GTM Strategy
Overview
Read .forge/prd.md and .forge/competitive.md to produce .forge/gtm.md — a concrete go-to-market plan. The output must be specific enough that a sales team can execute it without verbal briefing. ICP is a named persona, not a market segment.
When to Use
.forge/prd.md exists and the product is approaching market readiness- User asks "how do we sell this" or "who do we sell to first"
- Competitive analysis is done and positioning is clear
- Need a pilot program design or ROI framework
When NOT to Use
- No PRD exists — run
spec-driven-development first
- Product is pre-idea — run
idea-griller first
- User wants to refine the product, not sell it — use
spec-driven-development
Common Rationalizations
| Thought |
Reality |
| "Our ICP is SMBs" |
That's a market segment, not a person. Name the title, company size, and daily pain |
| "The product sells itself" |
No product sells itself. Name the channel, motion, and first touchpoint |
| "We'll figure out pricing later" |
Pricing shapes positioning. A free tool and a $500/mo platform attract different buyers |
| "ROI is hard to quantify" |
If the buyer can't calculate ROI, they can't justify the purchase internally |
| "We don't need a pilot — just launch" |
Pilots generate case studies. Case studies close deals. No pilot = no proof |
Red Flags
- ICP is a market segment ("SMBs", "enterprises") instead of a named persona
- Wedge feature is the entire product (not a wedge — it's the whole door)
- Sales channel is "inbound" with no specifics on content strategy or distribution
- ROI calculator uses aspirational numbers instead of conservative estimates
- Pilot has no success criteria or timeline
- Case study template doesn't include quantified before/after
Core Process
Step 1: Define ICP
Name the person, not the market:
- Title: specific role (e.g., "VP of Sales at a 50-200 person B2B SaaS company")
- Daily pain: what frustrates them this week, not abstractly
- Current solution: what they do today (the status quo from competitive analysis)
- Budget authority: can they sign a check, or do they need approval?
- Where they hang out: conferences, communities, publications, Slack groups
Step 2: Identify the wedge
The wedge is the ONE feature that gets you in the door. Not the whole product — the single capability that makes the ICP say "I need this today."
Rules: the wedge must solve an acute pain (not a nice-to-have), be demonstrable in under 5 minutes, and be usable without the rest of the product.
Step 3: Design the pilot program
- Duration: typically 2-4 weeks
- Success criteria: specific metrics the pilot must hit (not "they liked it")
- Pilot scope: what's included, what's explicitly out
- Support model: how much hand-holding during pilot
- Conversion trigger: what happens at pilot end — auto-convert, sales call, or expire?
Step 4: Map sales channels
For each channel, specify:
- Channel: outbound, inbound content, partnerships, PLG, community, events
- Motion: exact sequence (e.g., "LinkedIn post → DM → demo → pilot → close")
- Volume: how many touchpoints per week to generate pipeline
- CAC estimate: approximate cost per acquisition through this channel
Step 5: Build ROI calculator
Create a formula the buyer can use to justify the purchase:
- Cost of problem: hours wasted × hourly rate × frequency
- Cost of solution: your pricing
- Net savings: conservative estimate (use 50% of theoretical max)
- Payback period: months until ROI positive
Step 6: Create case study template
Structure for capturing pilot results:
- Company profile (size, industry, role of champion)
- Problem before (quantified)
- Solution implemented (which features, how long to deploy)
- Results after (quantified — same metrics as "before")
- Quote from champion
Step 7: Define success metrics
- Pilot conversion rate target: what % of pilots should convert?
- Time to close: expected days from first touch to signed deal
- Expansion signal: what behavior indicates upsell opportunity?
Output
Write .forge/gtm.md with all sections above. Prepend a forge:meta header (generated_by: gtm-strategy, generated_at: <ISO 8601 UTC with Z>, depends_on: [.forge/prd.md, .forge/competitive.md] — paths only, never hashes, generated_from: {.forge/prd.md: <hash>, .forge/competitive.md: <hash>} — each upstream's content_hash AT generation time, content_hash: <sha256 first 8 of THIS file's body>). See forge-dependency-graph.
After writing: "GTM strategy written to .forge/gtm.md."
