gtm

CONTEXT LOADING

Before executing, check for innov.local.md in the working directory. If found, extract:

• venture: name, stage, type, target_customer
• customer_profiles: personas, pains, gains, WTP, buying_process
• competitive_landscape: differentiation, moat_building
• financial_model: unit_economics (CAC, LTV, pricing)

If innov.local.md is not found: Continue with conversation context. After first substantive output, prompt: "I'm working without your venture context. Run Exercise 8 from Chapter 40 to build innov.local.md -- it will make every subsequent output specific to your venture rather than generic."

STAGE-AWARE CALIBRATION

Check venture.stage and calibrate:

• IDEA: Warning -- "GTM strategy at the IDEA stage is premature. You don't have an ICP grounded in customer evidence yet. Consider running /discovery first."
• DISCOVERY: Warning -- "You don't have a validated ICP yet. GTM strategy requires knowing who your customer is, what triggers their buying, and how they evaluate solutions. Complete discovery first."
• VALIDATION: GTM planning is appropriate -- you should be defining your ICP from validated customer data.
• MVP: This is your focus stage. GTM should be specific, measured, and iterated weekly.
• GROWTH: This is your focus stage for scaling what works.

DLA PROGRESSION CHECK

If no customer_profiles with validated data exist in innov.local.md: "You are building a GTM strategy without validated customer profiles. Your ICP will be based on guesses rather than evidence. Consider running /discovery to ground your ICP in real customer data."

GO-TO-MARKET WORKFLOW

Task Types

TYPE 1: ICP DEFINITION Input: Problem area; discovery data; current customer data Output: Primary ICP (role, company, trigger, signals, NOT a fit) + secondary ICP

TYPE 2: POSITIONING STATEMENT Input: ICP; value proposition; competitive landscape Output: Positioning statement (For/Who/Our product/That/Unlike/We format)

TYPE 3: CHANNEL STRATEGY Input: ICP; team constraints; budget; existing assets Output: Channels ranked by CAC efficiency; Week 1 activation for each

TYPE 4: SALES PROCESS Input: ICP; product type; sales cycle data Output: Step-by-step process from lead identification to signed contract

TYPE 5: 90-DAY GTM CALENDAR Input: Target (N customers by Day 90); channel strategy; team Output: Week-by-week activity plan with decision gates at Day 30 and Day 60

TYPE 6: PRICING STRATEGY Input: WTP data from discovery; competitive pricing; unit economics Output: Pricing tiers; anchoring strategy; discounting policy; trial policy

TYPE 7: CUSTOMER SUCCESS PROGRAMME Input: Target segment; onboarding complexity; churn risk factors Output: Day 1-90 success programme with adoption metrics and intervention triggers

ICP Output Structure

IDEAL CUSTOMER PROFILE (ICP)
Venture: [Name] | Version: [N] | Based on: [N discovery interviews + N customers]
================================================================
PRIMARY ICP:
  Company:
    Sector:       [Specific -- not "all industries"]
    Size:         [Revenue band OR headcount band]
    Geography:    [Region / country / city tier]
    Technology:   [What systems they use; what they do NOT use]
    Structure:    [Number of relevant staff; team maturity]

  Person:
    Role:         [Job title -- be specific; CFO != VP Finance != Controller]
    Seniority:    [Level; direct reports; budget authority]
    Cares about:  [Their top 3 professional priorities right now]
    How they buy: [Solo / committee; budget cycle; evaluation process]

  Buying Trigger:
    [The specific event that makes them ready to buy RIGHT NOW]
    Why trigger matters: Customers without a trigger browse but don't buy.

  Signals (how to identify ICP prospects):
    [What they post; what groups they join; what events they attend]

  NOT a fit (explicitly exclude):
    [Who wastes your time -- be specific; saves sales team hours]

SECONDARY ICP (if applicable):
  [Same structure]

ICP CONFIDENCE: [LOW / MEDIUM / HIGH] -- based on [N] paying customers
Next validation: [What ICP assumption still needs more customer data]
================================================================

Positioning Statement Format

For: [Primary ICP -- the specific person] Who: [The problem they have -- from discovery language] Our product: [Category name -- what kind of thing it is] That: [The primary value delivered -- outcome, not feature] Unlike: [The primary alternative they currently use] We: [The specific differentiating claim -- why you win]

Channel Strategy Framework

CHANNEL ARCHETYPES:

FOUNDER-LED OUTREACH (early stage; months 1-6): CAC: Low (founder time) | Scale: Low | Speed: Fast Best for: ICP refinement; first 10 customers

CONTENT / THOUGHT LEADERSHIP (months 3-12): CAC: Medium-low | Scale: Medium | Speed: Slow to start; compounds Best for: Building inbound pipeline over 6-12 months

COMMUNITY AND ASSOCIATIONS (months 3-9): CAC: Medium | Scale: Medium | Speed: Medium Best for: Warm introductions in trust-based markets

REFERRAL PROGRAMME (months 6+): CAC: Low | Scale: Medium | Speed: Depends on customer base Best for: Once you have 10+ happy customers

INSIDE SALES (months 9-18; requires funding): CAC: Medium-high | Scale: High | Speed: Fast once ramped Best for: Scaling what founder-led sales has proven

PARTNERSHIPS / CHANNELS (months 12+): CAC: Variable | Scale: High | Speed: Slow to develop Best for: Distribution leverage through partners

Pricing Strategy Rules

ANCHOR HIGH, JUSTIFY, THEN TIER: Start with the highest price you can credibly defend. Never start low -- it is very hard to raise prices.

VALUE-BASED PRICING PRINCIPLE: Price should be <10% of the value delivered (the "10% rule").

DISCOUNTING POLICY: Annual prepay only: 1-2 months free for annual commitment. No arbitrary discounts: customers who price-negotiate before signing churn faster.

TRIAL POLICY: Paid trial preferred over free trial. Trial with LOI preferred: require a letter of intent before granting trial access.

ASSUMPTION TRACKING

After any GTM output:

• Surface the most critical untested GTM assumption (ICP, channel, pricing)
• Propose innov.local.md updates for customer profiles or competitive landscape
• Always distinguish between ASSUMED, ANECDOTAL, and VALIDATED evidence

NEVER DO THESE

• NEVER define ICP as a demographic without a buying trigger -- "CFOs at $10M companies" is a description; add the trigger
• NEVER launch multiple channels simultaneously without measuring each
• NEVER set pricing based on competitor pricing alone -- price based on value delivered and unit economics
• NEVER skip the "NOT a fit" section of the ICP
• NEVER design a customer success programme that assumes high-touch is sustainable at scale

ALL OUTPUTS REQUIRE REVIEW BY A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL BEFORE USE IN BUSINESS DECISIONS.