Here’s a phased GTM execution framework you can implement immediately. Each phase builds on the previous, with specific deliverables, meetings, and metrics.

Days 0-30: Foundation & Pre-Market Validation

Goal: Ensure you’re building the right thing for the right person before going loud

Week 1-2: Strategic Positioning

• Lock ICP definition: Create 1-page buyer persona (pain points, current alternatives, buying triggers)
• Finalize positioning: Write 3-sentence value prop using this formula:
  "For [ICP] who [problem], [Product] is a [category] that [solution]. Unlike [alternatives], we [key differentiator]."
• Map the buyer journey: Document awareness → consideration → decision → retention touchpoints
• Competitive battle cards: Create 1-pagers for top 3 competitors (their weakness → your strength)

Week 3-4: Infrastructure & Early Access

• Tech stack setup: Analytics (Amplitude/Mixpanel), CRM (HubSpot), email automation, landing page builder
• Build "Waitlist" funnel: Landing page + lead magnet (calculator, audit, framework) to capture 100+ early prospects
• Schedule 15 discovery calls: Interview prospects who match ICP (not friends/family) to validate pricing willingness
• Create content bank: Write 5 SEO articles answering "jobs-to-be-done" questions your ICP googles

Success Metrics: 100 qualified waitlist signups, 10 confirmed beta testers, documented pricing feedback

Days 31-60: Soft Launch & Product-Market Fit Testing

Goal: Get real users, break things, fix fast

Week 5-6: Controlled Release

• Beta cohort onboarding: Launch to 20-50 users with white-glove onboarding (Calendly calls, not automated)
• Implement feedback loops: In-app NPS, weekly office hours, dedicated Slack/Discord channel
• Case study pipeline: Identify 3 "hero customers" for detailed case studies at Day 90
• Sales enablement v1: Create one-pager, demo script, and objection handling doc

Week 7-8: Channel Testing

• Organic social launch: Founder-led LinkedIn/Twitter content (3x/week) sharing build journey and insights
• Micro-influencer outreach: Contact 10 niche creators (5k-50k followers) for product feedback, not promotion
• Partnership mapping: List 10 complementary tools/services for co-marketing opportunities
• Email nurture sequence: Build 7-email welcome series for waitlist (education → social proof → trial)

Success Metrics: 20% weekly activation rate, <5% churn, 3 customers willing to be references, 500 organic followers

Days 61-90: Public Launch & Acquisition

Goal: Maximize noise, capture demand, establish baseline CAC

Week 9-10: The "Big" Launch

• Launch on 3 platforms: Product Hunt + relevant Reddit communities + Indie Hackers (stagger by 48 hours)
• [ ][ ] PR push: Pitch 10 niche journalists/podcasters (not TechCrunch—think industry vertical pubs)
• Paid ads test: $10/day on Meta/LinkedIn (test 3 creative angles: pain-point, outcome, competitive)
• Webinar/workshop: Host educational event (not product demo) solving ICP's #1 pain point

Week 11-12: Conversion Optimization

• A/B test pricing page: Test annual vs. monthly, feature-based vs. usage-based tiers
• Referral program: Launch "Give $10, Get $10" (or equivalent) for existing users
• Retargeting setup: Pixel installation + 3 ad sets (blog readers, pricing page visitors, trial drop-offs)
• Sales cadence: If B2B, start 5-touch email/LinkedIn sequence (tool: Apollo.io or Lavender)

Success Metrics: First 100 paying customers, CAC payback period <12 months, 15% trial-to-paid conversion, $10k MRR (or equivalent traction metric)

Days 91-180: Scale & Retention

Goal: Double down on what works, kill what doesn't, build predictable revenue

Month 4: Channel Expansion

• Double winning channel: If SEO is working → hire writer; if outbound → hire SDR; if PLG → optimize onboarding flow
• Partnership activation: Execute 2 co-marketing campaigns (webinars, lead magnets, or integration launches)
• Customer success playbook: Implement health scoring and automated check-ins at Day 3, 14, and 30
• Pricing optimization: Analyze feature usage data → create new "Growth" tier or usage limits

Month 5-6: Team & Automation

• Hire first GTM specialist: First hire should plug your biggest leak (usually CS or sales depending on model)
• Marketing automation: Move from manual campaigns to behavior-triggered sequences (tool: Customer.io or HubSpot workflows)
• Expansion revenue: Launch upsell/cross-sell campaign to existing base (new features, seats, or usage)
• Win/loss analysis: Interview 10 lost deals and 10 won deals to refine messaging

Success Metrics: Net Revenue Retention >100%, CAC decreased 20%, 30% of leads coming from organic/word-of-mouth, 2x pipeline coverage

Days 181-365: Market Dominance

Goal: Become the default choice in your category

Q3-Q4: Strategic Moves

• Category creation/education: Publish original research (State of Industry report) or framework that positions you as thought leader
• Enterprise motion: If SMB-focused, test enterprise tier with security features, SLA, and dedicated success manager
• International expansion: Localize website and support for 1 additional market (or verticalize for 1 new industry)
• Community building: Launch user conference (virtual or IRL) or certification program

Systems & Intelligence

• Advanced attribution: Move from last-click to multi-touch attribution (tool: Dreamdata or HockeyStack)
• Predictive lead scoring: Implement ML-based scoring to prioritize sales efforts
• Competitive intelligence: Monthly competitive win/loss tracking and pricing monitoring
• Board-ready metrics: Automated dashboard tracking LTV:CAC ratio, magic number, and payback period

Success Metrics: $1M+ ARR (or relevant scale), <2% monthly churn, 40% of new business from referrals, established as Top 3 in category

Critical Success Factors

Weekly Rituals (never skip):

