The Most Common Go-to-Market Questions This Expert Gets from Early Founders

Struggling to figure out your startup's early go-to-market? First Round's VP of GTM Emery Rosansky shares her expert advice and tactical templates for narrowing down your ICP, running a successful sales call, and accurate forecasting.

Outline

1. FAQ #1: HOW DO I FIGURE OUT MY ICP?
2. FAQ #2: HOW DO I RUN A SUCCESSFUL SALES CALL?
3. FAQ #3: HOW DO I FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT GTM MOTION FOR THE BUSINESS?
4. FAQ #4: HOW DO I FORECAST ACCURATELY?
5. WRAPPING UP: TAP INTO YOUR FOUNDER SUPERPOWERS.

FAQ #1: HOW DO I FIGURE OUT MY ICP?

As you start to sketch out your product in the earliest days, you likely have a vague sense of who you’re building for. You’ve (hopefully) done some idea and customer validation, and have a rough sketch of the sort of company that might use your product and most viscerally feels the problem you’re trying to solve.

But as you start to approach the GTM process, this hazy sketch needs to get quite a bit crisper. Enter the ICP — a detailed description of the perfect customer (in the case of B2B, that means company) for your organization. Rosansky notes that in the early days, this might start out pretty broad, but as you gain a better understanding of your ICP, it could include criteria across half a dozen categories.

A well-articulated ICP can go a long way in allocating your limited time effectively by making sure you’re focusing on the customers most likely to buy. And yet, far too often, founders are keen to skip this important step.

“Even when you’re early, it’s important to start to define your ICP so you can narrow your focus, learn and iterate faster, and optimize for quality leads,” says Rosansky.

Finding Signal for Your ICP

1. User Research: “User research is a great way to surface ideas around your ICP. Your goal is to discern the common threads between people who are most deeply suffering from the problem you’re trying to solve.”
2. Closed-Won Deal Analysis: “Look for patterns among existing customers.”
3. Hypotheses on Operational and Strategic Fit: “Identify your early adopters based on behavioral nuances.”

FAQ #2: HOW DO I RUN A SUCCESSFUL SALES CALL?

Whether you’re on your first sales call or your 50th, the key to running high-impact sales calls is to practice.

Here are four tactical tips for getting started:

• Record your calls. Use tools like Grain or Copilot.
• Use a scorecard to rate your calls.
• Ask for feedback from trusted colleagues.
• Roleplay to improve your skills.

Sales Call Structure

PBC - Purpose, Benefit, Check: This establishes a clear agenda for the call and aligns with your prospect.

Digging Deeper

“Being curious and understanding the impact of a prospect’s pain is critical.”

Storytelling

“Stories elicit emotion, which drives purchase decisions.”

FAQ #3: HOW DO I FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT GTM MOTION FOR THE BUSINESS?

PLG vs. Sales Led?

• Assess if the product is truly self-serve.
• Understand the virality of the product.
• Determine if your user wants to self-serve.

Should I Run a Pilot?

“Get clear on the three Ps of the pilot: Purpose, Process, and Prerequisites.”

FAQ #4: HOW DO I FORECAST ACCURATELY?

• Define and track your funnel: Steps include meetings set, executed, opportunities qualified, and closed-won.
• Build a realistic forecast: Consider conversion rates and average sales cycles.
• Make it a weekly habit: Keep opportunities updated and integrate qualitative feedback into your process.

WRAPPING UP: TAP INTO YOUR FOUNDER SUPERPOWERS.

Rosansky emphasizes that the traits that make a solid seller mirror those of an effective founder: curiosity, analytical skills, and persistence.