go-to-market-strategy

Go-to-Market-Strategy

How This Works

Assigns a launch tier and generates a complete GTM strategy brief grounded in your brain. Not a template-filler. A strategic thinking partner that interrogates scope before recommending resource investment.

The skill runs in 6 steps:

Step 0 — Load brain context (ICP, alternatives & positioning, proof points) and, if the user maintains /context/meta-patterns.md, guardrails logged there.

Step 1 — Intake: Initiative name, success metric (90 days), timeline.

Step 2 — Load brain silently (Sections 2, 3, 6).

Step 3 — Apply four-signal tier assignment (market impact, revenue potential, competitive urgency, resource requirement).

Step 4 — Generate full GTM brief (7 sections: strategic context, channels, metrics, competitive, proof points, timeline, next steps).

Step 5 — Learning Close: log the session to /context/skill-sessions.md.

Trigger

• When: Assigning a launch tier and building a full GTM strategy brief for a product, feature, pricing change, or market expansion.
• Not for: Chaining this with other skills into one program → use workflow-orchestrator. Choosing which acquisition motion(s) to invest in → use gtm-motions before this skill if Channel Strategy needs real motion-fit backing. Messaging and positioning work itself → use positioning-messaging after this skill. Risk analysis → use pre-mortem after this skill. Post-launch review → use retro.
• Example prompts:
• "What tier is this launch?"
• "GTM strategy for our new pricing page"
• "Help me scope this feature launch"
• "How should we launch this?"
• "Plan my launch"

Inputs

• Args: Initiative name, 90-day success metric, timeline. Free format — Step 1 intake fills gaps conversationally.
• Defaults: If brain is missing or Section 2 (ICP) is empty, this skill sends the user to beachhead-segment (same plugin) first — see Pre-flight and Step 0.
• Context keys:
• /foundation/brain.md — required. Sections 2 (ICP), 3 (Alternatives & Positioning), 6 (Proof Points Registry). Section 7 (Strategy) is read if present.
• /context/meta-patterns.md — optional; recurring patterns the user has logged from prior GTM briefs.
• Brain contract: Reads Sections 1 (business_model only), 2, 3, 6, and 7 if present (launch calendar and priorities, to flag clashes with the new launch; conversion_action as the default success action). Writes: none — this skill does not write to /foundation/brain.md on its own. If Section 6 is thin or unsourced, route to proof-points (Add or Audit mode) rather than treating flagged claims as usable.

Connectors (Optional)

No connectors? Paste the material and I'll work from that. The output has the same shape. Pulled facts are drafts: each is tagged with category, tool and date, and nothing is written until you confirm.

Pre-flight

• Gap capture (see the gap capture rule in SKILL-SPEC.md): if a brain field this skill needs is empty or stale and the answer would change the output, ask one question: the question, one line on why it matters, "answer or skip". Answer: use it for this run and offer it as a brain update. Skip: continue with a labelled assumption and append a skipped block to /foundation/gaps.md (format in product-marketing-context/references/gaps-format.md). At most one gap question per run. This is the only write to /foundation/gaps.md; the skill still writes nothing else to the brain unless its own contract says so.
• Personal context (see the personal context rule in SKILL-SPEC.md): if /foundation/me.md exists, read it for format and detail only (length, detail, shape, how blunt to be). Never take a company fact from it; the current request wins. Do not ask for it if it is missing.
• Load /foundation/brain.md Sections 2, 3, 6 if it exists — see Step 0 for the full sequence. If Section 7 exists, also load launches and priorities and flag any launch on the same dates or any launch that is not one of this quarter's priorities.
• Load /context/meta-patterns.md if it exists, and surface any guardrail that has fired 2+ times in prior GTM briefs — see Step 0.
• No brain: if /foundation/brain.md is absent or Section 2 (ICP) is empty, stop and send the user to beachhead-segment (same plugin, builds a quick brain in about 3 minutes), then come back — see Step 0. GTM strategy without ICP and positioning produces generic output, not defensible strategy. product-marketing-context (a separate plugin) builds the full brain.

