GTM-Strategist/executing-sales

Phase 12: Executing Sales — Building Your Sales Engine

You are executing Phase 12 of the GTM Strategist methodology. This is the final phase. Everything the user has built across Phases 1-11 — positioning, ICP, messaging, pricing, marketing, launch — now gets converted into a repeatable sales engine. The goal is not "do sales." The goal is to build a system that generates pipeline, closes deals, and learns from every outcome.

Before You Start

1. Read my-gtm-context.md at the project root. Pay close attention to sections on ICP, pricing, product stage, and team resources. Sales execution must match the user's current capacity — a solo founder running enterprise ABM is a mismatch.

2. Check outputs/ for prior phase deliverables. This phase builds directly on:

   • outputs/06-positioning-statement.md or outputs/06-* (positioning and messaging)
   • outputs/03-icp-profile.md or outputs/03-* (validated ICP and personas)
   • outputs/05-pricing-*.md (pricing strategy and business model)
   • outputs/07-* (launch assets — website, demo, pitch deck)
   • outputs/10-* or outputs/11-* (GTM system and marketing)

   If prior outputs exist, reference them throughout. The sales deck, one-pager, and outbound campaigns should all be consistent with established positioning and messaging. If they don't exist, flag that the user is building sales assets without validated foundations — workable, but riskier.

3. Work one task at a time. Present the deliverable, get feedback, then move to the next. Don't dump all ten tasks at once.

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Task 1: Sales Deck

Duration: 1-2 weeks | Output: outputs/12-sales-deck.md

A sales deck is NOT a pitch deck. A pitch deck sells your company to investors. A sales deck sells your solution to buyers. The entire narrative arc is about the buyer's world — not yours. If the first three slides are about your company history, team, and funding, start over.

What to do:

1. Read positioning outputs (outputs/04-*) and messaging outputs (outputs/05-*). The sales deck must be a direct expression of established positioning.

2. Guide the user through this structure (one slide per section):

   • Their World — Describe the buyer's current reality. What does their day look like? What pressures do they face? Show you understand their context before you pitch anything.
   • The Problem — Name the specific problem your ICP faces. Use the language from customer interviews (Phase 2-3) if available. Be concrete — "inefficient processes" means nothing; "spending 12 hours/week manually qualifying leads that 80% of the time go nowhere" means everything.
   • The Cost of Inaction — What happens if they do nothing? Quantify: lost revenue, wasted time, competitive risk, team burnout. This slide creates urgency.
   • The Solution — Now (and only now) introduce your product. Frame it as the answer to the problem you just described. Lead with outcomes, not features.
   • How It Works — 3-4 steps showing the buyer's journey from current state to desired outcome. Keep it simple. If they need a flowchart to understand your product, simplify the product.
   • Proof — Case studies, metrics, testimonials, logos. Specific numbers beat vague claims. "Reduced lead qualification time by 73%" beats "saves time." If you don't have customer proof yet, use pilot results, beta feedback, or analogous data.
   • Next Steps — Clear, low-friction CTA. What happens after this meeting? Demo? Trial? Pilot? Remove ambiguity.

3. For each slide, write the actual copy — not just bullet points about what should go there. The user should be able to hand this to a designer.

4. Add speaker notes for key slides: what to say, what objections to anticipate, where to pause for questions.

The deliverable should include: Full slide-by-slide deck content with copy, speaker notes, and design direction for each slide.

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Task 2: One-Pager

Duration: < 1 day | Output: outputs/12-one-pager.md

The one-pager is the sales leave-behind. It's what your champion shares internally when they need to get budget approval, buy-in from their boss, or alignment from another department. If you don't give them this, they'll write their own — and they'll get your value prop wrong.

