GTM Planning

Comprehensive go-to-market planning including channel strategy, tactics, timeline, and budget allocation.

Purpose

GTM planning translates positioning and messaging into market execution:

• Defines how to reach target customers
• Specifies channels and tactics
• Creates timeline and milestones
• Allocates resources and budget

HARD GATE: Positioning and messaging MUST be completed before GTM planning.

Process

Phase 1: GTM Strategy

Define strategic approach:

## GTM Strategy

### Launch Type
**Type:** [New Product / Major Feature / Minor Update / Repositioning]
**Tier:** [Tier 1 (Max) / Tier 2 (Moderate) / Tier 3 (Minimal)]
**Rationale:** [Why this tier]

### GTM Model
**Primary Model:** [Product-Led / Sales-Led / Partner-Led / Hybrid]
**Motion:**
- **Acquisition:** [How we get customers]
- **Activation:** [How we convert trials]
- **Monetization:** [How we generate revenue]

### Target Metrics
| Metric | Target | Timeline |
|--------|--------|----------|
| Awareness: [Metric] | [Target] | [By when] |
| Consideration: [Metric] | [Target] | [By when] |
| Conversion: [Metric] | [Target] | [By when] |
| Revenue: [Metric] | [Target] | [By when] |

### Success Criteria
- **Launch Success:** [Definition]
- **30-Day Success:** [Definition]
- **90-Day Success:** [Definition]

Phase 2: Channel Strategy

Select and prioritize channels:

## Channel Strategy

### Channel Evaluation
| Channel | Reach | Cost | Fit | Priority |
|---------|-------|------|-----|----------|
| [Channel 1] | HIGH/MED/LOW | HIGH/MED/LOW | HIGH/MED/LOW | PRIMARY/SECONDARY/TERTIARY |
| [Channel 2] | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| [Channel 3] | ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Primary Channels
**Channel 1: [Name]**
- Role: [Awareness / Consideration / Conversion]
- Investment: [$ or %]
- Expected Outcome: [Metric]
- Timeline: [When active]

**Channel 2: [Name]**
[Repeat structure]

### Channel Mix
| Stage | Channels | Budget Allocation |
|-------|----------|------------------|
| Awareness | [Channel list] | X% |
| Consideration | [Channel list] | X% |
| Conversion | [Channel list] | X% |
| Retention | [Channel list] | X% |

### Channel Dependencies
- [Channel X] feeds [Channel Y]
- [Sequential requirements]

Phase 3: Tactical Plan

Define specific tactics:

## Tactical Plan

### Launch Tactics
| Tactic | Channel | Owner | Timeline | Budget |
|--------|---------|-------|----------|--------|
| [Tactic 1] | [Channel] | [Team/Person] | [Date] | [$] |
| [Tactic 2] | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| [Tactic 3] | ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Content Plan
| Content Type | Purpose | Channel | Due Date |
|--------------|---------|---------|----------|
| [Blog post] | [Awareness] | [Blog] | [Date] |
| [Case study] | [Consideration] | [Sales] | [Date] |
| [Demo video] | [Conversion] | [Website] | [Date] |

### Campaign Plan
**Campaign 1: [Name]**
- Objective: [What we want to achieve]
- Audience: [Target segment]
- Channels: [Channel list]
- Timeline: [Start - End]
- Key Messages: [From messaging framework]
- Creative Requirements: [Assets needed]
- Budget: [$]
- Success Metric: [KPI]

### Partner/Influencer Plan
| Partner Type | Target | Value Prop | Status |
|--------------|--------|------------|--------|
| [Type 1] | [Specific partner] | [Why they'd participate] | NOT STARTED/IN PROGRESS/CONFIRMED |

### PR Plan
| Activity | Target | Timeline | Status |
|----------|--------|----------|--------|
| Press release | [Publication targets] | [Date] | DRAFT/FINAL |
| Analyst briefing | [Analyst targets] | [Date] | SCHEDULED/PENDING |
| Media outreach | [Media targets] | [Date] | IN PROGRESS/NOT STARTED |

Phase 4: Timeline and Milestones

Create launch timeline:

## Launch Timeline

### Key Milestones
| Milestone | Date | Dependencies | Owner |
|-----------|------|--------------|-------|
| GTM Plan Approved | [Date] | [None] | [Owner] |
| Content Complete | [Date] | [Messaging final] | [Owner] |
| Sales Enablement Complete | [Date] | [Content complete] | [Owner] |
| Launch Day | [Date] | [All above] | [Owner] |
| 30-Day Review | [Date] | [Launch day] | [Owner] |

