How to Transform Your Go-To-Market Strategy with a Customer-Centric Viewpoint

Ann Neir, the Senior Vice President of Revenue Operations at Mindtickle, explains how companies can improve their go-to-market strategies and maximize revenue growth by adopting a customer-centric viewpoint. This article originally appeared in Insight Jam, an enterprise IT community that enables human conversation on AI.

In the past, many B2B sellers presented a generic sales pitch to every prospect they encountered. While this approach may have worked then, it no longer passes muster. Modern buyers have lofty—and ever-evolving—expectations. Sure, they still expect great products; that’ll never change. However, B2B buyers expect experiences, solutions, and advice tailored to their unique needs and preferences.

Sellers fail to meet these expectations all too often. According to recent research, just 34 percent of B2B buyers feel their sales reps are helpful during the purchase journey. Buyers have endless options, and they aren’t willing to settle. Revenue leaders must transform their go-to-market strategies to ensure customers’ needs are front and center.

A Customer-Centric Approach Pays Dividends

Let’s face it: the marketplace is more crowded than ever. No matter what challenge a seller faces, countless vendors promise to solve it. It can feel downright overwhelming to buyers. However, vendors often employ strategies and tactics that aren’t aligned with customers’ needs and preferences. Thus, they are surprised when a buyer takes their search in a different direction.

A customer-centric strategy is critical to cutting through the noise and connecting with buyers on their terms. When your customers are at the heart of your strategy, you’re well-positioned to deliver experiences that meet their needs and expectations. This is a sure way to grow sales. Research found that most (84 percent) organizations experienced revenue growth due to improving customer experiences.

Winning a new customer is certainly a victory. However, you can’t leave them high and dry after the ink has dried. After all, customers aren’t as loyal as we’d like, and even one poor experience can send them packing. A customer-centric strategy ensures that existing customers have outstanding experiences throughout their relationship with your business. You’ll increase satisfaction, retention, lifetime value, and referrals by prioritizing current customers’ needs.

The GTM Strategy and Motion Must Be Centered Around the Customer

Putting your customer first is a powerful way to grow your business. In theory, this seems like a simple directive. The data tells us otherwise. As mentioned earlier, just 34 percent of buyers feel the sales reps they engage with are genuinely helpful. That means two-thirds don’t feel this way. In other words, the majority of revenue organizations are dropping the ball. Something’s got to give.

Businesses must build go-to-market strategies and motions centered around the customer and their journey. This requires organizations to consider things like:

• How customers buy
• What problems do they want to solve
• What value do they see in the solution being offered

While GTM strategies and motions are related, they’re not the same thing. You need both to meet your customer’s needs and expectations and grow your business. The go-to-market strategy is your vision. Think of it as a roadmap for where you want your business to go. For example, you may plan to launch an entirely new product or start selling an existing product in a new market.

A go-to-market motion, on the other hand, breaks down the steps you will take to execute the GTM strategy. Think of it as a blueprint for how to build a house. The motion distills your strategy down to elements like:

• Who do you plan to target, including their roles
• How do you reach out to the target audience
• The messaging you’ll use to connect with your target audience
• What products do you offer to enable your target market to solve their challenges, and how much they cost

Articulating the value proposition is one of the most essential parts of your go-to-market motion. You must thoroughly understand the problem you’re solving for your customers and the value they (not you) associate with your solution. Nailing down the value proposition is foundational to delivering tailored experiences that resonate with customers throughout the buying journey.

Strategies and Motions Must Continuously Evolve

Building a customer-centric go-to-market strategy and motion is critical. However, this isn’t a one-time event. If the last few years have taught us anything, change is inevitable—and it comes quickly. Products and markets are ever-evolving, as are customers’ preferences and expectations. You must ensure your GTM strategy and motion keep up with the pace of change.

Be sure to measure the impact of your customer-centric initiatives continuously. Tracking the right metrics can help you see where your strategy is on track and pinpoint where you need to make changes or accelerate your efforts. Also, remember that your current and prospective customers are a wealth of insight. You must have a means to capture and understand what your customers and prospects say. This feedback can help you adapt your strategy to more effectively meet customers’ expectations—and earn their business for years to come.