Verification
1---2name: gtm-strategy3description: Use when user says "go to market", "GTM", "how do we sell this", "find customers", when planning a launch, when defining the ideal customer profile, when designing a pilot program before broad launch, or when a structured sales motion needs to be documented.4---56# GTM Strategy78## Overview910Read `.forge/prd.md` and `.forge/competitive.md` to produce `.forge/gtm.md` — a concrete go-to-market plan. The output must be specific enough that a sales team can execute it without verbal briefing. ICP is a named persona, not a market segment.1112## When to Use1314- `.forge/prd.md` exists and the product is approaching market readiness15- User asks "how do we sell this" or "who do we sell to first"16- Competitive analysis is done and positioning is clear17- Need a pilot program design or ROI framework1819## When NOT to Use2021- No PRD exists — run `spec-driven-development` first22- Product is pre-idea — run `idea-griller` first23- User wants to refine the product, not sell it — use `spec-driven-development`2425## Common Rationalizations2627| Thought | Reality |28|---------|---------|29| "Our ICP is SMBs" | That's a market segment, not a person. Name the title, company size, and daily pain |30| "The product sells itself" | No product sells itself. Name the channel, motion, and first touchpoint |31| "We'll figure out pricing later" | Pricing shapes positioning. A free tool and a $500/mo platform attract different buyers |32| "ROI is hard to quantify" | If the buyer can't calculate ROI, they can't justify the purchase internally |33| "We don't need a pilot — just launch" | Pilots generate case studies. Case studies close deals. No pilot = no proof |3435## Red Flags3637- ICP is a market segment ("SMBs", "enterprises") instead of a named persona38- Wedge feature is the entire product (not a wedge — it's the whole door)39- Sales channel is "inbound" with no specifics on content strategy or distribution40- ROI calculator uses aspirational numbers instead of conservative estimates41- Pilot has no success criteria or timeline42- Case study template doesn't include quantified before/after4344## Core Process4546### Step 1: Define ICP4748Name the person, not the market:49- **Title**: specific role (e.g., "VP of Sales at a 50-200 person B2B SaaS company")50- **Daily pain**: what frustrates them this week, not abstractly51- **Current solution**: what they do today (the status quo from competitive analysis)52- **Budget authority**: can they sign a check, or do they need approval?53- **Where they hang out**: conferences, communities, publications, Slack groups5455### Step 2: Identify the wedge5657The wedge is the ONE feature that gets you in the door. Not the whole product — the single capability that makes the ICP say "I need this today."5859Rules: the wedge must solve an acute pain (not a nice-to-have), be demonstrable in under 5 minutes, and be usable without the rest of the product.6061### Step 3: Design the pilot program6263- **Duration**: typically 2-4 weeks64- **Success criteria**: specific metrics the pilot must hit (not "they liked it")65- **Pilot scope**: what's included, what's explicitly out66- **Support model**: how much hand-holding during pilot67- **Conversion trigger**: what happens at pilot end — auto-convert, sales call, or expire?6869### Step 4: Map sales channels7071For each channel, specify:72- **Channel**: outbound, inbound content, partnerships, PLG, community, events73- **Motion**: exact sequence (e.g., "LinkedIn post → DM → demo → pilot → close")74- **Volume**: how many touchpoints per week to generate pipeline75- **CAC estimate**: approximate cost per acquisition through this channel7677### Step 5: Build ROI calculator7879Create a formula the buyer can use to justify the purchase:80- **Cost of problem**: hours wasted × hourly rate × frequency81- **Cost of solution**: your pricing82- **Net savings**: conservative estimate (use 50% of theoretical max)83- **Payback period**: months until ROI positive8485### Step 6: Create case study template8687Structure for capturing pilot results:88- Company profile (size, industry, role of champion)89- Problem before (quantified)90- Solution implemented (which features, how long to deploy)91- Results after (quantified — same metrics as "before")92- Quote from champion9394### Step 7: Define success metrics9596- **Pilot conversion rate target**: what % of pilots should convert?97- **Time to close**: expected days from first touch to signed deal98- **Expansion signal**: what behavior indicates upsell opportunity?99100## Output101102Write `.forge/gtm.md` with all sections above. Prepend a `forge:meta` header (`generated_by: gtm-strategy`, `generated_at: <ISO 8601 UTC with Z>`, `depends_on: [.forge/prd.md, .forge/competitive.md]` — paths only, never hashes, `generated_from: {.forge/prd.md: <hash>, .forge/competitive.md: <hash>}` — each upstream's content_hash AT generation time, `content_hash: <sha256 first 8 of THIS file's body>`). See [forge-dependency-graph](../../references/forge-dependency-graph.md).103104After writing: "GTM strategy written to `.forge/gtm.md`."105106## Verification107108- [ ] `.forge/prd.md` and `.forge/competitive.md` read before starting109- [ ] ICP names a specific title and company profile, not a market segment110- [ ] Wedge is one feature, not the whole product111- [ ] Pilot has specific success criteria with numbers112- [ ] ROI calculator uses conservative estimates113- [ ] At least 2 sales channels mapped with specific motions114- [ ] Case study template includes quantified before/after115- [ ] `.forge/gtm.md` written
aneja5