🏴☠️ ⚡️ A 'First 90 Days' Go-to-Market Plan (Operating Concept)
We Acquire and Operate Micro SaaS firms in public. Join us every Saturday morning for acquisition strategies and deal analysis, value creation playbooks, operating concepts and more...
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Phase-Based Summary of the First 90-Day Plan
Workstream-Based Summary of the First 90-Day Plan
Full Project Plan
📺 WATCH:
📻 LISTEN:
Alright, ladies and gentlemen. We are obviously gearing up for something, and I’m excited to pass along a general template to help jump-start this for you ;)
As a bit of foundational context, let’s lay out some assumptions:
You just took ownership of a B2B SaaS Business
The core segments are Mid-Market and Ent; thus, you are keen to install a sales-led growth motion
With that said, another very important few bits of guidance before diving into the phases, workstreams, and actionable plan:
The change in ownership is a VERY important trigger event for you to radically impact the culture, as it relates to a sense of urgency, pace of execution, focus on growth, etc.
At the same time, the worst thing you can do is try and change everything on day one. If the First 90 Days were a billboard, it would read, ‘Stability, learning, and transition.’
The First 90 Days tend to be very task-oriented. If you can, abstract beyond the activities to establish simple OKRs for this time period (simplicity is mastery). If you can’t, pivot hard and fast to traditional OKRs once you’re past the First 90.
Let’s dive in!
PHASE-BASED SUMMARY
Days 1-30
Customer Communication and Relationship Transition: Communicate the acquisition and transition of key customer relationships to build trust and continuity.
Sales Team Analysis: Assess the sales team’s strengths and weaknesses for the priority segment.
Market and Customer Analysis:
Establish centralized and enriched customer data for pattern recognition.
Conduct a Customer Segmentation Audit to define ICP and prioritize high-potential segments.
Conduct Voice of Customer (VoC) Interviews to uncover customer pain points, buying behavior, satisfaction, and pricing effectiveness, laying the groundwork for a pricing refresh.
Map the customer journey to identify friction points and optimize the experience.
Days 31-60
GTM Strategy:
Begin Channel Strategy and Paid Ad Experiments to test multiple channels and gather data to refine ICP and messaging.
Prospect Universe Building:
Start Web Scraping and Data Enrichment to build a comprehensive dataset of high-potential prospects.
Sales Documentation & SOPs:
Conduct a Sales Documentation Audit to identify gaps.
Begin developing and standardizing SOPs for key sales activities.
Sales Process Optimization:
Establish Weekly Sales Meetings to review pipeline and forecasts.
Establish Record-Keeping and Real-Time Pipeline Visibility.
Sales Enablement:
Equip the sales team with tools and training, and begin developing case studies and lead magnets to build trust and capture leads.
Revenue Planning:
Set short-term revenue goals for the priority segment.
Sales Compensation & Incentives:
Align the sales compensation model with the GTM strategy, and create a sales incentive plan to drive early sales.
Days 61-90
GTM Strategy:
Refine the value proposition based on VoC interviews and paid ad performance.
Prospect Universe Building:
Build Lookalike Audiences based on high-value customers.
Sales Documentation & SOPs:
Finalize and roll out SOPs, training the team to ensure alignment.
Sales Process Optimization:
Continue to refine the pipeline and develop a playbook with lead scoring.
Expansion Revenue:
Launch Cross-Sell Campaigns and provide incentives to drive expansion revenue.
Performance Tracking:
Implement real-time dashboards to track KPIs and adjust strategy as needed.
Cross-Functional Alignment:
Ensure alignment across teams for the successful execution of the GTM strategy.
WORKSTREAM-BASED SUMMARY
1. Customer Communication (Days 1-90)
Customer Communication and Relationship Transition: Communicate the acquisition effectively and transition key customer relationships to build trust and maintain continuity.
2. Sales Team Analysis (Days 1-30)
Sales Team Analysis: Assess the sales team’s strengths and weaknesses for the priority segment and determine whether additional training or resources are needed.