What to do:

1. Read the sales deck output (outputs/12-sales-deck.md) if it exists, plus positioning and pricing outputs.

2. Build the one-pager with these sections:

   • Headline — One sentence: who you help and what outcome you deliver.
   • The Problem — 2-3 sentences describing the pain. Written for someone who hasn't seen your demo.
   • The Solution — What your product does, in plain language. 2-3 sentences max.
   • Key Benefits — 3-4 bullet points. Each starts with a verb. Each includes a specific outcome or metric.
   • Social Proof — 1-2 customer quotes or results. Logos if available.
   • Pricing Summary — High-level pricing (tiers or starting-at). Enough for a budget conversation, not enough to negotiate against you.
   • CTA — What should the reader do next? Include a specific URL, email, or calendar link.

3. Format guidance: this should fit on a single page when printed or exported to PDF. Use clear hierarchy — someone scanning it for 30 seconds should get the core message.

4. Write two versions if the user sells to multiple personas: one for the end user (pain-focused) and one for the economic buyer (ROI-focused).

The deliverable should include: Complete one-pager copy, layout guidance, and a note on when and how to use it in the sales process.

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Task 3: Case Studies (3-5)

Duration: 1-2 weeks | Output: outputs/12-case-studies.md

Case studies are the most persuasive sales asset you can create. Nothing you say about your product is as credible as what a customer says. The challenge: most case studies are boring company-centric narratives that nobody reads. Fix that.

What to do:

1. Help the user identify 3-5 early customers or beta users for case studies. Prioritize:

   • Customers in the beachhead segment (strongest ICP match)
   • Customers with measurable results (before/after metrics)
   • Customers whose name or brand carries weight in the target market
   • Customers willing to be quoted by name (anonymous case studies are 50% less effective)

2. For each case study, use this structure:

   • Customer snapshot — Company, size, industry, role of the champion. One line.
   • Challenge — What problem were they facing? In their words. Include the business impact (money, time, risk) of the problem.
   • Why they chose you — What alternatives did they consider? What made them pick your solution? This is where you differentiate.
   • Solution — How they use your product. Be specific enough to be credible, simple enough to be understood.
   • Results — Specific metrics. Before vs. after. Time saved, revenue gained, cost reduced. If exact numbers aren't available, use ranges or qualitative outcomes ("from 3 days to 3 hours").
   • Pull quote — One sentence from the customer that captures the transformation. This is the headline of the case study.

3. Provide interview questions the user can send to customers to gather the raw material. Keep it to 7-10 questions, framed as a casual conversation, not a formal interview.

4. Note on video testimonials: a 60-second video of a customer saying "this product saved us X" is worth more than any written case study. Encourage the user to ask for video alongside written quotes. Even a selfie-style iPhone video works.

The deliverable should include: Case study template, customer interview questions, and draft case studies for each identified customer (or placeholders with guidance if the user hasn't conducted interviews yet).

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Task 4: Outbound Campaign

Duration: Ongoing (< 6 months to see results) | Output: outputs/12-outbound-campaign.md

Outbound is not "spray and pray." A structured outbound campaign is a system: defined targets, personalized sequences, multi-channel touchpoints, and tracked metrics. Most outbound fails because founders send 500 identical emails and call it a campaign.

What to do:

1. Read ICP outputs (outputs/03-*) and the dream client list (outputs/12-dream-client-list.md) if it exists.

2. Define the target list. Help the user build a list of 50-200 target accounts:

   • Match the ICP profile precisely. Quality over quantity.
   • For each account, identify 2-3 contacts (decision maker, influencer, champion).
   • Tools: LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo, Clay, ZoomInfo — recommend based on the user's budget and stage.

3. Craft the outbound sequence. Build a multi-channel sequence (typically 8-12 touchpoints over 3-4 weeks):

   • Email — 4-5 emails. First email: personalized, problem-focused, no pitch. Follow-ups: add value (insight, content, case study), then CTA.
   • LinkedIn — Connection request (no pitch in the request), engagement on their content, then message.
   • Phone (if applicable) — After email 2-3. Use email content as context ("I sent you something about X...").
   • Video (optional) — Personalized Loom video as a touchpoint (see Task 7).

4. Personalization framework. Show the user how to personalize at scale:

   • Tier 1 (top 20 accounts): Fully custom messages referencing specific company info.
   • Tier 2 (next 50): Semi-personalized with industry/role-specific hooks.
   • Tier 3 (remaining): Template-based with one personalized line per message.

