Break into a GTM career

Work out which seat you want, then get good enough at the craft to be hired into it.

4 steps, 16 questions underneath, read for breaking into gtm

1. 1
   What GTM actually is

   The job behind the acronym: how a product finds, wins and keeps customers, and who does what.

   What does 'go to market' actually mean? People say GTM constantly and I still cannot define it. 4 → I am a founder and I have never sold anything in my life. Where do I actually start? 5 → I run a services or agency business, not a product. Does GTM mean anything different for me? 3 → We are bootstrapped with no money for marketing. What does GTM look like without a budget? 4 →
2. 2
   GTM roles and career paths

   SDR, AE, AM, growth, product marketing, RevOps, sales leadership: what each one really does and how people move between them.

   SDR, AE, AM, growth, PMM, RevOps: what do these people actually do all day? 6 → I want to start a GTM career in India but I have zero sales experience. What is the realistic first job? 4 → I am an engineer, a consultant, or fresh out of an MBA. How do I actually switch into GTM? 5 → Big company or startup for my first GTM job? 4 →
3. 3
   Outbound that works

   Cold email, cold calls, LinkedIn, sequences and lists. How to start conversations with people who have never heard of you.

   I have never sent a cold email in my life. Where do I even start? 4 → I am a founder in India and my buyers are in the US. How do I get a stranger twelve time zones away to reply? 4 → My cold emails keep landing in spam. How do I set up sending so they actually reach an inbox? 4 → Is LinkedIn a real outbound channel or just noise? Should I be using it alongside cold email? 4 →
4. 4
   Running a sales process and closing

   Discovery, demos, qualification, champions, procurement and the last mile to a signature.

   I have a call booked with a real prospect tomorrow. What do I do on it? 4 → Founder-led sales sounds terrifying. Why can I not just hire a salesperson? 4 → The buyer said yes, and now it is going to legal and security. What actually happens next? 4 → Everyone says find a champion. What does that actually mean, and how do I know if I have one? 4 →