3. Market and Customer Analysis (Days 1-30)
Establish centralized and enriched customer view: Centralize customer data to surface patterns beyond conventional ICP attributes.
Customer Segmentation Audit: Define the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and identify high-potential segments for focused effort.
Voice of Customer (VoC) Interviews: Conduct interviews to uncover customer pain points, buying behavior, product satisfaction, and pricing effectiveness to refine value propositions and sales strategies and lay the foundation for pricing refresh.
Customer Journey Mapping: Map the customer journey to identify friction points and optimize the experience for the priority segment.
4. GTM Strategy (Days 31-90)
Channel Strategy and Paid Ad Experiments: Test channels (e.g., ABM vs. independent sales reps) and paid ads to gather data and refine ICP and messaging.
Value Proposition Refinement: Adjust messaging based on feedback from VoC interviews and paid ad performance.
5. Prospect Universe Building (Days 31-90)
Comprehensive Web Scraping and Data Enrichment: Gather raw data from directories, platforms, and competitors to build a dataset of high-potential prospects.
Build Lookalike Audiences: Create lookalike audiences based on high-value customers to improve lead generation.
6. Sales Documentation & SOPs (Days 31-90)
Sales Documentation Audit: Identify gaps in sales documentation and SOPs to ensure clarity and consistency.
SOP Creation and Standardization: Create or update SOPs for key sales activities to ensure process efficiency.
Training and Rollout of Updated SOPs: Train the sales team on updated SOPs to ensure full alignment and execution consistency.
7. Sales Process Optimization (Days 1-90)
Establish Weekly Sales Meetings and Routines: Set up weekly sales meetings to review pipeline, forecasts, and performance.
Establish Record-Keeping and Real-Time Pipeline Visibility: Ensure accurate and timely updates of pipeline and sales data for better forecasting.
Pipeline Health and Management: Audit, refresh pipeline stages, exit criteria, and demo scripts to improve deal velocity.
Sales Playbook Development and Lead Scoring: Develop a playbook and lead scoring model tailored to the priority segment.
8. Sales Enablement (Days 31-60)
Sales Team Training and Tools Audit: Equip the sales team with the necessary tools and training for effective execution and closing deals.
Develop Case Studies: Create compelling case studies for the priority segment to build trust and demonstrate real-world success.
Develop Lead Magnets: Create high-value lead magnets (e.g., whitepapers, guides) to capture more qualified leads and nurture them further into the funnel.
9. Expansion Revenue (Days 31-90)
Cross-Sell Opportunity Identification and Playbook: Identify cross-sell opportunities, develop a playbook, and equip the sales team to drive expansion revenue.
Cross-Sell Campaigns and Incentives: Motivate sales teams with campaigns and incentives to drive cross-sell and expansion revenue.
10. Sales Compensation Model (Days 31-60)
Audit and Align Sales Compensation with GTM Strategy: Ensure the compensation model aligns with the GTM strategy, focusing on high-value segments and cross-sell goals.
11. Sales Incentive Planning (Days 31-60)
Create Early Sales Incentive Plan: Establish a sales incentive plan to encourage key revenue-generating activities and boost performance in critical areas.
12. Performance Tracking (Days 31-90)
Performance Tracking and Reporting: Use real-time dashboards to track KPIs, adjust sales strategy, and refine pricing based on data.
13. Revenue Planning (Days 31-60)
Set Revenue Targets for Priority Segment: Establish clear, short-term revenue goals for the priority segment.
14. Cross-Functional Alignment (Days 1-90)
Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensure alignment across product, marketing, and customer success teams for the collaborative execution of the GTM strategy.
PROJECT PLAN
Hit REPLY and let me know what you found most useful this week (or rock the one-question survey below) — truly eager to hear from you…
And please forward this email to whoever might benefit (or use the link below) 🏴☠️ ⚡️