Working with GTM

Partner with go-to-market teams so what you build actually reaches customers.

How to use

• /working-with-gtm Apply 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