Positioning Test: Could a Competitor Claim It?
A quick positioning test: can your nearest competitor say it truthfully? If yes, it’s not positioning. Anchor on a customer outcome, a constraint you embrace, and a proof you can show on a single slide.
Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) asks “who is our best-fit buyer?” Product–Market Fit (PMF) asks “does this product consistently create value for them?” ICP is a targeting constraint. PMF is an evidence threshold. Sequence matters: tighten ICP to reduce noise, then evaluate PMF with behavior, not opinions.
I treat sales cadences like a habit stack. Pick the channel that matches how buyers actually change state. Add supporting touches that do one job each. Fewer steps, better reasons. Instrumentation keeps you honest: – If a touch doesn’t do its job: books a next step, surfaces an outcome, flushes a blocker—rewrite it or kill…
Good growth isn’t a relay with dropped batons. It’s a single spine. Connect product signals to PQL creation, define when a human is the right tool, and give Success a cadence to pull drifting users back to first value. A few guardrails: – Every transition should be observable and auditable. If a human is needed,…
Basic planning math: Leads × SQO% × Win% × ASP = New ARR PQLs × Sales‑assist rate × Win% × ASP = Product‑led ARR Sanity check: NDR × Starting ARR + New ARR = Ending ARR (ignoring one‑offs). If targets don’t reconcile, fix assumptions before fixing people.
Many GTM problems are scope problems wearing creative hats. Choose the most cost‑effective channel that fits your values, the segments where you’re credible, and a reason to say yes now. Everything else goes to backlog. Two tests: – Can a new teammate explain the motion in two minutes? – Can we instrument it in a…