### Weekly Schedule (Launch -4 weeks to Launch +2 weeks)

**Week -4:**
- [ ] [Task 1]
- [ ] [Task 2]

**Week -3:**
- [ ] [Task 1]
- [ ] [Task 2]

**Week -2:**
- [ ] [Task 1]
- [ ] [Task 2]

**Week -1:**
- [ ] [Task 1]
- [ ] [Task 2]

**Launch Week:**
- [ ] [Task 1]
- [ ] [Task 2]

**Week +1:**
- [ ] [Task 1]
- [ ] [Task 2]

**Week +2:**
- [ ] [Task 1]
- [ ] [Task 2]

Phase 5: Budget and Resources

Allocate resources:

## Budget and Resources

### Budget Allocation
| Category | Amount | % of Total |
|----------|--------|------------|
| Paid Media | $X | X% |
| Content Creation | $X | X% |
| Events | $X | X% |
| PR/Analyst | $X | X% |
| Sales Enablement | $X | X% |
| Tools/Tech | $X | X% |
| Contingency | $X | X% |
| **TOTAL** | **$X** | **100%** |

### Resource Requirements
| Role | Commitment | Duration |
|------|------------|----------|
| [Role 1] | [X hours/week] | [Weeks] |
| [Role 2] | [X hours/week] | [Weeks] |

### External Resources
| Need | Type | Budget | Status |
|------|------|--------|--------|
| [Agency/Contractor] | [Purpose] | [$] | IDENTIFIED/ENGAGED |

### Risk and Contingency
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Contingency |
|------|------------|--------|-------------|
| [Risk 1] | HIGH/MED/LOW | HIGH/MED/LOW | [Backup plan] |
| [Risk 2] | ... | ... | ... |

Output Format

# GTM Plan: [Product/Feature]

## Executive Summary
- **Launch Date:** [Date]
- **GTM Model:** [Model]
- **Primary Channels:** [Top 3]
- **Budget:** [$X total]
- **Success Metric:** [Primary KPI]

## GTM Strategy
[Phase 1 output]

## Channel Strategy
[Phase 2 output]

## Tactical Plan
[Phase 3 output]

## Timeline
[Phase 4 output]

## Budget and Resources
[Phase 5 output]

## Approvals Required
- [ ] Marketing Leadership
- [ ] Sales Leadership
- [ ] Product Leadership
- [ ] Executive Sponsor

## Dependencies
- Positioning: [Link to positioning.md]
- Messaging: [Link to messaging-framework.md]
- Pricing: [Link to pricing-strategy.md if available]

Blocker Criteria

Blocker	Action
No positioning/messaging	STOP. Complete prerequisites first.
Budget not approved	STOP. Cannot plan without budget clarity.
Launch date not set	STOP. Timeline requires fixed launch date.
No channel alignment	STOP. Stakeholders must agree on channels.

Anti-Rationalization Table

See shared-patterns/anti-rationalization.md for universal anti-rationalizations.

Gate-Specific Anti-Rationalizations

Rationalization	Why It's WRONG	Required Action
"We'll figure out budget later"	Budget determines tactics. Tactics without budget are wishes.	Define budget before tactics
"All channels are important"	All channels = no focus. Prioritization is mandatory.	Rank and prioritize channels
"Timeline is flexible"	Flexible timelines cause scope creep and delays	Set fixed milestones
"We know what works"	Past success ≠ future success. Markets change.	Evaluate channels systematically

Pressure Resistance

See shared-patterns/pressure-resistance.md for universal pressure scenarios.

Gate-Specific Pressures

Pressure Type	Request	Agent Response
"Just launch"	"We'll plan as we go"	"Unplanned launches waste resources. Completing GTM plan."
"Copy competitor's GTM"	"They succeeded, do what they did"	"Competitor GTM serves their positioning. Creating unique GTM."
"Cut the timeline"	"We need to launch faster"	"Rushed GTM causes launch failures. Recommend scope reduction instead."

Execution Report

Base metrics per shared-patterns/execution-report.md:

Metric	Value
Duration	Xm Ys
Iterations	N
Result	PASS/FAIL/PARTIAL

Gate-Specific Details

• channels_evaluated: N
• channels_selected: N
• tactics_planned: N
• milestones_defined: N
• budget_allocated: YES/NO
• timeline_created: YES/NO