B2B GTM strategy for startups: Myths, mistakes, and how to succeed

Most B2B startups don't fail because their product is bad. They fail because nobody knows they exist.

You've built something valuable. Your tech solves a real problem. Your early users love it. But growth has stalled, your marketing tactics are all over the place (if any…), and strategy is just a Google Doc that gathers dust in an old folder.

The good part? The issue isn't your product. 

The bad part? It's your go-to-market strategy and the misconception surrounding it.

The real definition of strategy 

Before we dive into what's broken, let's clarify what strategy actually means. Roger Martin, one of the leading voices in strategic thinking, defines it this way:

Strategy isn't your mission statement. It's not your list of marketing channels or a plan of tactics for the next month. It's about making deliberate choices across three critical areas: your customers, your competitors, and your company's unique capabilities.

These need to work together to quickly position your company in your customers' minds and help you gain market share 

The strategy myths that kill B2B startups

Myth #1: GTM is a marketing problem

Your sales team thinks marketing should generate more leads. Marketing blames sales for not closing the deal. Product wonders why nobody understands the features they built. Customer success sees churn patterns nobody else notices.

Reality: A go-to-market strategy requires alignment across marketing, sales, product management, customer success, and operations. When these teams operate in silos, you get mixed messages, wasted resources, and confused customers.

Myth #2: Build the product first, figure out GTM later

This might be the most expensive myth in tech. Founders spend months (or years) perfecting their product, then wonder why it doesn't sell itself.

Reality: If you don't know who will use your product and why, what are you really building? Your customers should inform your product development from day one. Build WITH your customers, not FOR them.

Myth #3: A good product will sell itself

Great products fail constantly. Not because they aren't good, but because potential customers never discover them.

Reality: Even the best solutions require active selling. Your founding team needs to sell first, learn from every conversation, and adapt your approach based on real market feedback.

Myth #4: Our target audience is…everyone

When you try to talk to everyone, you dilute your message and confuse your market. You become the "average" solution. Unfortunately, average doesn't win deals.

Reality: Talking to everyone means connecting with no one. Focus creates clarity. Clarity drives conversions. You can be anything, but you cannot be everything.

Myth #5: If it worked for another company, it will work for us

Every successful company has a unique story. Their market timing, resources, team capabilities, and competitive landscape were different from yours.

Reality: There is no universal strategy. Your approach must fit your specific product, target market, and competitive position. Learn from others, but discover what works for your unique situation.

What REALLY works: A framework for B2B GTM success

1. Start with what matters: Your customers

Answer these questions before anything else:

• Who is your customer? (Be specific - not "mid-market companies" but "HR directors at 200-500 person SaaS companies facing compliance challenges")
• What significant problem do you solve for them?
• Which channels will you use to build relationships and sell?
• How will you support customers after the sale?
  
  

2. Choose your playground through segmentation

Segmentation shouldn’t mean limiting yourself. It's about focusing your resources for maximum impact. We have recently explored this idea in a workshop about effectuation, hosted by Joe Tabet.

Filter your market by company size, industry vertical, location, and behavioral factors like needs and goals.

This focus helps you:

• Concentrate resources where they matter most
• Achieve better results faster
• Avoid crushing competition from larger players
• Escape the "average solution" trap
  
  

3. Embrace relative differentiation, not uniqueness

Here's an uncomfortable truth: there's nothing 100% unique about your brand. You will never own a single attribute in your market.

Mark Ritson, marketing professor and brand consultant, frames it perfectly:

Focus on being relatively different across three or four key attributes that matter to your target customers. This creates a distinct position without claiming impossible uniqueness.

4. Get your team aligned and on the same page.

Strategy only works when everyone executes it together. Here's how to get alignment:

• Bring an external facilitator to coordinate the session
• Get marketing, sales, product, operations, and finance in the same room for 3-6 hours
• Review facts together and build a common understanding
• Explore solutions collaboratively
• Decide on next steps with clear ownership

Here’s what one of our clients had to say after we facilitated a strategy workshop for them:

“We were impressed with STOICA’s planning and attention to detail, which is why we've decided to trust them with a larger part of our marketing strategy after the strategy workshop we’ve initially worked on. Now we’re trusting them to lead our entire marketing function.”

Andrei Resmeriță

Chief Revenue Officer @FORT

5. Start with what you have now

Don't wait for perfect conditions. Use:

• The team you have
• The clients you have
• The relationships you have
• The tools you have
• Your current website and materials

Build from there. Test, learn, optimize.

6. Keep it simple

You don’t need much to start. Your minimum viable tech stack for early-stage GTM could look something like this:

• Email
• Direct outreach
• Landing page or presentation
• Spreadsheet for tracking

That's it. Add complexity only when simplicity stops working.

The path forward

Go-to-market strategy isn't a one-time project. It's an ongoing process of learning what works for your specific market, adapting your approach, and aligning your team around a common direction.

Stop chasing the latest tactics. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Stop waiting for perfect conditions.

Start by understanding your customers deeply. Choose your market segment deliberately. Position yourself relative to alternatives based on relevant attributes. Get your team aligned. Then execute with focus.

The companies that win aren't always the ones with the best product. They're the ones that connect their valuable solution with the right customers through a clear, focused strategy.

Need help clarifying your go-to-market strategy? Let’s chat!