• Monday: Pipeline review (sales + marketing alignment)
• Wednesday: Product-GTM sync (blockers, feature requests, bugs affecting conversion)
• Friday: Metric review (only 3-4 KPIs that matter this quarter)

The "Pivot Triggers" (if these happen, pause and reassess):

• Day 30: <20 people willing to beta test = messaging/ICP problem
• Day 90: 0% trial-to-paid conversion = product value problem
• Day 180: CAC increasing while LTV flat = channel saturation problem

Resource Allocation Rule:

• Days 0-90: 70% product, 30% GTM
• Days 91-180: 50% product, 50% GTM
• Days 181-365: 30% product, 70% GTM (focus on distribution)

Your Next Steps (Do This Today)

1. Open a spreadsheet and label columns: Day 30 | Day 60 | Day 90 | Day 180 | Day 365
2. Fill row 1 with your "One Metric That Matters" for each phase (e.g., Day 30 = 100 waitlist, Day 90 = $10k MRR)
3. Block 2 hours this week for the 15 customer discovery calls (Days 0-30)
4. Set calendar reminders for Day 30, 60, 90, 180, 365 for "GTM Strategy Review"

To customize this for your specific situation, tell me:

1. Are you B2B or B2C? (Sales-led vs. product-led changes the tactics significantly)
2. What's your current stage? (Idea, MVP built, or already have paying customers?)
3. What's your primary constraint? (Budget, time, technical resources, or market education?)

I can then rewrite specific phases with exact playbooks for your scenario.

Creating a year-long Go-To-Market (GTM) plan requires moving from internal alignment to market entry and finally to sustainable scaling. This timeline ensures you aren’t just "launching," but actually building a business.

Follow this step-by-step roadmap to build your plan.

Phase 1: Days 1–30 (Foundation & Discovery)

Goal: Define exactly who you are selling to and why they should care.

• Define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Don't just list industries. Identify the specific job titles, pain points, and "trigger events" (e.g., a company just raised funding or hired a new VP) that make them need your product.
• Conduct Competitive Research: Map out your top 3–5 competitors. Identify their pricing, their "moat," and, most importantly, where they are failing their customers.
• Draft the Value Proposition: Create a "Messaging House."
  • The Big Idea: One sentence describing your impact.
  • The 3 Pillars: The three main benefits that solve customer pain.
• Establish Key Metrics (KPIs): Define what success looks like for Day 90. Is it $X in pipeline, 10 beta users, or 500 waitlist signups?

Action Item: Create a "Source of Truth" document (a Notion page or slide deck) that holds all these definitions so the team stays aligned.

Phase 2: Days 31–60 (Preparation & Asset Creation)

Goal: Build the engine that will deliver your message.

• Build the Sales Playbook: Script your cold emails, LinkedIn outreach, and discovery call questions.
• Content & Collateral:
  • Create a high-converting landing page.
  • Develop a "One-Pager" or Pitch Deck.
  • Write 2–3 "Cornerstone" blog posts or whitepapers that address market gaps.
• Technical Setup: Ensure your CRM (HubSpot/Salesforce) and tracking (Google Analytics/PostHog) are correctly capturing lead data.
• Soft Launch/Beta: Open the product to 5–10 friendly users to gather testimonials and identify bugs.

Action Item: Finalize your "Sales Toolkit" so that on Day 61, your team (or you) can start selling immediately.

Phase 3: Days 61–90 (The Hard Launch)

Goal: Generate noise and secure the first wave of customers.

• The Launch Event: Execute a coordinated push across Product Hunt, LinkedIn, and Email lists.
• Outbound Blitz: Start active outreach. Aim for a specific number of "touches" per day (e.g., 30 emails, 20 LinkedIn connections).
• Paid Experimentation: Run small-budget ads (LinkedIn or Google) to test which headlines and personas convert best.
• Feedback Loops: Set up weekly "Voice of Customer" meetings to discuss why prospects are saying "no."

Action Item: Secure your first 5–10 "Design Partners" or paying customers who will provide the case studies for Phase 4.

Phase 4: Days 91–180 (Optimization & Funnel Fixing)

Goal: Move from "doing things that don't scale" to a repeatable process.

• Analyze the Data: Look at your conversion rates. If people visit the site but don't sign up, fix the messaging. If they sign up but don't use it, fix the onboarding.
• Case Study Production: Turn your Phase 3 successes into social proof. Video testimonials are the "gold standard" here.
• Channel Expansion: If LinkedIn worked, try webinars. If cold email worked, try SEO or partnerships.
• Refine Pricing: Based on the first 90 days of feedback, adjust your pricing tiers to maximize revenue without increasing friction.

Action Item: Identify the one acquisition channel that had the lowest Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and double your investment there.

Phase 5: Days 181–365 (Scaling & Retention)

Goal: Focus on Lifetime Value (LTV) and market dominance.

• Customer Success Program: Shift focus from just getting customers to keeping them. Build an automated onboarding sequence and a "check-in" cadence.
• Referral & Advocacy: Build a mechanism for your best customers to refer others (discounts, affiliate commissions, or exclusive access).
• Content Engine: Transition from manual posts to a consistent content calendar (SEO-driven blogs, podcasts, or a monthly newsletter).
• Expansion Revenue: Identify opportunities for upsells or cross-sells. Can you launch a "Pro" tier or a complementary service?

Action Item: Run a "Year 1 Review" to compare your actual KPIs against the Day 1 goals and set the strategy for Year 2.

How to get started today:

To make this plan specific to your situation, I need a bit more detail:

1. What is the product or service? (B2B SaaS, Physical Product, Agency Service?)
2. What is your primary goal for the end of Year 1? (e.g., $1M in ARR, 10,000 active users, or being acquired?)
3. What is your current team size/budget? (Are you a solo founder or do you have a marketing/sales team?)