Why So Many B2B GTM Plans Fail Before They Begin
In many B2B organizations, Go-To-Market (GTM) is treated as a linear phase that follows product development. The process is often visualized as:
This approach creates significant risk. When GTM planning begins only after delivery is complete, positioning and messaging become reactive and disconnected from the customer context. The team loses opportunities to influence the product in ways that improve market fit and adoption.
A more effective approach views GTM as a parallel track that starts early and evolves continuously. The process should look more like this:
GTM Is Not a Phase. It Is a Process.
GTM planning should begin shortly after product discovery begins. After all, there’s no point discovering what to build without first validating that the market actually needs your solution. As plans undoubtedly change as we gather more and more evidence during the discovery phase, so does the GTM positioning.
Once an opportunity or feature improvement is identified, what the team wants to build is often different from what can be delivered in the first iteration, especially if speed to market is a priority. As a result, GTM positioning must continue to evolve during delivery. Maintaining this focus ensures that the end goal remains a market release that resonates with actual demand, not simply the internal desire to launch a particular feature.
Waiting until a product is fully built to adjust the GTM approach overlooks key opportunities to validate assumptions, refine messaging, and align teams. Delivery often surfaces new insights that impact both the product and its positioning. An iterative GTM process allows organizations to incorporate these insights, rather than relying on last-minute adjustments that introduce unnecessary risk.
A Working Template for Market-Aligned GTM Planning
To build a strong GTM plan, the following questions should be answered in discovery before development even begins, and maintained at every iteration of the product direction:
1. Audience
This improvement is for:
[Define one homogenous audience or persona based on shared behaviours and context]
2. Outcome
Who are trying to accomplish:
[Describe the core job to be done, need, or needs cluster driving this improvement]
3. Value Proposition
The key value of this solution is:
[Specify the tangible value this delivers (time savings, cost reduction, revenue growth, compliance, risk mitigation, etc.)]
4. Current Alternative
Without this solution, customers currently:
[Describe the existing workaround, substitute solution, or unmet need]
5. Competitive Landscape
Current competitors solve this problem by:
[Summarize how competing products or approaches address this need]
6. Differentiation
We are different because:
[Clearly state the differentiator or unique positioning of this solution]
Consistently revisiting and refining the answers to this template throughout delivery is essential. As build plans evolve, so too must the GTM narrative. Regularly reviewing these elements as part of an established team ritual helps ensure the product remains aligned with real market needs, not internal assumptions. This discipline keeps the focus on delivering something the market will value, rather than simply launching what is feasible to build.
Final Considerations
GTM planning is not the responsibility of a single team. It requires close collaboration between product, marketing, commercial, and customer success teams, beginning early and continuing throughout the product lifecycle.
A critical part of this process is ensuring that GTM decisions are grounded in validated customer understanding, not untested assumptions. Many teams fall into the trap of writing positioning and messaging based on internal opinions or competitive comparisons, without sufficient direct input from customers.
To avoid this, GTM planning must be informed by real conversations with customers, structured to uncover their true needs, pain points, and desired outcomes. This involves asking the right questions and distinguishing between what customers say they want and what will actually deliver value to them.
Maintaining a clear, shared articulation of audience, needs, value, alternatives, competition, and differentiation — as captured in the GTM template — gives teams a practical tool to align around and revisit as delivery evolves. Without this discipline, teams risk building costly messaging and enablement around solutions that miss the mark.
Organizations that embed this approach into their product and GTM process consistently bring offerings to market with sharper positioning, clearer messaging, and stronger product-market fit.
