/gtm-strategist — Go-to-Market Planner

Build GTM plans including channel strategy, launch sequencing, growth model, and competitive positioning for market entry.

When to Use

• User says "go to market", "GTM plan", "launch strategy", "growth strategy"
• Planning a product launch or market entry
• Evaluating growth channels and distribution strategy
• Building a growth model (PLG vs SLG vs community-led vs hybrid)
• Post-positioning: translating positioning into a market plan

Before Starting

Check for existing context:

1. Read projects/ directory for project context
2. Check projects/<project>/onboarding.md for intake context
3. Check projects/<project>/positioning.md for positioning work
4. Check projects/<project>/discovery.md for customer discovery
5. Check docs/strategy/ for prior strategy work

Prior positioning and discovery work is highly valuable input — use it.

Process

Step 1: Intake — GTM Context

If project context exists, use it. Otherwise, gather:

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "What are we taking to market? And where are you in the journey?"
  header: "Stage"
  options:
    - label: "Pre-launch"
      description: "Haven't launched yet — planning initial GTM"
    - label: "Early traction"
      description: "Some users/customers but need to scale"
    - label: "Growth stage"
      description: "PMF established, need to accelerate"
    - label: "New market"
      description: "Existing product, entering a new segment or geography"

Then gather:

• Product — What does it do? Who's it for?
• Current state — Any existing customers? Revenue? Channels working?
• Business model — SaaS, marketplace, consumer, services, hybrid?
• Budget reality — Bootstrapped, seed, Series A+? Marketing budget?
• Sales model — Self-serve? Sales-assisted? Enterprise sales? Not sure?
• Positioning — How do you describe what you do? (If /positioning was done, reference it)

Summarize and confirm.

Step 2: Research — Parallel Market Intelligence

Launch 3 agents IN PARALLEL:

Agent 1 — Competitive GTM Analysis

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", description: "Research competitive GTM")
prompt: Research how competitors in [SPACE] acquire customers.
  Competitors: [LIST].
  For each, find:
  - Primary GTM motion (PLG, sales-led, community, content, partnerships)
  - Pricing model (free tier, freemium, trial, demo-required, usage-based)
  - Key channels (organic, paid, partnerships, events)
  - Sales team structure (self-serve, inside sales, field sales, channel)
  - Notable GTM tactics or campaigns
  Return a structured GTM competitive matrix.

Agent 2 — Channel & Distribution Research

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", description: "Research distribution channels")
prompt: Research the best distribution channels for [PRODUCT TYPE] targeting [AUDIENCE].
  Analyze:
  - Where does this audience discover new products? (communities, publications, events, search)
  - Which channels have worked for similar products? (with examples)
  - What's the cost structure of each channel? (CAC benchmarks if available)
  - Earned vs paid channel mix for this market
  - Any emerging channels (AI-powered discovery, Answer Engine Optimization, etc.)
  Return ranked channel recommendations with reasoning.

Agent 3 — Growth Model Patterns

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", description: "Research growth models")
prompt: Research which growth model fits best for [PRODUCT/BUSINESS].
  Consider:
  - Product-Led Growth (PLG): Does the product have natural viral loops? Can users get value without talking to sales?
  - Sales-Led Growth (SLG): Is the deal size large enough? Is the buying process complex?
  - Community-Led Growth: Is there a natural community around this problem?
  - Content-Led Growth: Are buyers actively searching for solutions?
  - Hybrid models: Which combinations work in this market?
  Return analysis with examples of similar companies and their growth models.

Step 3: Synthesize — GTM Strategy

Using research + positioning + discovery (if available), build:

1. Growth Model Recommendation

• Recommended primary motion (PLG / SLG / community / content / hybrid)
• Why this model fits (product characteristics, audience behavior, deal size, budget)
• What needs to be true for this model to work (prerequisites)

2. Beachhead Strategy (Moore framework)

• Target beachhead segment — narrowest viable segment to dominate first
• Why this beachhead: compelling problem, referenceable, word-of-mouth density
• Whole product requirements — what you need beyond the core product
• Bowling pin plan — which segments to knock down after the beachhead

3. Channel Strategy

• Primary channels (2-3 max) — where to focus first
• Secondary channels — to test and validate
• Channels to avoid — and why (too expensive, wrong audience, too early)
• For each primary channel: expected timeline to results, resource requirements, key metrics

4. Launch Sequencing

• Phase 1: Foundation (what to build before launch)
• Phase 2: Soft launch (limited audience, gather signal)
• Phase 3: Public launch (full market push)
• Phase 4: Scale (double down on what works)
• Key milestones and decision points between phases

5. Fuel & Engine Audit (Kramer framework)

• Fuel status — Is positioning/messaging/content ready?
• Engine status — Are distribution channels and operations ready?
• Gaps — What needs to be built before GTM can work?

Step 4: Validate with User

Present the GTM strategy. Checkpoint:

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "Does this GTM plan feel right for your stage and resources? What concerns you?"
  header: "GTM Review"
  options:
    - label: "Looks right"
      description: "This matches our reality — let's detail it out"
    - label: "Too ambitious"
      description: "We need a leaner version for our current resources"
    - label: "Wrong model"
      description: "I think a different growth model fits us better"
    - label: "Missing context"
      description: "There's important context I should share"

Iterate based on feedback.

Step 5: Detailed GTM Plan

Build out the approved direction into an actionable plan:

• 90-day GTM roadmap — Week-by-week priorities for the first 3 months
• Key metrics — What to measure at each phase (leading and lagging indicators)
• Team requirements — Who do you need? (GTM engineer, marketer, SDR, etc.)
• Budget allocation — How to split resources across channels
• Risk mitigation — What could go wrong and contingency plans
• Decision triggers — When to double down, pivot channels, or change model

Save to: projects/<project>/gtm-plan.md

Methodology

This skill synthesizes frameworks from leading GTM practitioners. See references/gtm-frameworks.md for detailed methodology.

Key sources: Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (GTM as product), Emily Kramer (fuel vs engine), Geoffrey Moore (beachhead/chasm), Elena Verna (growth tactics), Seth Godin (minimum viable audience).

Output

Save to: projects/<project>/gtm-plan.md

Next Steps

• Need pricing? → /pricing-packaging to design monetization
• Need a pitch? → /sales-pitch to build the sales narrative
• Need content strategy? → Consider content/SEO plan as part of channel execution
• Need a proposal? → /proposal-writer to close the deal