go-to-market-strategy

name: go-to-market-strategy version: 2.1.0 description: > Assigns launch tier (T1–T4) and generates a complete GTM strategy brief with positioning angles, channel strategy, success metrics, and competitive context. Self-learns from past launches stored in the brain. Trigger on: "what tier is this launch", "GTM strategy for", "help me scope this", "how should we launch", "what channels for this launch", "is this a T1 or T2", "plan my launch", "launch strategy for", or any request to scope, tier, or build a GTM plan for a product, feature, pricing change, or market expansion.

metadata: author: Stefanos Karakasis context: brain-dependent quality_gate: true last_updated: 2026-06-12

Go-to-Market Strategy

Assigns a launch tier and generates a complete GTM strategy brief — with positioning angles, channel recommendations, success metrics, and competitive context — grounded in your brain and sharper with every launch.

Not a template-filler. A strategic thinking partner that interrogates scope before recommending resource investment.

Trigger

• When: Any request to scope, tier, or plan a GTM initiative: product launch, feature release, pricing change, new segment entry, or market expansion.
• Not for: Multi-skill end-to-end launch programs → use workflow-orchestrator. Positioning or messaging work → use positioning-messaging. Post-launch review → use retro. Risk analysis → use pre-mortem.
• Example prompts:
  • "What tier is our SSO launch?"
  • "Help me scope the GTM for our analytics dashboard"
  • "Is this pricing change a T1 or T2?"
  • "Build a GTM strategy for our new enterprise segment"
  • "We're entering the healthcare vertical — where do we start?"

Inputs

• Args: Initiative name or description — free format. One sentence minimum.
• Defaults: If no initiative is named, run intake before proceeding.
• Context keys:
  • /foundation/brain.md — required. Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 7.
  • Brain contract:
    • Reads: Section 2 (ICP & personas) — target segment and buying triggers; Section 3 (Positioning) — current positioning angles and category; Section 4 (Competitive landscape) — alternatives and differentiation; Section 5 (Proof points) — claims to anchor the brief; Section 7 (Launch history) — prior tier assignments and actuals for calibration.
    • Writes: Section 7 — adds new launch entry as "Planned" with tier, rationale, and success metrics. Updates to "Completed" after retro.
    • Never writes to: Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Pre-flight

First-run detection

Before loading any context, check for /foundation/brain.md.

If brain is missing entirely, do not continue to intake. Run first-run onboarding:

"Welcome. Before we build your first GTM brief, I need your company context — otherwise I'm generating generic output that won't be worth your time.

Step 1 of 2: Run product-marketing-context first. That skill sets up your brain file with ICP, positioning, competitive landscape, and proof points — the four things that make a GTM brief sharp instead of generic.

Come back here once your brain is set up and I'll assign a tier and build your brief in one pass. It takes 10–15 minutes and you only do it once."

Do not generate a brief without a brain. The non-blocking warning pattern is retired in this version — a brief without ICP and positioning is not a GTM brief.

Exception: If the user explicitly states they want a draft brief without a brain (acknowledged limitation), surface once and proceed:

"Understood. Continuing without brain context. Output will be assumption-based — treat it as a starting scaffold, not a strategy. Run product-marketing-context before using this for real planning."

Standard pre-flight (brain present)

• Load /foundation/brain.md. Extract Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 silently.
• If Section 7 (Launch history) is empty or missing: note internally. Tier calibration will rely on initiative signals only — no historical precedent.
• If Section 3 (Positioning) is 🔴 Placeholder: flag before intake:

  "⚠️ Positioning is marked Placeholder. The GTM brief will lack sharp angles. Run positioning-messaging first for better output."

Steps

Step 1: Run Intake

Ask in one message. Never generate before this is complete.

"Before I assign a tier and build the brief, three things I need:

1. What's the initiative? (Product, feature, pricing change, new segment, market expansion — one sentence on what it is and who it's for)

2. What does success look like in 90 days? Specific metric with a number. Not "more pipeline" — a target.

3. What's your timeline and do you have a hard launch date? Name the date if there is one. If not, give me the rough window."

If the user has already provided this context, skip and proceed to Step 2.

Reflect back the initiative in 2 sentences before proceeding:

"Got it. We're launching [X] for [segment] with a goal of [metric] by [date]. Let me check what the brain tells us and assign a tier."

Step 2: Load Brain Context

Load silently. Do not narrate to the user. Extract:

• ICP (Section 2): primary persona, buying triggers, deal size, motion type
• Positioning (Section 3): current category, key differentiators, primary alternatives
• Competitive landscape (Section 4): who this launch affects competitively
• Proof points (Section 5): claims relevant to this initiative
• Launch history (Section 7): prior launches of similar type or tier — what worked, what didn't, which tier was assigned vs. which was warranted

If launch history shows a tier calibration mismatch (T2 that performed like T1, or T1 that underdelivered), surface it as a calibration note before assigning tier.

Step 3: Assign Tier

Apply all four signals before assigning. A single strong signal does not override the others.