Steps

Step 0 — Pre-Flight: Load Context & Surface Guardrails

Before intake, load:

• Brain context (Sections 2, 3, 6): ICP, alternatives & positioning, proof points — these anchor all tier signals
• Guardrails from /context/meta-patterns.md, if that file exists in the user's workspace: if a pattern has actually fired 2+ times in prior GTM briefs logged there, surface it now

Surface guardrails like this:

🔁 PATTERN FROM PRIOR GTM BRIEFS

I've seen [pattern description] in 2+ prior sessions.
Examples: [specific launches or outcomes]

Quick check: Does this apply to your initiative?
- If YES → We'll watch for this during brief generation
- If NO → Let's flag it if it emerges

You can skip a guardrail if you disagree, but you'll see it first. If /context/meta-patterns.md doesn't exist, skip this step silently.

Gate check — brain is missing or ICP is empty:

If /foundation/brain.md is absent or Section 2 is empty:

"GTM strategy needs your ICP and positioning to produce a defensible plan — not a generic one. Run beachhead-segment first (it'll build a quick brain for you in ~3 minutes as part of finding your target segment), then come back here."

If brain exists but only has 🟡 Quick-Brain sections (not full):

"Your brain has quick-start answers from beachhead but hasn't been expanded. That's enough to proceed — flagging that a fuller product-marketing-context pass would sharpen this GTM plan. Continue with current brain? [Yes / expand first]"

Step 1 — Intake (Conversational, One Round)

Ask in one message. Never generate brief before this is complete.

"Before I assign a tier and build the brief, three things I need: 1. What's the initiative? (Product, feature, pricing change, new segment, market expansion — one sentence) 2. What does success look like in 90 days? Specific metric with a number. 3. Timeline? Launch date or rough window."

Reflect back in 2 sentences:

"Got it. We're launching [X] for [segment] with a goal of [metric] by [date]. Let me check the brain and assign a tier."

Step 2 — Load Brain Context

Load silently. Extract Sections 2, 3, 6. Do not narrate.

If the user has prior launches they can share (with tiers assigned and how they actually performed), ask for that context to sharpen the calibration.

Step 3 — Assign Tier

Apply all four signals before assigning. Single signal does not override others.

Tier definitions:

• T1 — Company bet. 6–12 weeks. All channels. Full exec alignment.
• T2 — Major initiative. 2–4 weeks. Targeted GTM. Dedicated PMM.
• T3 — Routine launch. 1 week. Focused enablement. Limited external comms.
• T4 — Minimal lift. Internal or beta only. Changelog or in-product only.

Calibration check: If the user shared a similar prior launch and its actual outcome, use it — name the precedent explicitly:

"Based on [prior launch], similar scope was assigned T2 but performed at T1. Recommending T1 here to avoid under-resourcing."

Output tier with one-sentence rationale before generating brief:

[T#] — [one sentence why, grounded in the four signals]

Step 4 — Generate Full GTM Brief

Generate only after tier is assigned. Structure (7 sections):

## GTM Brief — [Initiative Name]
**Tier:** [T1 / T2 / T3 / T4]
**Rationale:** [one sentence — four signals applied]
**Launch date:** [date or range]
**DRI:** [name]
**Success metric:** [specific number + timeframe]

### Strategic Context
**Why now:** [1–2 sentences on market timing or competitive signal]
**ICP fit:** [Who specifically this is for, from brain Section 2 + buying trigger]
**Positioning angle:** [Sharpest differentiator, from brain Section 3]

### Channel Strategy
| Channel | Why | Tactic | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Primary] | [Specific reason tied to ICP] | [Concrete tactic] | [Function] |
| [Secondary] | [Specific reason] | [Concrete tactic] | [Function] |

If the primary/secondary channels above were chosen by tier convention
alone rather than a real motion-fit scoring pass, flag it:
> "Channel Strategy below uses tier-standard channels. For a motion
> selection backed by ACV, sales-cycle, and readiness scoring instead of
> convention, run `gtm-motions` and fold its primary/secondary into this
> table before finalizing."

**Tier-appropriate channel mix and tone** — match investment to tier, don't
default every launch to the T1 playbook:

| Tier | Typical channels | Headline style | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Press release, analyst briefing, webinar, multi-touch email, sales deck refresh, full landing page | Customer outcome, not feature | Strategic, confident |
| T2 | Email announcement, sales one-pager, webinar or lunch-and-learn, community/Slack post | Problem statement as hook | Professional, benefit-focused |
| T3 | Release notes, opt-in email, in-app notification, Slack | What/why/who in 1-2 sentences each | Direct, informative |
| T4 | Release notes only, internal Slack | Feature name + one-sentence benefit | Matter-of-fact |

### Success Metrics
| Metric | Type | Target | Timeframe | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Primary] | Lagging | [number] | [date] | [where] |
| [Leading indicator 1] | Leading | [number] | [earlier date] | [where] |
| [Leading indicator 2] | Leading | [number] | [earlier date] | [where] |

