Qpm-gtm

Scope Boundary

Distinct from: Qpm-strategy (analysis), Qpm-prd (product spec). This skill plans go-to-market execution: beachhead selection, ICP definition, growth loop design, and launch messaging. It does not perform market analysis (see /Qpm-strategy) or detail product requirements (see /Qpm-prd). GTM answers how to sell and grow; strategy answers what market exists; PRD answers what to build.

Purpose

Plan and execute go-to-market strategy from beachhead selection through growth loop design. Combines ICP definition, competitive battlecards, positioning/messaging, and North Star metrics into one integrated workflow.

1. Beachhead Segment & ICP

Beachhead Selection

Pick one segment to dominate first. Evaluate candidates on:

Criteria	Question
Urgency	Do they have a burning problem right now?
Accessibility	Can you reach them with current resources?
WTP	Will they pay enough to sustain the business?
Whole Product	Can you deliver a complete solution today?
Competition	Is the segment underserved?
Reference	Will early wins create word-of-mouth?

Score each 1-5. Highest total = beachhead candidate.

ICP Card Template

# ICP: [Segment Name]

## Demographics
- Industry: [vertical]
- Company size: [employees / ARR range]
- Role/Title: [decision maker + champion]
- Geography: [region]

## Psychographics
- Core belief: [what they value]
- Biggest fear: [what keeps them up at night]
- Desired identity: [who they want to be seen as]

## Behavioral Traits
- Current solution: [what they use today]
- Trigger event: [what makes them search for alternatives]
- Buying process: [self-serve / committee / executive sponsor]
- Watering holes: [where they hang out — communities, events, publications]

## Qualification Criteria
- Must-have: [non-negotiable fit signals]
- Nice-to-have: [bonus signals]
- Disqualifiers: [red flags]

2. Growth Loop Design

A growth loop is a closed system where each cohort of users generates the input for the next.

Loop Types

Loop	Trigger	Mechanic	Output
Viral	User action	Invite/share	New sign-ups
Content	SEO/UGC	Publish/rank	Organic traffic
Paid	Revenue	Reinvest in ads	New customers
Sales	Qualified lead	Demo/close	Revenue + referrals

Loop Diagram Structure

[New User] → [Activation] → [Core Value] → [Loop Mechanic] → [New User]
                                                ↑
                                          [Amplifier]

Metrics Per Stage

Stage	Metric	Example
Input	New users/leads per period	1,000 sign-ups/week
Activation	% reaching core value	40% complete onboarding
Engagement	Frequency of loop action	3 shares/user/month
Output	New users generated per cohort	0.3 viral coefficient
Efficiency	CAC payback / loop cycle time	4-month payback

Loop Design Checklist

• Identify which loop type fits your ICP
• Map every step from input to output
• Identify the amplifier (what makes the loop accelerate)
• Define metric for each stage
• Identify the bottleneck (lowest conversion step)

3. Battlecard Template

# Battlecard: [Your Product] vs [Competitor]

## Overview
- What they do: [one sentence]
- Target market: [who they sell to]
- Pricing model: [how they charge]

## Strengths (Theirs)
- [strength 1]
- [strength 2]

## Weaknesses (Theirs)
- [weakness 1]
- [weakness 2]

## Win Themes (When We Win)
- [scenario/reason we win]

## Loss Themes (When We Lose)
- [scenario/reason we lose]

## Objection Handling
| Objection | Response |
|-----------|----------|
| "[competitor] has more features" | [response] |
| "[competitor] is cheaper" | [response] |
| "We already use [competitor]" | [response] |

## Killer Questions (Ask the Prospect)
- [question that exposes competitor weakness]
- [question that highlights your differentiator]

## Pricing Comparison
| | Us | Them |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $ | $ |
| Mid-tier | $ | $ |
| Enterprise | $ | $ |
| Hidden costs | [none / list] | [list] |

4. GTM Motion & Positioning/Messaging

GTM Motion Types

Motion	Best For	Key Metric	Org Shape
Product-led (PLG)	Low ACV, high volume, try-before-buy	PQL conversion rate	Product + Growth
Sales-led	High ACV, complex sale, enterprise	SQL-to-close rate	Sales + SE
Community-led	Developer tools, open source, niche	Community-to-pipeline	DevRel + Community

Pick one primary motion. Layer a second only after the first works.

Positioning Framework

## Positioning Statement
For [target customer]
who [situation/need],
[product] is a [category]
that [key differentiator].
Unlike [alternative],
we [proof point].

## Category
- Existing category: [name] — position as better/different
- New category: [name you are creating] — define the rules

## Differentiators (pick 1-2)
- [differentiator]: [proof point]
- [differentiator]: [proof point]

Messaging Hierarchy

Level	What	Example
Tagline	5-8 words, memorable	"Ship faster without breaking things"
Value Prop 1	Benefit + mechanism	"Reduce deploy time 10x with zero-config CI"
Value Prop 2	Benefit + mechanism	"Catch regressions before merge with AI review"
Value Prop 3	Benefit + mechanism	"One dashboard for the entire release pipeline"
Proof Points	Evidence per value prop	Metrics, case studies, logos

Validation: Test messaging with 5 ICP-fit prospects. If fewer than 3 say "tell me more," rewrite.

5. North Star Metric & Marketing Ideas

Defining North Star Metric

The North Star metric captures the core value your product delivers. It must be:

• Leading (predicts future revenue, not trailing)
• Actionable (teams can influence it)
• Customer-value-aligned (reflects real usage, not vanity)

## North Star Metric
- Metric: [name]
- Definition: [exact calculation]
- Current: [value]
- Target: [value] by [date]

## Input Metrics (levers that move North Star)
| Input | Owner | Current | Target |
|-------|-------|---------|--------|
| [metric] | [team] | [value] | [value] |

Examples by business type:

Type	North Star	Why
SaaS	Weekly active teams	Measures adoption + stickiness
Marketplace	Transactions per week	Both sides active
Media	Time spent reading/watching	Engagement = ad revenue
E-commerce	Purchases per month	Direct revenue proxy

Marketing Idea Generation

Bullseye Framework (Gabriel Weinberg):

1. Brainstorm: List 3 ideas per channel (19 channels)
2. Rank: Move top 3 to inner ring
3. Test: Run cheapest possible test per channel
4. Focus: Double down on the one that works

19 Traction Channels: Viral marketing, PR, Unconventional PR, SEM, Social/Display ads, Offline ads, SEO, Content marketing, Email marketing, Engineering as marketing, Targeting blogs, Business development, Sales, Affiliate programs, Existing platforms, Trade shows, Offline events, Speaking engagements, Community building

Idea Evaluation Card:

## Marketing Idea: [name]
- Channel: [which of 19]
- Hypothesis: [we believe X will drive Y]
- Test: [cheapest way to validate]
- Cost: [$X / time]
- Success metric: [what number proves it works]
- Timeline: [days to result]

Anti-Patterns

• Skipping beachhead → trying to sell to everyone = selling to no one
• Multiple growth loops at once → master one before layering
• Battlecards without sales input → talk to reps who lost deals
• Positioning by features → position by outcome and proof
• Vanity North Star (sign-ups, page views) → pick a value metric
• Messaging without validation → test with real ICP prospects

Credits: Frameworks adapted from phuryn/pm-skills (MIT)