5. Metrics to track:

   • Open rate (target: 40-60%)
   • Reply rate (target: 5-15%)
   • Positive reply rate (target: 2-5%)
   • Meetings booked per 100 contacts
   • Pipeline generated per campaign

6. Write the actual email copy for the full sequence. Each email should be under 150 words — brevity is respect for the reader's time.

The deliverable should include: Target list criteria, full sequence with copy for every touchpoint, personalization framework, and metrics dashboard template.

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Task 5: Partnership Program v01

Duration: < 6 months | Output: outputs/12-partnership-program.md

Partnerships are a force multiplier — but only when they're structured. A handshake agreement to "share leads" produces exactly zero leads. Version 01 should be simple, specific, and easy for both sides to execute.

What to do:

1. Help the user identify which type of partnership fits their stage:

   • Marketing partnerships — Co-marketing (joint webinar, co-authored content), content swaps (guest posts, newsletter features), community cross-promotion. Best for early-stage companies building awareness.
   • Sales partnerships — Referral programs (commission or reciprocal), reseller agreements, integration partnerships (build together, sell together). Best when you have a proven product and clear ICP.
   • Technology partnerships — API integrations, marketplace listings, bundled offerings. Best when your product connects to an ecosystem.

2. Identify 5-10 potential partners. Criteria:

   • They serve the same ICP but solve a different problem (complementary, not competitive).
   • They have an audience or customer base you want access to.
   • The value exchange is clear — what do THEY get from partnering with you?

3. Build the partnership one-pager. This is what you send to a potential partner:

   • Who you are and who you serve (one paragraph)
   • Why this partnership makes sense (shared audience, complementary value)
   • Proposed structure (what each side does)
   • Expected outcomes (be specific: "We'd aim to drive 10 qualified leads per month to each other")
   • Next step (a 30-minute call to explore)

4. Define the operating model for v01:

   • How do you share leads? (Intro email? CRM handoff? Shared Slack channel?)
   • How do you track results? (Monthly check-in, shared dashboard)
   • What's the minimum commitment? (3-month pilot)
   • What's the exit clause? (Either side can pause with 30 days notice)

5. Start with ONE partnership. Get it working. Then replicate.

The deliverable should include: Partner criteria, prospect list, outreach one-pager, v01 operating model, and a 90-day pilot plan.

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Task 6: Dream Client List

Duration: < 1 day | Output: outputs/12-dream-client-list.md

Your dream client list is the top 25-50 companies you'd love to have as customers. Not "anyone who might buy" — the specific companies where you'd get the highest value, strongest case studies, and most referrals. This list drives outbound (Task 4) and ABM (Task 8).

What to do:

1. Read ICP outputs (outputs/03-*). The dream list must match your validated ICP — not aspirational logos you'd love on your website but that don't fit your product.

2. Guide the user to build the list using these criteria:

   • ICP match — Company size, industry, stage, tech stack match your sweet spot.
   • Pain signal — Evidence they have the problem you solve (hiring for roles your product replaces, using competitors, public complaints, industry pressures).
   • Reachability — You have or can get a warm connection, they're active on LinkedIn, they attend events you're at.
   • Strategic value — Would winning them create a reference story that opens 10 more doors?

3. Enrichment. For each dream client, capture:

   • Company name, size, industry
   • 2-3 target contacts (name, role, LinkedIn URL)
   • Pain signal (why you think they need you)
   • Warm connection path (who can introduce you, or what shared context exists)
   • Priority tier: A (pursue immediately), B (next quarter), C (long-term)

4. Lookalike expansion. From the dream list, identify patterns and find similar companies:

   • "10 more companies like [Dream Client X]" — same industry, size, stage, tech stack.
   • Tools: LinkedIn Sales Navigator saved searches, Apollo lookalike filters, Clay enrichment.

5. Connect this list to the outbound campaign (Task 4): dream clients are your Tier 1 targets.

The deliverable should include: The ranked dream client list with enrichment data, lookalike expansion criteria, and notes on connection paths.

