Developing Data-Driven GTM (Go-To-Market) Strategies

Steps for Developing a Data-Driven GTM Strategy

To develop a data-driven GTM strategy, proceed with the following steps:

1. Acquire, organize, and integrate high-quality data

To realize a data-driven GTM strategy, both first-party and third-party data are essential.
Generally, it is said that for first-party data—that is, your own company's data—you should prioritize quality over quantity, while for third-party data—external data—you should prioritize up-to-dateness and comprehensiveness.
Examples of first-party data include market and industry research reports, as well as customer information and financial data existing within the company.
Examples of third-party data include information such as the target company's industry classification, upward or downward trends in sales and profits, number of employees and departmental information, areas of focus and capital investment details, tools already implemented, and corporate affiliations.
This allows you to understand overall market trends and growth potential while moving closer to a state where you can grasp the specific challenges of individual companies.

2. Quantification of Prospective Companies

Based on data, we segment the target market.
By grouping customers with similar industries, locations, characteristics, and needs, more effective targeting becomes possible.
Furthermore, we use data to quantitatively judge various priorities.
For example, by comparing the characteristics of past high-value customers, you can rank the probability of a lead converting into a project. Alternatively, you can calculate the order probability for individual companies to extract customer candidates from the target group that are considered to have a particularly high potential.
As a method to judge potential more accurately, we collect and analyze the trends of competitors.
This allows us to identify our company's competitive advantage and create account plans for individual companies.
By adding values and additional information to companies within a segment, it will also be possible to implement more detailed targeting and 1-to-1 engagement measures.

3. Identifying Customer Pain Points

We categorize the needs of prospective customers and devise ways to present services and create impressions for each category.
Generally, it is said that it is effective to use three different presentation approaches: "Budget Optimization (Cost Cutting)," "Efficiency Maximization (Time Saving)," and "Business Automation (Reduction of Operational Tasks)."
Service providers often want to convey all the features of their services, but from the customer's perspective, parts other than what they are currently struggling with are (at this moment) unnecessary to know, and they only hope to have an opportunity to learn about them in the future.
Instead of providing a uniform and overall service guide, by providing guidance focused on specific needs, you can ultimately deepen the customer's understanding of your company while also deepening your company's understanding of the customer.
By presenting services in a way that aligns with the other party's mindset, the closing rate will improve significantly.

Common Elements in Data-Driven GTM Strategy Formulation

While GTM strategies are formulated uniquely by each company, companies that succeed in approaching prospective customers share the following elements:

● Detailed Segmentation
We classify and understand the needs held by customers, and then build a strategy after organizing them.
By grouping customers based on common characteristics, you can efficiently personalize your approach to each company. It is also important for the sales department to implement various measures in cooperation with the marketing department.

● Differentiated Value Proposition
Before starting to sell products or services, companies need to confirm potential demand.
By considering who the intended users are, what specific issues the product solves, and whether there are companies providing competing value, we devise ways to convey an appeal to prospective customers that surpasses traditional methods or competitors.

● Continuous Data Utilization and Strategy Evaluation
A sustainable GTM strategy is formulated with its operation in mind.
For the continuous success of products or services, it is also necessary to consider how to generate high-value customers and how to connect customer feedback to further customer acquisition.
Specifically, by establishing indicators to evaluate the achievement level of the GTM strategy itself, it becomes possible to formulate strategies that anticipate stable business growth and to continuously operate the formulated strategies.

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Afterword

Conveying the appeal of your company's products or services to the fullest is extremely important in corporate activities.
However, sometimes by daring to "not convey everything" or "intensively convey pinpoint features," prospective customers may have a better impression of your company.
Seeking a form that matches the person you are conveying to is the essence of formulating a GTM strategy.
uSonar, developed by our company, makes it possible to create a list of companies narrowed down using the latest corporate data. This allows you not only to define the market your company can approach but also to extract a list of specific companies.
In addition, Rating 2.0, which we provide, is a service where AI automatically lists companies with high potential based on information from existing customer data. It is used by companies considering the re-evaluation of prospective customer lists or the discovery of new prospective customers.

Generate a List of High-Potential Companies Through Machine Learning
Click Here for "Rating 2.0"



*Rating 2.0 was an optional function of Side Sonar (new provision ended in February 2025), and new provision ended as of April 2025. Similar functions have been succeeded by the AI list feature included in PLANSonar.