In B2B SaaS, a well-structured go-to-market (GTM) strategy is essential for survival. Up to 90% of B2B SaaS startups struggle to scale due to weak GTM strategies, so the difference between success and failure often comes down to how effectively you plan and execute your market entry.
This comprehensive checklist, built on the principles of our ARISE GTM Methodology®, will guide you through creating a robust GTM strategy that aligns your marketing, sales, and customer success teams to drive sustainable growth.
Every business must plan its go-to-market strategy. As we often tell our clients, it's not a nice-to-have; it's a need-to-have. For those who decide to "just get on with it," you'll likely find yourself picking apart problems and trying to re-optimise your approach down the line.
The SaaS industry is particularly challenging due to:
Long sales cycles with multiple decision-makers (often 6-10 stakeholders per buying process)
Highly informed and cautious buyers (73% of B2B buyers now expect personalised, consultative sales experiences)
Intense competition in a rapidly growing market (expected to reach $232 billion by 2024)
A well-executed GTM strategy ensures your product reaches the right audience at the right time with the right message, setting the foundation for product-market fit and sustainable growth. It helps your organisation understand:
Customer pain points
The buyer's journey
Which marketing channels your potential customers use
How to align marketing and sales
How to define the sales process
At Arise GTM, we've developed the ARISE GTM Methodology® as a comprehensive, research-backed framework for optimising marketing, sales, and success for B2B tech and service companies. Unlike many other practitioners who jump straight to RevOps or focus on subset specialisms like pricing or positioning, we focus on building a complete GTM flywheel.
The ARISE framework provides a step-by-step approach designed to help B2B SaaS, fintech, and tech-enabled businesses bring their products to market efficiently and effectively. It aligns sales, marketing, and customer success to create a unified strategy.
Before diving into tactical execution, establish clear strategic objectives using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Bound).
Checklist items:
Answer the 5 W questions for each goal (Who, What, When, Where, Why)
Limit yourself to three advantageous goals per 90-day period
Break down goals into actionable objectives with clear timelines
Ensure alignment with overarching business strategy
Your GTM strategy starts with understanding who you're selling to. This foundation will inform every subsequent decision in your strategy.
Checklist items:
Create detailed buyer personas based on data, not assumptions
Conduct thorough market research to understand:
Clear positioning is crucial for standing out in the crowded SaaS marketplace.
Checklist items:
Craft a compelling value proposition that addresses specific customer pain points
Define your unique selling points compared to competitors
Create messaging that resonates with your target audience at different buying stages
Develop positioning statements for different market segments
Your pricing strategy is a critical component of your GTM approach and directly impacts your revenue goals.
Checklist items:
Research competitive pricing in your market
Define your pricing policy and structure
Decide on pricing models (subscription, usage-based, tiered, etc.)
Set pricing tiers that encourage upgrades and expansion
Determine discount policies and promotional strategies
One of the biggest GTM challenges is the disconnect between sales and marketing. Your checklist should address this head-on.
Checklist items:
Define lead qualification criteria agreed upon by both teams
Establish clear handoff processes between marketing and sales
Create a service level agreement (SLA) between departments
Implement shared KPIs that encourage collaboration
Develop sales enablement materials that support the buyer journey
Without effective demand generation, even the most innovative SaaS product can struggle to stand out.
Checklist items:
Select appropriate marketing channels based on where your audience is active
Develop a content marketing strategy aligned with the buyer journey
Plan educational content that establishes thought leadership
Create a lead-nurturing workflow
Implement lead scoring to prioritise high-potential prospects
Design targeted campaigns for different segments and buying stages
Customer onboarding is critical for any sales or product-led software organisation. It sets the tone for the entire customer relationship and plays an important part in your product experience.
Checklist items:
Design a structured onboarding checklist
Create welcome materials and training resources
Establish touchpoints throughout the onboarding journey
Set up success metrics for the onboarding process
Implement feedback loops to continuously improve onboarding
Tracking the right metrics is essential for understanding GTM effectiveness and making data-driven adjustments.
Checklist items:
Define leading and lagging indicators for each GTM function
Establish benchmarks and targets for each metric
Set up reporting dashboards for regular monitoring
Implement a data-driven decision-making process
Schedule regular review meetings to assess performance
Checklist items:
Complete all product testing and ensure readiness
Prepare marketing collateral and sales enablement materials
Train sales and customer success teams
Set up analytics tracking
Prepare launch communications
Establish a feedback collection system
Checklist items:
Implement demand generation campaigns
Activate sales outreach strategies
Monitor early adoption metrics closely
Collect and address initial customer feedback
Adjust messaging based on market response
Track competitive reactions
Checklist items:
Analyse performance against pre-defined KPIs
Identify and address bottlenecks in the customer journey
Refine ideal customer profiles based on actual conversions
Optimise pricing if necessary
Scale successful acquisition channels
As you implement your GTM strategy, be aware of these common mistakes:
Inadequate market research: Basing your strategy on assumptions rather than data leads to misaligned offerings and messaging
Poorly defined ICP: Without clarity on your ideal customers, resources are wasted on low-fit prospects
Misaligned teams: When sales, marketing, and customer success operate in silos, the customer experience suffers
Unrealistic timelines: Market entry requires patience and persistence; don't expect overnight success
Neglecting post-sale experience: Customer onboarding and success are crucial components of a complete GTM strategy
A comprehensive B2B SaaS go-to-market checklist is your roadmap to successful market entry and sustainable growth. The ARISE GTM Methodology® provides a structured framework that aligns your entire organisation around a cohesive strategy, ensuring that marketing, sales, and customer success work in harmony.
Remember that market expansion is a journey, not a sprint. Each step brings you closer to your goal of breaking into and thriving in your target market. Demand generation may feel challenging at first, but every action you take lays the foundation for long-term success.
By following this checklist and avoiding common pitfalls, you'll be well-positioned to launch your B2B SaaS offering effectively, win customers, and drive sustainable growth. As Paul Sullivan notes in "Go-To-Market Uncovered," success comes from a clear, structured blueprint for turning ideas into commercial success.
Are you looking for personalised guidance on your GTM strategy? In that case, our ARISE methodology accelerates operational alignment and growth through a done-for-you GTM strategy that gets you to market in under 30 days—and includes the vital competitor analysis, positioning, messaging, value proposition, and buyer journey creation you need to make an impact.