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Task 7: Video Selling

Duration: < 1 day | Output: outputs/12-video-selling.md

Personalized video messages cut through the noise in ways text cannot. A 60-second Loom video in a cold outreach sequence gets 3x the response rate of text alone. This is not about production quality — it's about human connection at scale.

What to do:

1. Identify where video fits in the sales process. Best use cases:

   • Cold outreach — Replace email 3 or 4 in the outbound sequence with a personalized video. "Hey [Name], I noticed [specific thing about their company] and wanted to show you something..."
   • Post-demo follow-up — Recap the key points from the demo in a 90-second video. More memorable than a follow-up email.
   • Proposal walkthrough — Instead of sending a PDF, record yourself walking through the proposal. Shows effort and builds trust.
   • Stuck deal reactivation — A personal video to a prospect who went dark. Lower pressure than a "just checking in" email.

2. Video framework (60-90 seconds max):

   • Hook (5 sec) — Say their name. Reference something specific about them.
   • Context (15 sec) — Why you're reaching out. What you noticed.
   • Value (30 sec) — One specific way you can help. Show, don't tell (share your screen briefly if relevant).
   • CTA (10 sec) — One clear ask. "Would a 15-minute call make sense?"

3. Tool recommendations:

   • Loom (free tier, easiest, most widely used)
   • Vidyard (more sales-focused, CRM integrations)
   • Record directly in LinkedIn messages (native feature)

4. Tips for effectiveness:

   • Show your face. Webcam-only videos outperform screen-only.
   • Write their name on a whiteboard or notepad and hold it up — proves it's personal.
   • Don't script word-for-word. Bullet points keep it natural.
   • Send within the first 2 hours of recording (freshness matters psychologically).
   • Track views — if they watched 80%+ of your video, follow up within 24 hours.

5. Write 3 video script outlines tailored to the user's product and ICP: one for cold outreach, one for post-demo follow-up, and one for deal reactivation.

The deliverable should include: Video selling playbook with use cases, framework, tool recommendation, and 3 script outlines.

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Task 8: Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Duration: < 6 months | Output: outputs/12-abm-program.md

ABM flips the funnel. Instead of casting a wide net and qualifying down, you start with specific target accounts and build personalized campaigns to engage them. ABM works when your deal size justifies the per-account investment — if your ACV is under $5K, ABM is probably overkill.

What to do:

1. Qualify for ABM. Help the user assess if ABM is right for their stage:

   • ACV > $5K? (Below this, outbound sequences are more efficient)
   • Can you name your top 25 target accounts? (If not, you don't know your ICP well enough)
   • Do you have the resources for personalized campaigns? (ABM is high-touch)
   • Is your sales cycle > 30 days? (ABM shines in longer cycles)

   If the answer is "not yet," recommend focusing on Tasks 4 and 6 first and revisiting ABM when the user has more traction.

2. Select target accounts. Pull from the dream client list (Task 6). ABM tiers:

   • Tier 1 (5-10 accounts) — Full custom campaigns. Personalized content, direct outreach, tailored ads.
   • Tier 2 (10-25 accounts) — Semi-personalized. Industry-specific content, targeted ads, multi-thread outreach.
   • Tier 3 (25-100 accounts) — Programmatic. Automated personalization, retargeting, templated sequences.

3. Build the ABM playbook per tier:

   • Research phase — Map the buying committee per account (decision maker, influencer, champion, blocker). Identify account-specific pain points and triggers.
   • Content creation — What personalized content will you create? Options: custom landing pages, personalized reports, industry-specific case studies, tailored presentations.
   • Multi-channel engagement — Coordinate outreach across: email sequences, LinkedIn engagement (connect + comment + message), targeted ads (LinkedIn, Google), direct mail (for Tier 1), events/webinars.
   • Sales-marketing alignment — Define handoff points: when does marketing warm-up become sales outreach? How do you track engagement across channels?

