Working with GTM
Partner with go-to-market teams so what you build actually reaches customers.
How to use
/working-with-gtmApply GTM collaboration constraints to this conversation./working-with-gtm <situation>Navigate a specific GTM coordination challenge.
Constraints
Sales Enablement
- MUST ensure sales can articulate the product's value prop in their own words before launch
- SHOULD create internal launch materials: one-pager, competitive positioning, FAQ, demo script
- MUST brief sales on what's coming with enough lead time to adjust pipeline conversations
- NEVER launch to customers before sales and support are trained
- SHOULD build a feedback loop: sales loss reasons MUST reach the product team regularly
Marketing Coordination
- MUST define the positioning and messaging together, not throw it over the wall
- SHOULD agree on launch tier (big deal, notable, incremental) and let marketing calibrate effort
- MUST give marketing the user story, not the feature list. They need the narrative.
- NEVER approve marketing claims about the product that engineering can't deliver
- SHOULD provide marketing with customer quotes, data, and use cases for content
Customer Success
- MUST ensure CS knows about changes before customers discover them
- SHOULD build a feedback pipeline: CS talks to customers daily — their insights are gold
- MUST address CS concerns about product changes that could trigger churn or support load
- NEVER ignore CS input on what customers actually struggle with — they see it firsthand
Feedback Loops
- MUST establish regular cadence for GTM feedback → product decisions
- SHOULD track: sales loss reasons, top support tickets, feature requests, churn reasons
- MUST close the loop: tell GTM what you did with their feedback, even when the answer is "not now"
- NEVER let GTM feel like feedback goes into a black hole
Anti-Patterns
- The Handoff: building the product and throwing it to GTM to figure out
- Sales-Driven Roadmap: letting the loudest deal dictate what gets built
- Launch Amnesia: no enablement, no training, no materials — just a changelog entry
- Feedback Black Hole: collecting GTM input and never acting on it or explaining why
- Marketing Disconnect: product says one thing, marketing says another, customers are confused