Quick intro – 1 min each

• Your name, Country, background before the M2

• One fact to help us (and me) remember you
Growth Strategy definition

“A growth strategy is an organization's plan for overcoming current and future challenges to
realize its goals for expansion. Examples of growth strategy goals include increasing market
share and revenue, acquiring assets, and improving the organization's products or services”

Gartner Glossary
A robust, integrated go-to-market
system is one central difference
today between companies that
succeed and companies that fail,
between those that grow and
those that scramble merely to stay
in place
Mark Kovat, Dianne Ledingham, Lewis
Weinger, Bain & Company , in « Creating an
adaptive go-to-market system », 2012
Today’s program

1. Course structure and evaluation

2. GTM Definitions
3. GTM conception process and key decision points
4. References and readings

5
1. Course Structure and
evaluation
 Objectives
➢ Understand the concepts of Go-to-market strategy, the process to
build a go-to-market strategy, and how it serves the overall
company growth strategy
➢ Understand the difference of focus and approach in B2C versus
B2B, and specific GTM questions to address in context of
international growth strategies
➢ Understand the range of new options opened by the digital
revolution, and be able to propose appropriate solutions to
different business cases
➢ Understand the concept of customer experience, the changes of
Course perspectives in the measures of customer satisfaction over time,
and how putting customer experience at the core is impacting
objectives growth strategies

Skills
➢ Awareness of GTM decision points and options in B2B and B2C
➢ Awareness of the importance of customer experience to build a
successful growth strategy
➢ Ability to analyze company cases and apply a process to propose
relevant growth strategy and tactics
 1. GTM definition,conception process and key
decision points
2. Articulation between company strategy,
marketing strategy and GTM strategy
Course 3. Differentiation of B2B and B2C models
Chapters 4. Specific GTM questions when developing an
international business
5. The Digital revolution in Marketing
6. The Digital revolution in Selling
7. Customer Experience focus
8. GTM Strategies for Startups
Course planning
Session Date Content Students Presentations / Activities
GTM definition, conception process and • Paper assignment
1 Oct 12th • Starbucks Example
key decision points

GTM strategy versus company strategy • Quiz

and marketing strategy
2 Oct 19th Differentiation of B2B and B2C models
Specific GTM questions when developing
an international business
• Go-to-market strategy of Volvo Buses in winning Bus-Rapid-Transit
(BRT) Market in Indonesia’s Smart Cities
• Managing Multi-sided Platforms: Platform Origins and Go-to-Market
strategies
• Introduction to Business case

Oct 20th Applying the GTM framework to a real • Business case workshop
3
business case

• Business case workshop debrief

GTM and Innovation: • Final assignment brief
Nov 9th
4 The digital revolution in marketing • Customer-based execution strategy in a global digital economy
• Appetizer or main course : Early market vs Majority market GTM
strategies for radical innovation
• Quiz
The digital revolution in selling
• Offering Industrial Services: How to Sharpen the Go-to-Market
Nov 16th
5 Strategy
• Building routes to customers
• Final assignment workshop
• Conceptualization of omnichannel customer experience and its impact
on shopping intention: A mixed-method approach
Customer Experience focus
6 Nov 30th • Get the show on the road: go to market strategies for e-innovations of
GTM strategies for startups
start ups
• Final assignment tutorials
Evaluation
Type Weight Contenu

Continuous 50 % - Quiz x 2 (Individual, 10%)

/20 - Business case presentation (By group, 20%)
- Presentation of an article ( By group , 20%)
- Contribution to discussions during classes considered
as bonus/malus (+1,+2) ou malus (-1)

Final 50 % Final assignment (individual):Written report analyzing the

/20 GTM strategy from a company or organization
- Based on public information
- Using at least one theoretical model for analysis
- Validated by at least 1 interview
- including your critical perspective and
recommendations
- 6 to 10 pages (excl. appendix)
- Due date : Dec 18th 10
Quiz

• Online test
• 10 questions
• Related to the course content ( including paper presentations
presented by students)
Paper’s Presentation

• Each student will present 1 paper by team of 2.

