Go-to-Market Fit: How to Start!
This Friday->The go-to market handbook for B2B SaaS leaders by Richard Blundell [3 min reading]
On Startup Salad I break down a business book’s key takeaways in a simple, digestible format, just like a good salad!
Hey, it’s Fede!
This is how many founders approach Go-to-Market fit:
They have an idea and try to force it into the market at all costs.
Chances it works?
Zero (or very close to).
The problem?
Starting a startup is a real mess.
Few resources, lots of confusion.
Who should you contact? Why? When? How?
Today, we’ll look at how to go to market as efficiently as possible.
Today's book: The go-to market handbook for B2B SaaS leaders by Richard Blundell
In this book, I found a chart that’s super useful.
Perfect for anyone trying to bring a product to market.
Let me show you – it’s a good one.
Pssst: Every time you see a🥗 it means the takeaway is very hot!
Define Your Ideal Customer
Ok, you probably have a product right now that solves a problem for a ton of people.
Cool for VCs, cool for your Business Plan, cool for your SOM, SAM, TAM BINBUMBAM.
But, but, but:
you barely know anyone in the industry
your budget is just enough to buy tissues to cry into
Totally fine, that’s normal.
But, but, but pt.2: Now you’ve got an important question to answer:
Who’s your perfect first customer to reach out to?
⚠️ Careful though, there’s a key distinction to make between two groups of customers:
Product-market fit: your dream customers, the coolest ones who could bring in serious money 🥗
Go-to-market fit: your reachable customers, maybe not the coolest, but your uncle’s cousin knows them and you can actually get in touch 🥗
Think about all the potential people that you would like to contact and put them into this chart:
Ignore
They’re like that person in high school you had a crush on:
great looks, horrible personality, and you knew they’d never give you a chance.
- Move on. You’ll lose on every front.Research
These customers are super cool, but extremely expensive and energy-draining to reach.
- Not really recommended at the beginning.
- They're a long-run play.Respond
They’re not ideal for your business, but they’re easy to reach.
- Use them early on to collect feedback or get some initial traction.
- Don’t forget they exist if you are getting stuck.Focus 🥗
These are the real deal.
Reachable, high potential, and most importantly, they care.Only for this category:
If they ask for new features, improvements, or give feedback, listen carefully.
- Consider taking the next step based on what they’re saying.- They’re the ones worth building for.
- They bring the most value.
Once you’ve found your Focus group, and if there are too many of them, apply one more filter:
Growth expectations – if they’re aiming high, they’ll likely be more interested and more interesting for you.
What they actually do – their business matters.
If they sell cigarettes and that doesn’t align with your values, maybe skip them.
And tadaa, now you’ve found the PERFECT group of people you need to reach out to fo your GO-TO-MARKET.
The guidelines you need to build your startup:
See you next Friday,
Federico Lorenzon
Wonderful review - well done 👏👏👏
Love the Book Review! I'm one of the Co-Authors of the Book(spoiler alert ) so totally stoked and love your style - "the round hole" genius 💙. I'm also on Substack with The Founders Corner - I'd love to find a way to collaborate if that's of interest 🌞