discovered that “the amount of work Email Agents do in a day would take someone on my team a week to do” and generated $6 million in pipeline in just the first 3 weeks.

Leading vs. lagging indicators

Leading Indicators (predict future performance):

• Intent signal strength and volume
• Account engagement trends
• Stakeholder coverage within accounts
• Content consumption patterns
• Competitive research activity

Lagging Indicators (measure past performance):

• Closed won/lost deals
• Revenue attainment
• Customer lifetime value
• Market share growth
• Customer satisfaction scores

Bonterra’s success with leading indicators shows their value. Justin Lopez, ABM Manager, notes: “The ability for our go-to-market team to see which of our key accounts are engaging with our website or marketing ads in nearly real-time is a complete game-changer.” This real-time visibility into leading indicators helped them influence $6 million in pipeline.

How to calculate GTM ROI

Basic GTM ROI Formula:

GTM ROI = (Revenue Influenced – GTM Investment) / GTM Investment × 100
 

Account-Based ROI Calculation:

Account ROI = (Account Lifetime Value – Account Acquisition Cost) / Account Acquisition Cost × 100
 

Multi-Touch Attribution Models:

Since account-based GTM involves multiple touchpoints across extended timeframes, use attribution models that:

• Credit multiple touchpoints in the buyer journey
• Weight touchpoints based on their influence on progression
• Account for the extended timeline of B2B buying cycles
• Measure influence rather than just direct attribution

NinjaOne’s approach yielded impressive results: 600% ROI in pipeline creation from ABM spend and 90% decrease in cost-per-demo compared to non-ABM sources.

Building dashboards for continuous monitoring

Executive dashboard elements:

• Pipeline progression by account tier
• Revenue attribution by GTM activity
• Account engagement trends
• Competitive win/loss analysis
• GTM efficiency metrics

Operational dashboard elements:

• Daily account engagement activity
• Campaign performance metrics
• Sales activity and outcomes
• Content performance data
• Channel effectiveness metrics

Account-specific dashboards:

• Individual account engagement history
• Stakeholder mapping and coverage
• Competitive intelligence
• Personalization effectiveness
• Next best action recommendations

JAGGAER’s comprehensive dashboard approach enabled them to make data-driven decisions that resulted in 147 unique accounts engaged and 129 accounts reaching qualified status in their first two months.

Conclusion

Remember that GTM strategy isn’t a one-time exercise, but an ongoing process of refinement and optimization. Evolve your approach based on market feedback, competitive developments, and performance data.

6sense’s comprehensive platform helps B2B organizations identify in-market accounts, prioritize outreach, and orchestrate personalized engagement at scale. See how our AI-powered platform can accelerate your GTM success.