A Reality Check: 'Quick Wins' vs Planning for Growth

For those who are not from a sales and marketing background, planning growth can be very challenging. The 'quick win’ route–networking and carrying out basic prospecting and marketing–has been limited and failed them. I have met many businesses that have been chasing 'quick wins' for 15-25 years. For startups, this is a horrifying view of their possible future.

Working with startups and SMEs, Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy and execution is an early discussion point. The basic principles are simple, structured, logical, and proven, making it an excellent starting point for growth discussions.

Many have heard of GTM but don't know the details. Initial reactions to the term are usually positive and curious, accompanied by the practical questions: Is it necessary? How much will it cost? How long will it take? How many people need to be involved? I explain, of course, and provide real-world use cases to demonstrate why having a solid foundation is essential. This is always a reality check about sustainable business growth.

At the negative end of the spectrum, one B2B founder I worked with dismissed GTM and all sales and marketing methodologies as scams. He simply expected sales within a day to a week without investing effort to generate business. While this is an extreme example, many people without a sales background find selling mysterious. Add pressure for quick wins and careful budgeting, and they often oversimplify the sales process to: a person opens doors, closes deals, and the company grows.

A surprising number expect growth without providing product training, supporting materials, demand generation support, or meaningful collaboration. I liken this to piloting a plane with no destination, then throwing a blindfolded salesperson out without a parachute and expecting them to land safely in a specific spot—then blaming them for missing the mark.

The lightbulb moment comes when people see how and why the GTM process is logical and common sense.

Selling is actually a later step in the GTM process for good reason. First, the business must:

1. Identify the best market fit

2. Pin down the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

3. Conduct competitive research to identify strengths and weaknesses

4. Decide on strategic positioning and messaging

5. Set up systems to track buyer intent and signals

6. Feed insights and intel into core commercial systems

7. Execute through multiple marketing channels in parallel with sales strategy

These elements are measured and refined continuously.

A high-level example of how I align sales, marketing, communications, and operations into the GTM framework is available on my GTM page.

I’ve added a free document that shows examples of technology and resources that will help you scale by automating and/or integrating within a GTM process.

Don't chase quick wins for 25 years. Build a foundation to grow from and scale from there.