Why GTM or GTFO Exists

If you think your product is the moat… you’re already sinking. You 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 half-ass your GTM. The only real moat is a great GTM. Build it. Execute it. Or GTFO.

80% of people suck at GTM. Same emails. Same generic calls. Same AI “I saw you liked INSERT NAME’s post - wanna buy?” No personality. No humour. No reason to care.

Right here, every two weeks you will get short drops about;

• Getting sh$t done - practical GTM wins and mistakes

• Life as an Independent GTM Operator - solopreneur stuff, client life, how to not mess it up and some wild ideas to make it fun

If you want to learn with me, laugh with me (and at me) and actually get better at GTM - follow along. If you’re hunting for silver-bullet hacks, wrong inbox. GTM or GTFO.

Coach discovery with facts, not feelings

“The meeting went well” is the biggest lie in sales. A smiling prospect is not a committed buyer.

Use these four simple habits CONSISTENTLY and I promise your teams discovery calls will allow you to move the deal forward. Or, you will know to not waste your time.

1. Define success up front
Open with, “By the end of this call we should know if it makes sense to schedule a pricing workshop next week.”

and follow that with… “At the end of this call, I will ask you directly your thoughts and if you think it’s worth both our time to move this forward, will you provide me with a your honest feedback and answer when i ask?”

Now both sides chase the same finish line.

2. Qualify again, even late stage
Don’t assume anything. Always ask and reconfirm , core problems, timeline, decision makers, process and urgency.

Assumptions kill deals faster than competitors.

3. BAMFAM
If you got a positive to point #1 then be sure to Book A Meeting From A Meeting.

Do not hang up until the follow-up is on everyone’s calendar.

4. Same-day summary and proper meeting follow-up
Send a recap email before the day ends. List what you heard, what you promised, and what they owe you. Do both group follow-up and personal follow-ups (see image) Momentum loves clarity.

Coach your reps on evidence

Don’t ask - What do you think the chances are?

Ask - What evidence do you have?

Don’t ask - What’s the chance of closing?

Ask - What are the two biggest roadblocks from this happening?

Don’t ask - What’s the timing of the decision?

Ask - What is the specific event/trigger for them to say yes?

After every call ask for three proof points, not opinions.

1) Did the buyer state a clear problem? Show me where in the transcript.
2) Did they confirm urgency and specific next step with the economic buyer?
3) Is the follow-up meeting booked on the calendar?

If any answer is no, the meeting did not go well. Fix the gap before the next call.

Of course after you do a great discovery, you will need to provide a demo.
You can not provide a great demo that crushes without good discovery. Stay tuned for next week for a great demo scorecard to help you actually measure why happened not just how it felt.

GTM or GTFO action

After your very next discovery call, score it with the three proof questions above. If you miss one, schedule a five-minute role play fix with the rep.

Do the work. Win the deals. Or GTFO.

Dad what do you actually do every day?

This is my life as an Independent Operator.

My kids asked me last week. “Dad what do you actually do every day?”
You have to love when your own children are unsure what puts food on the table.

I tried to explain by using the word “advisor” and the word “fractional” and none of it hit home.

Then I said this…. I help CEOs and Founders of companies figure out how to sell more, grow faster and fix things in their company that may be broken. They got it.

The question made me think about labels and titles and how they only mean something when the person on the other side knows exactly what they mean.

Thats the case with “fractional”

So many people have the wrong impression of what this is when it comes to executive leadership. People toss it around with consultant and advisor and more often with operator.

But in reality the only question that matters when I talk to CEO’s who need some help is. - “Do you need my head only, or my head and hands?”

Here is the honest answer. Fractional CRO is not a title. It is a seat you step into and own.

• I dig into the revenue engine. Find bottlenecks. Remove them.

• I write messaging. Sit on customer calls. Redesign enablement.

• I fix the handoff from demo to close. Pull sales and marketing into the same room until the numbers line up.

• I carry the target like any full-time CRO, but on a part-time contract. No politics. No excuses.

• When the motion runs on its own, I hire my replacement, hand over the keys, and step out.

A founder once asked me to “pump up the reps” because deals were not moving. I joined their next discovery call and ran a ten minute expectation setting chat with the prospect to show them how to make sure a deal was a real opportunity to begin with.
The prospect listed every decision maker, agreed on budget, and booked the technical review on the spot. Average cycle time dropped from sixty eight to forty two days in one quarter. When a proper “expectation setting” discussion is held you get exactly what you need, and if they don’t give it to you. It’s a no anyway.

Want to learn how to have a proper Expectation Setting chat with your prospect? Reply with Real Opp? and I will share with you.

Curious about the fractional path? Reply with Fractional and I will share how I coach new leaders into this seat.

Thanks for reading

Know someone who needs some GTM or someone who should GTFO :) Forward this issue to them. See you next week.