Gtm

GTM Strategy — Positioning, Channels, Pricing, Launch

Turn "we built something good" into "the right people hear about it, get it, and buy it." Order matters: positioning → messaging → channels → pricing → launch plan — each builds on the previous; never start at channels.

Shared conventions (venture suite)

• Workspace: locate ventures/ in the current working directory (ask once and create if missing). All outputs go to ventures/<slug>/<NN-module>/.
• Templates are read-only. Files under a skill's references/ live inside the installed plugin and are shared by every venture. Never write to them. "Fill template X" always means: copy it into ventures/<slug>/<NN-module>/ under a dated name and fill the copy.
• Read VENTURE.md first. When done: update its Status table and append key findings to "Key facts & numbers" (format: - [module, YYYY-MM-DD] finding (source, confidence)).
• Language: converse in the user's language. Write formal deliverables (reports, canvases, battlecards) in the report_language set in VENTURE.md. Persian reports keep standard English business terms as-is (TAM, SAM, SOM, CAC, LTV, GTM, churn, retention...).
• Research integrity: cite every external claim (source + date). Mark every estimate with confidence (high/med/low). Never fabricate numbers — write "no data found" instead.
• Chain: end by updating VENTURE.md and suggesting the logical next module.

Prerequisites check (do this first)

GTM quality is capped by its inputs. Check VENTURE.md status:

• competitors not done → warn: positioning against unknown alternatives is guessing. Offer a quick inline competitive scan (30 min) or full /venture:competitors first.
• market-research not done → warn: channel/segment choices will be assumption-based. Proceed only if user accepts; mark affected sections assumption-based explicitly.
• PMF weak or unmeasured (for stage launched+) → say the hard thing: scaling GTM on weak PMF burns money; recommend /venture:pmf first. User may still proceed — design a validation-oriented GTM (small bets, learning goals) not a scaling one.

Scope with the user: full GTM or one piece (just positioning / just launch plan / just channels)? Each section below stands alone.

Workflow

1. Positioning (April Dunford's 5 steps)

Template: references/positioning-canvas.md → fill a copy at 05-gtm/positioning-YYYY-MM-DD.md.

① Real competitive alternatives (what would customers do without you — often "spreadsheet + secretary") → ② unique attributes you have and they don't → ③ value those attributes enable (so what?) → ④ who cares most about that value (= sharpened ICP) → ⑤ market category to frame it in (existing category = instant comprehension; new category = expensive education — recommend one).

Use as raw material: competitor matrix, PMF fit-segment, customer quotes from discovery (the "very disappointed" users' words are positioning gold).

2. Messaging house

Template: references/messaging-house.md → fill a copy at 05-gtm/messaging-YYYY-MM-DD.md.

One promise (roof), 3 pillars with proof points, objection handling. Write in the customers' language (≠ report language, if they differ). No feature-listing: every pillar = customer outcome.

3. Channel strategy (Bullseye)

Template: references/channel-playbook.md → fill a copy at 05-gtm/channels-YYYY-MM-DD.md.

Brainstorm wide across the channel menu → score each: ICP presence, expected CAC vs price point, speed-to-signal, fit with founder skills → pick 1–2 core + 1 experimental (not five). For each: first concrete experiment, budget cap, success metric, kill criterion. Match channel economics to price: a $10/mo product cannot afford founder-led sales; a $20k/yr product can't rely on viral loops.

4. Pricing strategy

• Anchor to value and alternatives (from positioning ①), not cost-plus.
• Structure: tiers (good/better/best), per-seat vs flat vs usage — recommend with reasoning for this business type.
• If user has customer access: include the 4 Van Westendorp questions (too cheap / cheap / expensive / too expensive) to run in discovery calls.
• Local-market reality: purchasing-power-adjust; note local norms (in Iran: annual upfront billing common, USD-pegged pricing risky — flag such factors for the relevant geography).
• Give a starting price + rationale + the experiment to test it (e.g. next 10 sales calls at +30%). State it's a hypothesis: pricing is iterated, not solved.

5. Launch plan

Template: references/launch-checklist.md → fill a copy at 05-gtm/launch-plan-YYYY-MM-DD.md.

Pre-launch (audience building, beta list, assets) → launch week (sequenced, owner per item) → post-launch (the launch is a spike; the plan for week 2+ matters more). Calibrate size to reality: a B2B tool's "launch" may be 20 outbound emails — that's fine, say so.

6. Metrics & targets

Per channel: leads/signups, activation, CAC. Overall: pipeline or week-over-week growth target. Set review date (typically +30d) to revisit with /venture:review.

Output & close

Save as ventures/<slug>/05-gtm/gtm-strategy-YYYY-MM-DD.md (or positioning-YYYY-MM-DD.md etc. for partial runs) in report_language. Update VENTURE.md (status, key facts: positioning one-liner, chosen channels, starting price; new assumptions → riskiest list with test plan). Suggest next: /venture:model (pricing feeds unit economics) or /venture:review after 30 days of GTM execution.

Quality bar

• Positioning statement must make a specific person say "that's for me" — if it could fit any product, redo step ②.
• Every channel recommendation carries a cost-bounded experiment with a kill criterion. No "do content marketing" hand-waving.
• The deliverable must be executable by one founder with limited budget unless VENTURE.md says otherwise.