This engagement creates a comprehensive go-to-market plan for the client. The process is guided by an experienced marketing/business strategist and coach, and the deliverable is a go-to-market strategy for a 3- to 5-year time horizon.

Creating a strong go-to-market plan requires teamwork with the client’s executives and other thought leaders within the organization, and potentially strategic clients or partners who may provide valuable input. We use 3 phases to this type of project, with an executive strategy workshop as a key event for synthesizing, generating, and validating the go-to-market strategy.

Phase 1: Market Analysis and Framework Development

During this phase, the G5 team will gather market intelligence through interviews with executives, key employees, clients, and partners, as necessary, as well as information from trade publications, analysts, and industry groups, to create the following foundational content on which to build the go-to-market plan:

1. SWOT Analysis.  This analysis brings together the strategic market factors that should influence the company’s business strategy. It includes the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT), summarized in a graphical format to bring out key market trends.
2. Product Strategy and Portfolio. The G5 team prepares a framework that documents the client’s product/service portfolio (product categories/product lines/products/services), and their current target market and brand reputation. The team also prepares a framework for future or planned products/services, and a roadmap, if necessary, to show the timeline for availability. This will influence the schedule for rollout of sales and marketing.
3. Target Markets and Revenue Potential. The G5 team identifies the market segments and their attributes, the types of buyers, and their preferences, by geography if appropriate. The G5 team sizes these target markets to identify their revenue potential, which assists the executive team in prioritizing resources for each market. A financial projection template is created to assist the executive team in validating revenue targets.
4. Other Existing Business Projections and Plans. The G5 team assembles other existing business projections and plans that may be useful for the executive workshop.

These items are provided to the team identified for the strategy workshop 1 week ahead of the session for review.

Phase 2: Executive Strategy Workshop

The Executive Strategy Workshop is a 2-day intensive strategy working session. The event may be held offsite (recommended), or onsite at the client’s offices. If the client chooses to do an offsite workshop, G5 manages the event logistics. Following is an outline of the agenda for the 2-day workshop. Depending on the Market Analysis and findings, items on the agenda are allocated appropriate timeslots.

Event Agenda

Day 1. The first day of the workshop is a facilitated working session intended to uncover the key strategic issues that the client must address in its go-to-market plan. The outcome of Day 1 is the strategic approach for the client in achieving its revenue and market share goals.

• Identify the Market Opportunity. What are the key market opportunities for the client? Where do we see the most revenue opportunity for the least effort in the market spaces for the client?
• Identify the Offerings. What are the strengths in the client’s product/service offerings – both in reality and in market perception? What are the key needs of the market? Are their gaps between those two categories? Are those gaps opportunities to gain further market share, based on the competitive landscape?
• Identify the Differentiators. What are the key differentiators of the client’s offerings? What are the desired differentiators based on the above? Other questions to be facilitated include:
  • Why will customers choose the client over the competition?
  • What are the key product attributes that the target market desires?
  • Are there other attributes that can create a preferential market perception, such as service, marketing, training, delivery, complimentary products or kits, etc.?
  • How will the evolution of products continue to differentiate the client in the market?
• Identify Target Markets. Prioritize currently served markets based on revenue potential, and identify additional markets to penetrate, and their priority.
• Identify Sales Channels. Evaluate current sales channels, and identify additional sales channels that may be developed. Discuss the merits of the alternatives, and how channel conflict will be avoided.

Day 2. The second day of the workshop is intended to solidify the tactics and goals for the go-to-market plan, after which the G5 team will have the necessary guidance and input to complete the plan.

• Identify the business targets for the next 3 years. Evaluate draft financial projections created by the G5 team based on outcome from Day 1, validate assumptions, and reach consensus on goals.
• Identify the beachhead targets for the next fiscal year (or relevant timeframe). Create the targets for the next fiscal year, to include the following:
  • Key accounts to close or grow
  • Key markets to develop
  • Key relationships to foster
  • Key pipeline metrics to achieve
• Identify initiatives necessary to achieve the targets.
  • Product development and/or launch
  • Sales enablement
  • Marketing and demand generation
  • Support Training
  • New organizational structure, functions, skillsets, or resources
  • Required tools and systems
  • Funding alternatives, if needed
• Identify Assumptions, Risks and Mitigation Approaches. Identify the market, competitive, organization, or financial assumptions upon which successful achievement of the goals are dependent. Discuss the risks associated with those assumptions, other market and/or competitive events affecting the strategy, and how Client would address those events should they arise.

Phase 3: Go to Market Plan Deliverable

Coming out of the Executive Strategy Workshop, the G5 team has the majority of the information required to create the go-to-market plan. There may be additional discussions to finalize or clarify any remaining issues or concerns. The final go-to-market plan is provided for review in draft format within 2 weeks of the workshop, presented to the executive team, and revised based on final feedback. Final plan is delivered 1 week after final feedback.

Components of the final go-to-market plan include the following:

• Review of Market Analysis
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Product Strategy and Portfolio
  • Target Markets and Revenue Potential
• Strategy and Goals
  • Strategy for Revenue and Market Share Growth
  • Corporate Objectives and Revenue Targets
  • Financial Model/Budget Projections, including revenue, profit margin, market share, and headcount. It may be segmented by product category, target market, geography, and/or channel, based on the strategy
  • Brand Strategy: Brand Architecture, Messaging Architecture, and Brand Standard Guidelines
• Tactical Plans and Budgets
  • Sales Channels, Distribution Strategy, and Resources.
  • Integrated Marketing Plan to generate qualified leads and increase pipeline
  • Sales process and enablement requirements to convert to revenue.
  • Marketing Budget Projections. Projected costs to execute the marketing plan.
  • Organizational requirements for delivery and support to ensure customer success, loyalty, and brand equity.
• Risks and Mitigation Strategies. The economic, competitive, and internal risks will be identified, and strategies and tactics for mitigating those risks documented.

There may be additional areas that the client will desire as part of their go-to-market plan, or there may be areas that the client does not need addressed. As part of the process, the requirements for the plan may be revised and tailored to client’s needs.

Find out more about how we can help you create a go-to-market plan to achieve dramatic growth.