4. Metrics for ABM:

   • Account engagement score (interactions across channels)
   • Pipeline generated per target account
   • Deal velocity (time from first touch to close)
   • Win rate for ABM accounts vs. non-ABM
   • Cost per opportunity

5. Start with a 90-day pilot on Tier 1 accounts only. Prove the model before scaling.

The deliverable should include: ABM qualification assessment, tiered account list, per-tier playbook, content plan, and 90-day pilot structure with success criteria.

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Task 9: Sales Call Script

Duration: 1-3 hours | Output: outputs/12-sales-call-script.md

Not a word-for-word script — a framework. The best sales conversations feel like conversations, not pitches. But without a structure, founders either ramble through demos or forget to qualify. This framework ensures every call covers the essentials while staying natural.

What to do:

1. Read ICP outputs (outputs/03-*), positioning (outputs/04-*), and pricing (outputs/07-*).

2. Build the call framework in these stages:

   Opening (2-3 minutes):

   • Build rapport (reference something specific about them or their company)
   • Set the agenda: "Here's what I was thinking for our time today... does that work for you?"
   • Confirm their role and decision-making context

   Discovery (10-15 minutes):

   • Situation questions — What does their current workflow/process look like?
   • Problem questions — Where does it break down? What's frustrating?
   • Impact questions — What does this cost them? (Time, money, reputation, team morale)
   • Timeline questions — How urgent is this? What happens if they don't solve it in the next 90 days?

   Write 8-12 specific discovery questions tailored to the user's product and ICP.

   Qualification:

   • Budget — "Is there a budget allocated for solving this?"
   • Authority — "Who else would be involved in this decision?"
   • Need — "On a scale of 1-10, how important is solving this right now?"
   • Timeline — "When would you ideally have a solution in place?"

   Demo / Solution Presentation (10-15 minutes):

   • Mirror the buyer's language from discovery. "You mentioned X — let me show you how we handle that."
   • Show 2-3 features max. The ones that address THEIR stated problems.
   • Pause after each feature: "Does this match what you were looking for?"

   Objection Handling:

   • Write responses to the 5 most common objections for the user's product. Use the "Acknowledge, Explore, Respond" framework:
     • Acknowledge: "That's a fair concern..."
     • Explore: "Can you tell me more about what's driving that?"
     • Respond: Address the root concern, not the surface objection.

   Close (5 minutes):

   • Summarize what you heard and what you showed
   • Confirm next steps explicitly: "Based on what we discussed, I'd suggest X as a next step. Does that work?"
   • Set a specific date and time — "Let's get something on the calendar for Thursday" beats "I'll follow up next week"

3. Add a "Post-Call Checklist" — what the user should do within 1 hour of every call:

   • Send a follow-up email summarizing key points and next steps
   • Log the call in CRM (or a spreadsheet if no CRM yet)
   • Note buying signals and objections
   • Rate the opportunity (hot / warm / cold)

The deliverable should include: The full call framework with specific questions, objection responses, and post-call checklist.

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Task 10: Customer Exit Interviews

Duration: 3-6 hours | Output: outputs/12-exit-interviews.md

Every churned customer and every lost deal contains intelligence that your competitors would pay for. Most companies never collect it. Exit interviews are uncomfortable — that's precisely why they're valuable.

What to do:

1. Help the user identify who to interview:

   • Churned customers — Stopped using or cancelled. Prioritize recent churns (within 3 months) while memory is fresh.
   • Lost deals — Went through the sales process but chose a competitor or decided not to buy. Especially valuable for competitive intelligence.
   • Downgraded customers — Moved to a lower tier. Something changed — find out what.

   Target: 5-10 interviews. Even 3 will produce actionable insights.

2. Interview framework (20-30 minutes each):

   Context:

   • When did you start using our product / enter our sales process?
   • What problem were you trying to solve?

   Decision:

   • What triggered the decision to leave / not buy?
   • Was there a specific moment or event that tipped the decision?
   • What alternatives did you consider? What did you choose instead? Why?

   Product/Experience:

   • What did we do well?
   • What did we do poorly?
   • If you could change one thing about the product, what would it be?

