GTM is plan for how to reach and acquire customers. Defines: Target market, positioning, pricing, sales channels, marketing tactics. Different strategies for PLG (product-led), sales-led, channel partnerships. Critical before Series A—proves repeatable acquisition.
GTM answers: Who are we selling to? (ICP—ideal customer profile), What problem do we solve? (value prop), How do they find us? (channels), How do we convert them? (sales process), How much do we charge? (pricing). GTM motions: (1) Product-Led Growth (PLG): Customers self-serve (free trial → paid conversion). Low-touch, viral. Examples: Slack, Notion, Figma, Zoom. Best for: Low price point (₹999-9,999/month), Simple product (intuitive UX, no training), Bottom-up adoption (end users → teams → enterprise). (2) Sales-Led Growth: Sales team closes deals (outbound, demos, negotiations). High-touch. Examples: Salesforce, Workday, SAP. Best for: High price (₹10L+/year), Complex product (needs explanation), Top-down buying (CXO decisions). (3) Marketing-Led: Content, SEO, ads drive inbound leads → sales converts. Examples: HubSpot, Mailchimp. Best for: Mid-market (₹50K-5L/year), Clear category (people search for solution). (4) Channel/Partner-Led: Sell through resellers, integrations, affiliates. Examples: Shopify (agency partners), Stripe (platform partnerships). Best for: Ecosystem plays, hard-to-reach customers. GTM playbook: Define ICP (company size, industry, role, pain points), Create messaging (position against alternatives, highlight differentiation), Choose channels (PLG vs sales vs content—1-2 primary channels), Set pricing (value-based, competitive analysis), Build sales process (demo script, objection handling, pricing negotiation), Measure metrics (CAC, conversion rates, payback period). Series A requires proven GTM—repeatable process generating customers predictably.
GTM Efficiency = LTV ÷ CAC (should be >3x). Payback Period = CAC ÷ (MRR × Gross Margin) (should be <18 months)Free tier drives adoption → teams hit 10K messages → upgrade. Viral loops (invite teammates). Bottom-up → top-down (CIOs approve after teams already using). Scaled to $1B ARR.
Outbound sales team cold-calls enterprises. Demos, multi-month negotiations, $100K+ deals. High-touch but $20B+ ARR proves it works at scale.
Free tools (website grader, CRM) + content (blog, academy) drive inbound leads. Sales team converts. ₹50K-5L deals. $1.5B+ revenue, Marketing → Sales motion.
GTM determines if you can scale profitably. Wrong GTM = burn money acquiring wrong customers expensively. Example: Complex product sold via self-serve PLG → customers confused, high churn. Should use sales-led. Right GTM = repeatable, profitable customer acquisition. Proving GTM unlocks Series A—VCs want to see: CAC payback <18 months, LTV:CAC >3x, Process documented (sales playbook, marketing funnel).
Low price (<₹10K/month), simple product, viral → PLG (Slack model). High price (>₹10L/year), complex, enterprise → Sales-led (Salesforce model). Mid-market → Marketing-led (HubSpot model).
Before Series A. VCs want: Repeatable customer acquisition (10+ customers via same channel), Known unit economics (CAC, LTV, payback), Documented process (sales playbook or growth playbook). Can't raise without proven GTM.
Yes but expensive. Zoom started sales-led (enterprise), added PLG (freemium) later. Atlassian started PLG, added sales later. Easier to start with one motion, layer others after PMF.
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