Go-to-market stage: A guide for Startups scaling to success
Co-Founder & Co-CEO / CFO at Holycode
In the journey of taking a product from concept to market success, the go-to-market stage plays a vital role. At first glance, it may seem straightforward, but companies often fail to recognise when to invest in go-to-market strategies, sometimes even reaching Series A or B funding rounds without the necessary infrastructure for growth.
Scaling a startup isn’t just about hiring more people—it requires a go-to-market strategy that moves beyond intuition and manual processes. Many founders focus on product development but delay setting up the infrastructure for growth, even after Series A or B. The transition from a founder-led approach to a structured, scalable model is essential. This means defining your ideal customer profile (ICP), refining sales processes, and implementing a CRM to support sales and onboarding.
The importance of defining your ideal customer profile
The initial step in the go-to-market stage is identifying your ideal customer profile (ICP). After testing your product with various customers to validate its value, it’s time to focus on two to three ideal customer profiles where you really want to drill down into. Why is this important? Well, because if you try to make an amazing product for the entire market, you risk becoming irrelevant to all customers.
Different customer profiles may have different budgets and needs, which can impact the size of the deal they are willing to engage in.
And different deal sizes require different go-to-market models. For example:
- Below $2,000: A product-led growth model works best.
- $2,000–$10,000: A hybrid approach combining a product-led approach with a low-touch sales team.
- $10,000–$50,000: A field sales or BDRA (Business development & revenue acceleration) structure becomes essential.
- Above $50,000: A high-touch, Account-based marketing (ABM) or Account-based sales (ABS) model is most effective.
At Holycode, we struggled with this until about a year ago. We initially relied on a product-led model, but with Peakora’s help, we pivoted to an account-based approach—and immediately saw improvements.
Understanding your ICP lets you tailor marketing, sales, and product development for better results.
Sales vs. marketing: Prioritising hiring in your go-to-market strategy
After that, a critical decision for growing your startup is determining whether to prioritise sales or marketing efforts.
Prioritising demand: You must decide if you need more leads to boost sales or additional sales personnel to convert existing leads effectively. Ensure that demand exists before hiring sales personnel. If you hire without adequate demand, the sales team may struggle to build their own pipeline, leading to inefficiency. Carefully evaluate market demand and align your hiring strategies accordingly so you can optimise resource allocation and maximise revenue generation.
Assessing and complementing founder skill sets: Before expanding the team, founders should assess their own skill sets. That allows for strategic hiring to complement the founders’ skills. For example, if a founder excels in marketing, they should hire sales professionals with strong negotiation and relationship-building skills, ensuring a well-rounded team capable of addressing diverse sales challenges. While founder skill alignment is crucial in the early stages of team expansion, it becomes less significant as the team grows. After the initial hires, focus on demand and organisational needs rather than founder skill alignment.
Laying down the playbook for the sales team: Founders know the company really well and they rely on intuition when making early sales, but as a company grows, a structured sales process becomes essential. So before you hire the first sales personnel, you need to lay down a clear sales methodology, including lead qualification, sales stages, and closing techniques. That way, the salespeople can run that process easily and effectively.
Implementing CRM systems to strengthen your go-to-market execution
The CRM is a tool that supports you in the sales process and helps you optimise them.
For B2B companies, the main CRM options are Salesforce, HubSpot and some cheaper and simpler options, like Pipedrive and similar platforms. Our pick is definitely HubSpot. It’s intuitive and scalable. It also has discounts for startups, which is always a plus.
For B2C companies: Even if you have an online shop or email marketing tool, a CRM is essential for re-engaging customers and building retention campaigns. Klaviyo, for example, is great for tracking customer interactions and sending personalized campaigns.
Implementation Tips:
- Get expert help: Invest in a proper setup with a CRM expert. It’s worth it to avoid future headaches and costly mistakes.
- Train your team: Make sure everyone knows how to use the CRM correctly from day one.
- Regular check-Ins: Review your data frequently to keep things organised. Train and retrain your team to maintain consistency.
Tracking Your Progress
Effectively tracking your initiatives and experiments is crucial for learning and improvement. While CRMs focus on customer relationships, tools like Notion, Jira, and Trello excel at project management and knowledge sharing. Choose the tool that best suits your team’s size and complexity of projects.
My Key Takeaways
Successfully navigating the go-to-market stage requires a strategic approach that focuses on understanding your target market, building a skilled team, and leveraging the right tools. By defining your ideal customer profile, optimising sales processes, and implementing effective CRM systems, you can lay a solid foundation for your startups’ growth. Remember, the journey from product to market is dynamic, and continuous adaptation is key. By prioritising customer satisfaction, investing in employee development, and tracking key metrics, you can position your startup for long-term success.
Need help refining your go-to-market strategy or building scalable sales infrastructure? Get in touch with us — we’re happy to help.
Co-Founder & Co-CEO / CFO at Holycode
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