• Each student will be able to express a preference between the
papers and I will do my best to take those preferences into
consideration for the assignment.
• All papers and articles are available in Moodle for the whole class.
• In order to express your views during class and debate with the team
presenting, reading the document prior to the class can be very
useful (even if not mandatory)
• Be attentive during presentations, as the topics discussed are part of
the course.
• For the papers 1 & 2, be prepared to present at our next class!
Guidelines for Students presentations

• Prepare a short presentation and/or video (25 ‘) including:

• Topic and context of the paper,
• What you find interesting in the problem addressed and why,
• Key findings,
• Your view on the matter, adding your own perspective, extending the
discussion with additional examples, or proposing alternatives
• Build in your presentations some tactics to engage the audience
• Questions- Discussion 5’
• At the end of the session : feedback from every student on one
striking idea that you personally will take away from this
presentation
Presentation’s rating

• Rating will be both on:

• the content (14 points)
• 7pts on the clarity, accuracy and relevance of the restitution of the author’s
perspective
• 7 pts on your own value added : context, perspective, complementary or contradicting
points of views, additional examples….
• the quality of the presentation and interaction with the audience (6 points)
• Rating will be for the subgroup
Papers selection (1/3)

1. Go-to-Market strategy of VOLVO BUSES in winning Bus-Rapid-Transit (BRT) market in

INDONESIA’S Smart Cities Himawan Kunto D.A., S.T., Dr. Retno Kusumastuti, M.Si. Faculty of Administrative
Science, University of Indonesia, Republic of Indonesia. PROCEEDING 3rd International Conference on Business
Administration and Policy (ICBAP 2018).
This research have a main objective to establish a strong foundation for rapid growth for Volvo Buses in Indonesia. This
conference paper interest it that it applies step by step the Lawrence’s framework studied in class. In particular, the
market selection process is described in detail.

2. Managing Multi-sided Platforms : Platform Origins and Go-to-Market strategy David

J.Teece, Asta Pundziene, Sohvi Heaton and Maaja Vadi, California Management Review 2022
Multi-sided Platforms can be defined in a few words as digital ecosystems for organizing collaboration and control
without taking ownership of the services. They are becoming increasingly important in cotemporary economies,
revolutionizing many traditional businesses as transportation, hospitality or financial services. This recent academic
paper analyzes 5 contributions and explores the growth trajectories of multi-sided platforms. It will also help the class to
get ready for the business case challenge.

3. Customer-based execution strategy in a global digital economy. J. Andrew Petersen, Brianna

JeeWon Paulich , Farnoosh Khodakarami , Stavroula Spyropoulou , V. Kumar . International Journal of Research in
Marketing 39 (2022)
Multinational corporations (MNCs) are continuing to invest more in expanding into new markets around the world. These
firms are faced with determining the optimal go-to-market strategy in these heterogeneous new markets to attract and
retain profitable customers. This paper provides an organizing framework to help firms develop profitable customer-level
strategies across countries in the digital environment.
Papers selection (2/3)
4. Appetizer or main course : Early market vs Majority market GTM strategies for radical
innovation, Monika C. Schuhmacher , Sabine Kuester, and Erik Jan Hultink, PRODUCT INNOV MANAG 2017
When radical innovations are launched, the approach to the market becomes a critical success factor for firms seeking to recoup
their significant investments in these innovation endeavors. Using the concept of consumer innovativeness, this study
distinguishes between the early market of innovative consumers and the majority market populated by consumers low in
innovativeness. This paper is not very long, however very academic. Choose it if you like quantitative studies, if you are curious
about the signaling theory, or for its insights on radical innovations.

5. Industrial Services: How to Sharpen the Go-to-Market Strategy. Karl Strempel,

Mattias C. Karlsson, Tamara Lewis, Pascal Roth, Moritz Classen, and Thomas Friedli
University of St.Gallen, Bain & Company
Industrial companies are sharpening the focus on growing their service business, as machinery buyers prioritize conserving cash
and extending the life span of their existing equipment. But many have had trouble landing on the right go-to-market strategy.
This article co-produced by University St. Gallen and Bain & Company provides interesting insights on B2B sales process and the
various levers to action to design a clever GTM strategy

6. Building routes to customers. Chapter 7 : Go-to-market performance assessment. P

Raulerson et al., 2009
There are two different ways to assess a company’s go-to-market performance. One way is to use the Routes-to-Market
methodology to analyze the company’s go-to-market costs to identify spending that can be optimized to make marketing, sales,
and customer service more effective and efficient. The second way to assess a company’s go-to-market performance is to
compare the company’s practices to the best practices of competitors or other relevant companies. This article offers very useful
approaches to assess the performance of your go-to-market strategy. If you don’t choose this paper, you will need be attentive in
class during its presentation!
Papers selection (3/3)
7. Conceptualization of omnichannel customer experience and its impact on shopping intention:
A mixed-method approach, Si Shia , Yi Wanga,⁎ , Xuanzhu Chenb , Qian Zhang, International Journal of Information
Management, February 2020

Advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) have led to the revolution in retail industry through integrating
multiple available channels to enhance seamless customer experience, promoting a shift from multichannel to omnichannel
business. this study draws on the innovation diffusion theory to develop a nomological model that posits perceived compatibility
and perceived risk as key linking mechanisms between omnichannel experience and omnichannel shopping intention. This recent
academic paper connects the topics of omnichannel and customer experience and propose a model connecting specific
characteristics of the customer experience to the shopping intentions.

8. Get the show on the road: go to market strategies for e-innovations of start ups . Sabine Kuester,
Elisa Konya-Baumbauch, Monika Schuhmacher, Journal of Business Research 2017
Internet-enabled service innovations are the latest trend in digital entrepreneurship. Based on a systematic literature review, a
historical method analysis, and expert interviews, this study explores how start-ups should design go-to-market strategies to
facilitate the adoption of e-innovations. This academic paper well structured and relatively easy to follow offers interesting insighis
regarding start-up gotomarket, which can be relevant beyond the specific scope of research (e-innovations).
Selecting your paper

• Description of the papers available in Moodle: Papers available in

Moodle (section : Papers for Students presentations)
• Look for the shared file
• Each student documents their preferences: first, second and third
choice.
• Assignments will be communicated on Moodle taking your
preferences into account as much as possible.
2. GTM definitions
2.1 Definition of Go to Market strategy
2.2 Components of a GTM strategy
2.1 Definition of GTM strategy
What is a go-to-market strategy (GTM
strategy)?
A game plan for reaching and serving the right customers in the
right markets, through the right channels, with the right
products and the right value proposition.

The purpose of a go-to-market strategy is to create a powerful,

willing total customer experience that will:
• Attract, win, retain the most desirables customers
• While driving high sales and marketshare growth,
• At the lowest possible cost
Laurence G. Friedman
Go to Market strategy, Routledge 2002
Vocabulary

• Value proposition: the value proposition should

communicate what the company expects to do for its
customers better or differently than its competitors
Strategy Maps: Converting Intangible Assets Into Tangible Outcomes. By Robert S. Kaplan,
Robert E. Kaplan, David P. Norton, David P.. Norton, Thomas H. Davenport

• Customer Experience : Customer experience is defined as

your customers’ perceptions – both conscious and
subconscious – of their relationship with your brand
resulting from all their interactions with your brand during
the customer life cycle.
SAS, https://www.sas.com/en_us/insights/marketing/customer-experience-
management.html
Alternative Definition for GTM strategy
Go to Market (GTM) vs Route to Market (RTM)

• Route-to-Market specifically deals with reaching the product to the

end customer. Depending upon the product, you may choose to sell
online, through your own sales team (direct RTM) or through
distributors and retailers (indirect RTM).
• GTM Strategy is a broader concept. It includes RTM choices, but also
covers the choice of product, the target market, the customer need
that would be fulfilled, the competition, the positioning, the pricing,
the distribution, the marketing.
Go to market vs Business model/plan

• A business model articulates the logic, the data and other evidence
that support a value proposition for the customer, and a viable
structure of revenues and costs for the entreprise delivering that
value
David J.Teece Business Models, Business Strategy and Innovation, LRP
2009, p179
• A business plan is typically a document “describing the nature of the
business, the sales and marketing strategy, and the financial
background, and containing a projected profit and loss statement”
https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/business-plan
• It is broader than the GTM plan, which focuses mainly on sales and
marketing dimension. GTM plans typically includes financial
elements, however restricted to cost to serve specific markets and
clients, rather than full P&L
2.2 Components of a GTM
strategy
Markets
• Do I have the right information about my markets?
• Do we focus on the right markets?

Potential market: in total

population, those who have
interest is acquiring the product
Available/Qualified available
market: in potential market,
those who have the possibility
to buy the product
Target market: the segment of
the qualified market that the
company decides to serve
Penetrated market: the clients
who have purchased the
product
Customers

• Who are our potential customers in the market we chose?