Tier assignment criteria:

Tier definitions:

• T1 — Company bet. 6–12 weeks. All channels. Full exec alignment. The kind of launch you build a quarter around.
• T2 — Major initiative. 2–4 weeks. Targeted GTM. Dedicated PMM time. Measurable pipeline or adoption goal.
• T3 — Routine launch. 1 week. Focused enablement. Limited external noise. Conversion or retention impact.
• T4 — Minimal lift. Internal or beta only. No GTM investment. Changelog or in-product comms only.

Calibration from launch history: Before confirming the tier, check Section 7. If a similar initiative was previously under- or over-resourced, adjust recommendation and name the precedent:

"Based on [prior launch], similar scope was assigned T2 but performed at T1 signal. Recommending T1 here to avoid under-resourcing."

Output the tier with a one-sentence rationale before generating the brief:

[T#] — [one sentence why, grounded in the four signals]

Step 4: Generate GTM Brief

Generate only after tier is assigned and rationale is stated. Structure:

## GTM Brief — [Initiative Name]

**Tier:** [T1 / T2 / T3 / T4]
**Tier rationale:** [one sentence grounded in the four signals]
**Launch date / window:** [date or range]
**DRI:** [name or TBD]
**Success metric:** [specific number + timeframe]

---

### Strategic Context

**Why now:** [1–2 sentences on market timing, competitive signal, or internal
readiness that makes this launch worth doing now — not generic]

**ICP fit:** [Who specifically this is for, drawn from brain Section 2. Include
the buying trigger that makes this initiative relevant to them right now.]

**Positioning angle:** [The sharpest differentiator relevant to this initiative,
drawn from brain Section 3. Not a tagline — a strategic claim that separates
this launch from what competitors or alternatives can say.]

---

### Channel Strategy

Channels recommended based on ICP, tier, and motion type. Listed by priority.

| Channel | Why | Tactic | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Primary] | [Specific reason tied to ICP and motion] | [Concrete tactic] | [Function] |
| [Secondary] | [Specific reason] | [Concrete tactic] | [Function] |
| [Tertiary] | [Specific reason] | [Concrete tactic] | [Function] |

**Motion type:** [Sales-led / PLG / CS-led / Partner — drawn from brain]

For T3/T4: list only 1–2 channels. Do not over-engineer low-tier launches.

---

### Success Metrics

| Metric | Type | Target | Timeframe | Measurement method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Primary] | Output (lagging) | [number] | [date] | [where to measure] |
| [Leading indicator 1] | Input (leading) | [number] | [earlier date] | [where to measure] |
| [Leading indicator 2] | Input (leading) | [number] | [earlier date] | [where to measure] |
| [Guardrail] | Health | [threshold] | Ongoing | [where to measure] |

**Why this metric set:** [1 sentence explaining the causal logic — why moving
the leading indicators should move the primary metric]

---

### Competitive Context

**Primary alternative:** [What buyers compare this to — from brain Section 4]
**Defensive angle:** [What you say when they bring it up]
**Attack angle:** [Where you go on offense — the specific gap the alternative has]

---

### Proof Points

Relevant claims from brain Section 5 to anchor the launch narrative:
- [Proof point 1 — metric or quote]
- [Proof point 2 — metric or quote]

Flag any missing proof points:
> "⚠️ No proof point exists for [claim]. Recommend gathering before launch."

---

### Timeline

| Week | Milestone | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| -4 to -2 | [Pre-launch prep — enablement, assets, positioning locked] | PMM |
| -1 | [Launch readiness check — all assets live, sales briefed] | PMM + Sales |
| 0 | [Launch day — announcement, outbound, in-product] | All |
| +2 | [First signal check — leading indicators tracked] | PMM |
| +4 | [Mid-launch review — adjust if leading indicators off] | PMM |
| +12 | [Post-launch retro trigger] | PMM |

Adjust timeline length to tier: T1 = 8–12 weeks total, T2 = 4–6 weeks,
T3 = 2–3 weeks, T4 = 1 week max.

---

### Next Steps

1. Confirm tier and brief with [stakeholder] by [date]
2. Run `positioning-messaging` to sharpen angles for this launch
3. Run `pre-mortem` to stress-test the plan before committing resources
4. Run `stakeholder-maps` to align internal champions and surface blockers
5. After launch, run `retro` → updates brain Section 7 with actuals

Step 5: Update Brain Section 7

After brief is confirmed (user explicitly accepts or approves):

Write to /foundation/brain.md Section 7:

## Launch: [Initiative Name]
- **Date planned:** [launch date]
- **Tier assigned:** [T#]
- **Tier rationale:** [one sentence]
- **Primary metric:** [metric + target]
- **Status:** Planned
- **Actuals:** [To be updated after retro]

Surface this to the user:

"Logged to brain Section 7 as Planned. Run retro after launch to update with actuals — the 4th launch will be better calibrated than the 1st."

If the user declines brain write: proceed without writing. Do not force it.

Outputs

• Files written: /foundation/brain.md Section 7 — new launch entry on confirmation.
• Chat output format: Tier assignment with rationale → full GTM brief in the structure above. Output is markdown formatted for copy-paste into Notion or Google Docs.
• External side effects: n.v.t.

