GTM Innovators 2023 Wrap-Up

Season 1 of the GTM Innovators podcast has been a journey of exploration and discovery, where I’ve uncovered some of the best strategies, technologies, and mindsets that drive successful go-to-market (GTM) initiatives. 

Over the past year,  I’ve had the fun job of playing host. This role offered me the privilege of engaging with thought leaders, industry experts, peers, and innovators shaping the future of GTM in 14 binge-worthy episodes. 

Today, as we wrap the series, I’m excited to share my key takeaways and offer an overview of the valuable insights shared. Let’s dig in.

• When creating a more efficient growth engine, place greater emphasis on customer success. How? Sangram Vajre advises leveraging events and community marketing to build trust and foster deep customer connections, unlocking efficient, smart growth.
• Drive company-wide alignment to establish a unified data strategy, and embrace the impact of AI to elevate overall GTM effectiveness. GTM Innovator’s guest Scott Vaughan says to start with leadership and a centralized data team, embracing a unified data approach.
• Implement a demand efficiency benchmarking tool to identify where your GTM strategy is performing well and where gaps exist. This can be a great exercise not only for getting ideas for optimization but also to serve as a starting point to address diverging perceptions between executives and other members of a go-to-market team, according to Eli Rubel, CEO of MatterMade.
• Streamline your tech stack strategically to avoid the challenges of a "Frankenstack” by choosing between consolidation and best-in-class solutions. Use contextual awareness, and measurement to strike the right balance between scale and personalization. Learn more from ZoomInfo President & COO Chris Hays.
• Eliminate guesswork by aligning sales and marketing through technology, leveraging AI, big data, and machine learning. As stated by 6sense CEO, Jason Zintak, this will help bridge data gaps, create a cohesive plan, and achieve targeted strategies.
• Overcome the chaos of reality in GTM by adopting an observable mindset, analyzing workflows, removing obstacles, and replicating success factors. Salesloft Chief Product Officer Ellie Fields details how to do just that and how to empower sales teams, drive meaningful improvements, and optimize the seller experience with data in GTM Innovators episode 6.
• Eliminate revenue leakage by empowering your marketers to be accountable for revenue impact. By finding disconnects in your tech stack (implement integrations), being intentional about revenue cadences, and putting emphasis on data visibility your organization will be able to deliver an impactful and aligned GTM strategy. Hear more from Mike’s discussion with Kurt Leafstrand.
• Foster collaboration by emphasizing enablement, shifting from transactional to narrative-focused content, and implementing a three-tiered segmentation strategy. According to Robert Rose, that includes these parameters: Is it visionary? Is it the implication of that vision? Is it a “how-to”? More on infusing enablement into content strategy in episode 8.
• Combat B2B inflation with generative AI, intent data, automation, and genuine human connection. Sales & marketing must work to align their processes with these factors in mind. 6sense CRO, Latané Conant, says BDR strategies have to constantly adapt to market changes while maintaining a balance between new innovations and human relationships. 
• Break down silos in your organization using RevOps to foster collaboration, align goals, and enhance efficiency. Start by utilizing a more holistic approach, building internal relationships with department leaders, and implementing early communications and hybrid models. Get a clear RevOps picture from GoNimbly CEO, Jen Igartua, in episode 10.
• Transform your GTM strategy by adopting an outside-in mindset, prioritizing customer empathy, and operationalizing a dynamic CX matrix. Companies embracing these shifts are gaining a significant advantage, staying ahead of the curve, and maintaining dynamicity as buyer journeys evolve. GTM Innovator’s guest John Ellet has the details in episode 11.
• Cut through B2B marketing buzzwords by creating helpful and contextual content, ensuring consistency, and finding the right balance between strategies for maximum impact. Build an effective contextual content marketing plan that moves away from hyper-targeted strategies and toward broader audience pain points & challenges. Learn about Michael Brenner’s four-step approach in episode 12.
• Optimize sales time by leveraging technology, prioritizing client-facing impact, and aligning supportive marketing efforts for maximum efficiency. In doing so, you’ll be able to give your sellers and marketers time to focus on what truly matters: building relationships & making sales happen. Learn more from Gong’s Chief Innovation Officer, Ryan Longfield.
• Navigate the complex world of sales and marketing technology by focusing on thought leadership communities, driving organic web traffic, and harnessing generative AI capabilities. According to Salesforce Sales Cloud CMO Amber Armstrong, prioritizing these components alongside trust and clarity across sales & marketing teams will lead to improved (and priceless) collaboration and insights. 

This season has created a treasure trove of tactics that define GTM success, and these core learnings I’ve listed encapsulate the essence of the transformative knowledge shared by our exceptional guests.

As we look ahead to the rest of 2024 and beyond, I hope we as a community remain committed to unraveling the innovations shaping the dynamic world of GTM strategies. I’d like to express my gratitude to all these leaders who generously shared their time and expertise with me and all our listeners.

If you haven’t already, head over to GTMInnovators.com or YouTube here to hear me chat with all 14 of our experts.

You can connect with them all on LinkedIn here: Amber Armstrong, Ryan Longfield, Michael Brenner, John Ellet, Jen Igartua, Latané Conant, Robert Rose, Kurt Leafstrand, Ellie Fields, Jason Zintak, Chris Hays, Eli Rubel, Scott Vaughan, Sangram Vajre.