   Recovery (for churns):

   • Is there anything that would bring you back?
   • What would we need to change for you to reconsider?

   Open-ended:

   • What advice would you give us?
   • Is there anything I didn't ask that you think I should know?

3. Outreach approach. Getting people to do exit interviews is hard. Tips:

   • Frame it as a learning conversation, not a save attempt: "We're trying to get better, and your honest feedback would help."
   • Keep it short: "15-20 minutes of your time."
   • Offer something: a gift card, an extended trial, or simply genuine gratitude.
   • Email template: write a short, personal outreach email the user can send.

4. Synthesis framework. After interviews, organize findings into:

   • Product gaps — What features or capabilities are missing?
   • Experience failures — Where did onboarding, support, or communication break down?
   • Competitive losses — What are competitors doing better? Specific capabilities or positioning.
   • Pricing issues — Was it too expensive? Wrong packaging? Unclear value at the price point?
   • Timing/fit — Was the problem real but the timing wrong? Or was this never a strong fit?

5. Action plan. For each finding category, recommend specific next steps — product roadmap input, sales process fixes, positioning adjustments, or pricing changes.

The deliverable should include: Interview framework, outreach email template, synthesis template, and (after interviews are conducted) a findings report with categorized insights and recommended actions.

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Summary: What You've Built in Phase 12

After completing the tasks above, the user should have:

| Output | What It Enables | |--------|----------------| | 12-sales-deck.md | A buyer-focused presentation that sells the transformation, not the product | | 12-one-pager.md | A leave-behind that champions use to sell internally on your behalf | | 12-case-studies.md | Third-party proof that your product delivers real results | | 12-outbound-campaign.md | A structured, multi-channel system for generating pipeline | | 12-partnership-program.md | A force multiplier that opens new channels without proportional effort | | 12-dream-client-list.md | A prioritized hit list of high-value accounts to pursue | | 12-video-selling.md | A human-connection advantage that cuts through inbox noise | | 12-abm-program.md | A focused, high-touch approach for landing strategic accounts | | 12-sales-call-script.md | A repeatable framework for qualifying, presenting, and closing | | 12-exit-interviews.md | A feedback loop that turns losses into future wins |

This is the final phase. The user now has a complete GTM system — from strategic foundations (Phase 1) through customer validation, positioning, messaging, pricing, product, marketing, launch, and now sales execution. The system is never "done" — it's a loop. Exit interview findings feed back into positioning (Phase 4), customer discovery (Phase 2), and product development (Phase 8). Outbound results refine the ICP (Phase 3). Case studies fuel marketing (Phase 10-11). Every phase strengthens every other phase.

Next Steps

There is no Phase 13. From here, the user should:

• Run the system. Execute the outbound campaign, conduct sales calls, and track metrics weekly.
• Iterate. Revisit earlier phases as new evidence emerges. Positioning sharpens with every customer conversation.
• Scale what works. Double down on the channels and messages that produce results. Kill what doesn't.
• Re-read exit interviews quarterly. The patterns change as your product and market evolve.

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Go Deeper

• "Go-To-Market Strategist" by Maja Voje — The complete methodology behind all 12 phases, with case studies from 1000+ companies.
• "The Challenger Sale" by Dixon & Adamson — The research-backed approach to sales conversations that teaches rather than pitches. Directly relevant to the sales deck (Task 1) and call script (Task 9).
• "Predictable Revenue" by Aaron Ross — The outbound sales playbook that built Salesforce's pipeline. Foundation for Task 4 (Outbound Campaign).
• "Obviously Awesome" by April Dunford — Positioning methodology that strengthens every sales asset. If the sales deck isn't landing, the problem is usually positioning, not the deck.
• "SPIN Selling" by Neil Rackham — The classic discovery framework (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff) that informs the sales call script in Task 9.
• "Account-Based Marketing" by Sangram Vajre — Practical ABM playbook for B2B companies, directly supporting Task 8.

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GTM Strategist methodology by Maja Voje. https://gtmstrategist.com