Verification

Runs after brief generation, before delivery. All checks must pass.

Do Not Use For

• workflow-orchestrator — when you need to chain multiple skills end-to-end (positioning → competitive → GTM → stakeholder maps) for a full launch program. Use this skill for the GTM strategy step within that program.
• positioning-messaging — when the primary need is messaging, copy, or positioning statement work rather than launch scope and channel strategy.
• pre-mortem — when the primary need is risk analysis before committing to a launch. Run go-to-market-strategy first, then pre-mortem on the output.
• retro — for post-launch review and brain Section 7 actuals update.

Commands

/tier

Assign a tier only — no full brief. Use when the user needs a quick scope decision without the full strategy output.

/tier [initiative description]

Output format:

Tier: [T#]
Rationale: [one sentence — four signals applied]
Calibration note: [prior launch precedent if applicable, or "No prior precedent in brain"]
Confidence: [High / Medium / Low — based on signal quality]
Next: Run /brief for the full GTM strategy, or /pre-mortem to stress-test before committing.

/brief

Generate the full GTM brief for an initiative. Assumes tier is already known or runs /tier first.

/brief [initiative description]

Runs Steps 1–5 sequentially. Outputs the full structured brief.

/calibrate

Review the tier assigned to a prior launch against actuals. Updates brain Section 7 and surfaces a calibration rule for future launches.

/calibrate [launch name] — [what happened vs. projected]

Output: Launch name, tier assigned, actual performance, calibration verdict (Over-resourced / Under-resourced / Correct), proposed rule, brain write prompt.

/history

Show launch history from brain Section 7. Useful before a new launch to calibrate tier against prior initiatives of similar scope.

/history
/history [filter: T1 / T2 / T3 / T4 / segment name]

Output: table of prior launches with tier, metric, status, and actuals.

Operating Rules

• Load brain before intake. ICP, positioning, and launch history change what tier is appropriate. A T2 for one company is a T3 for another.
• First-run mode is not optional. A missing brain triggers onboarding, not a warning. The non-blocking pattern produces generic output that damages trust in the skill — retire it.
• All four tier signals must be applied. Never assign tier on a single signal. Revenue potential alone does not make something T1.
• Reflect back the initiative before tiering. Assumption-surfacing is not polish — it's how misaligned briefs get caught before work starts.
• Tier rationale is mandatory. No tier without a one-sentence grounded reason. "It feels big" is not a rationale.
• Leading indicators are required. A brief with only a lagging metric has no early warning system. Always pair primary metric with at least one leading indicator.
• Channel recommendations must be ICP-specific. Generic channel lists (email, LinkedIn, events) are not acceptable. Every channel must have a reason tied to the ICP and motion type.
• Calibration history must be checked. Before confirming tier, check Section 7. A pattern of tier mismatches is a system problem, not a one-off.
• Brain write requires explicit confirmation. Never write to Section 7 without the user accepting the brief. Ask before writing.
• T4 is not a downgrade — it's a scope decision. Never use T4 as a way to avoid work. Use it when external GTM investment is genuinely not warranted.
• Proof point gaps must be flagged. If the brief requires a claim that has no supporting proof point in Section 5, surface it as a risk before launch.

Quality Gate

Runs after brief generation, before delivery. Surface failures — do not deliver incomplete output.

On any failure: flag the specific check, fix before delivering. Do not present a partial brief as complete.

Self-Improvement Loop

Before every session:

1. Load /foundation/brain.md Section 7 — scan for tier calibration patterns. If a tier was consistently over- or under-assigned for a given initiative type, apply that as a default calibration before running Step 3.
2. Check knowledge/gtm/rules.md if it exists — apply confirmed rules silently.
3. Check knowledge/gtm/hypotheses.md — note any hypothesis testable with today's launch.

After every session where a brief was generated:

1. Extract any tier calibration observation → knowledge/gtm/hypotheses.md
2. If the same calibration pattern has appeared 3+ times → propose promotion to knowledge/gtm/rules.md with user approval.
3. If proof point gaps were flagged → log to knowledge/gtm/knowledge.md as a signal for the proof points skill to address.
4. Append session summary to sessions/log.md.

Self-Improvement Trigger format — surface before encoding, never silently:

🔁 SELF-IMPROVEMENT TRIGGER
Pattern: [what was observed this session]
Proposed update: [exact wording of what would be added or changed]
Location: [file path]
Awaiting approval before encoding.

Changelog

v2.1.0 — 2026-06-12

Spec compliance audit fixes. Brain-missing now triggers guided onboarding (not a non-blocking warning) — modelled on Ramp's zero-state UX. Verification converted to table format. First-run check added to Operating Rules and Quality Gate.

v2.0.0 — 2026-06-06

Full rebuild to SKILL-SPEC v2.0.0. Replaced README-grade file (93 lines) with production-grade skill. Added all 7 required sections, intake step, four-signal tier assignment, full GTM brief structure (7 sections), /tier /brief /calibrate /history commands, brain contract, operating rules, quality gate, self-improvement loop.

v1.0.0 — 2026-04-01

Initial build. Tier framework and brain integration concept. README-grade.