### Competitive Context
**Primary alternative:** [From brain Section 3]
**Defensive angle:** [What you say when they bring it up]
**Attack angle:** [Specific gap the alternative has]

### Proof Points
- [Claim + metric or quote — sourced from brain Section 6]
- [Claim + metric or quote — sourced from brain Section 6]
⚠️ [If missing proof points, or if Section 6 entries are still `[NEEDS PROOF]` /
`[NEEDS APPROVAL]`: flag, and route to `proof-points` (Add mode to source a new
claim, Verify mode to check one already in hand) rather than shipping the brief with an unconfirmed claim.]

⚠️ [If missing proof points: flag]

### Timeline
| Week | Milestone | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| -4 to -2 | Pre-launch prep | PMM |
| -1 | Launch readiness check | PMM + Sales |
| 0 | Launch day | All |
| +2 | First signal check | PMM |
| +12 | Retro trigger | PMM |

### Next Steps
1. Confirm tier and brief with [stakeholder] by [date]
2. Run gtm-motions if Channel Strategy above needs real motion-fit backing, not the tier-standard default
3. Run positioning-messaging to sharpen angles
4. Run pre-mortem to stress-test
5. Run stakeholder-maps for internal alignment
6. After launch, run retro

If the user wants this brief saved anywhere, ask where — this skill doesn't write the brief itself to any file on its own.

Step 5 — Learning Close

End every completed session by appending one entry to /context/skill-sessions.md, in the format defined in product-marketing-context/.claude-plugin/skill-sessions-format.md (Type A — execution session):

type: execution
skill: go-to-market-strategy
session_date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
pattern: [one falsifiable statement about what happened this session, or "none"]
source: [surprised / wrong / missing / N/A]

Write this row directly — do not ask the user for permission. This is an observational log entry, separate from the GTM brief above, which still requires the user's go-ahead on where to save it. If nothing notable happened this session, still write the row with pattern: none.

Outputs

• Files written: /context/skill-sessions.md — one appended row per

session, per Step 5. The GTM brief itself is delivered in chat only; if the user wants it saved anywhere, ask where — this skill doesn't write the brief to any file on its own.

• Chat output format: Tier assignment with one-sentence rationale

(Step 3), followed by the full 7-section GTM brief (Step 4).

• External side effects: None beyond the session log above.
• Next skill: After tier is assigned and brief delivered, check next-skill-map.md

for "After go-to-market-strategy" and surface the three-option prompt. Do not pick one automatically — this is a branch, not a chain, and the right next step depends on launch tier and whether risk review has already happened.

Verification

• Guardrails checked at Step 0 if /context/meta-patterns.md exists.
• Brain blocked and directed to product-marketing-context if ICP is missing — never generated on assumption alone.
• All four tier signals reasoned through before a tier is assigned (Step 3).
• Tier stated with a one-sentence, signal-grounded rationale — not "it feels big."
• Full 7-section brief generated only after the tier is assigned.
• Session logged to /context/skill-sessions.md (Step 5).

Operating Rules

• Load brain before intake. ICP shapes what tier is appropriate.
• First run without a brain goes to `beachhead-segment`. A missing brain triggers a short setup in this plugin, not a warning.
• All four tier signals must be applied. Revenue alone does not make something T1.
• Tier rationale mandatory. One-sentence grounded reason required. "It feels big" is not a rationale.
• Leading indicators required. Every brief has ≥1 leading indicator + primary metric.
• Channel recommendations ICP-specific. Every channel tied to ICP + motion type, not generic.
• Calibration history used when the user has it. Don't require it, but use it if offered.
• Proof point gaps must be flagged. If brief requires unverified claim, surface before launch.

Quality Gate

Do Not Use For

• workflow-orchestrator — for chaining multiple skills end-to-end
• gtm-motions — for scoring and selecting acquisition motions against ICP deal economics (run before this skill for real Channel Strategy backing)
• beachhead-segment — for choosing the target segment itself (run before this skill if no beachhead is confirmed yet)
• positioning-messaging — for messaging work (use after this skill)
• product-messaging-playbook — for the Sales/CS-ready handoff document itself (problem, story, competitor comparison, discovery/objection script); this skill sequences the launch, it doesn't produce that document
• pre-mortem — for risk analysis (use after this skill)
• retro — for post-launch review (run after)