• What do they need?
• What is their buying process?
• What kind of experience do they like?
• What service do they need?
• What are they ready to pay for?
Channels

• Sales channels : Direct sales, online sales, distributors, value added

resellers
• Alliance marketing: technology alliances, product alliances
• GTM partnerships: align with complementary brands for joint go-to-
market
Product and Value proposition

• How does my product (s) fit my market/customers/channels?

• Do I need to re-evaluate some product or service characteristics to
improve the fit?
Break
3- GTM conception process
and key decision points
1- Targeting the right markets
2- Aligning with your customers
3- Chosing the right channels and partners
4- Rethinking your products and value proposition
Framework:

Laurence G. Friedman
Go to Market Strategy
Routledge , 2002
1 - Targeting the right markets

Right markets are markets where customers are

willing to buy your products
• most receptive to your value proposition
• sufficient volume
• Profitable price point
• Reasonable cost to serve
Six steps process for targeting new markets

A. Develop universe of markets

B. Chose market evaluation criteria
C. Evaluate target markets against criteria
D. Validate markets with key prospects
E. Prioritize markets for penetration
F. Fine tune target markets over time
A - Develop universe of markets
• Start with all the realistic potential markets and segments
• Eliminate markets which have no need for your product or services
• Eliminate markets with prohibitive entry costs or legal or regulatory
restrictions
• Segment large markets in discrete sub segments

Segment Sub-segment
Consumer Multi-purpose for families, all inclusive
Gamer
Senior Citizens
Low cost , robust for pragmatic buyers
Business Enterprise
SMB
SOHO
Designers, Architects, others with graphic requirements
Education

Robustified for military or outdoor

Example: some sub-segments of Personal Computer’s market

Segmenting business markets: some
commonly used dimensions
• Demographic segmentation
• Industry, company size, location
• Age, gender, social group
• Operating variables
• Technology, usage status, customer capabilities
• Purchasing approaches
• Situational factors
• Urgency, specific application, size of order
• Personal characteristics
• Buyer-seller similarities, attitude towards risk, loyalty

Dimensions should be measurable, accessible, substantial, actionable

Sources of information for market analysis

•?
Sources of information for market analysis

• Internal sources of information:

• The sales force
• Partner or distributor managers
• Market research departments
• Your competition
• Your intelligence group
• Experts
• Social monitoring
• Third party market reports
• Published
• Purchased
• Custom
B- Chose Market evaluation criteria

• Market size
• Market growth rate
• Ability to exert brand leadership
• Cost to market entry
• Cost to serve
• Channel availability
• Competitive density
• Strategic fit
• ….
C- Evaluate target markets against criteria

Market Multi-purpose Gamer Senior Citizen Low cost for

Evaluation for families, all pragmatic
inclusive
Criteria buyers
Market size 5 3 3 3

Market growth 1 5 3 3
rate
Channel 5 5 2 3
availability
Competitive -5 -3 -1 -3
density
Cost to serve -3 -4 -5 -2

International 1 3 2 5
growth potential
Overall 4 9 4 9
assessment

Example: consumer personal market subsegments

D- Validate markets with key prospects

• Market research
• Customer interviews
E- Prioritize markets for penetration

• Traditional school : market that ranks the highest when evaluated

against your criteria
• Alternative approach: select markets that offer immediate sales
opportunities, with existing channel and partners, and limited entry
costs
Market Evaluation Multi-purpose for Gamer Senior Citizen Low cost for
families, all
Criteria pragmatic buyers
inclusive

Market size 5 3 3 3

Market growth rate 1 5 3 3

Channel availability 5 5 2 3

Competitive density -5 -3 -1 -3

Cost to serve -3 -4 -5 -2

International 1 3 2 5
growth potential
Overall assessment 4 9 4 9
2 approaches for market expansion
Based on Ansoff matrix

« Blue sky approach » « Build on your strength » approach

New New
products products

Existing Existing
products products
Core Core
base base

Existing New Existing New

Customers customers Customers customers

Diversification Product development /

Market development
Best practice example : Marriott International
• Multinational coverage > 4000 units in >50
countries
• Brands established to match subsegments :
• Economic minded travelers
• Luxury vacationers
• Corporate travelers
• Executives assigned to out-of-town long
projects
• …
• Evaluates new market segments with a
thorough 13 stages process
• Criteria includes : ability to contribute to
corporate growth, anticipated earnings-per-
share (EPS), international expansion potential,
ability to maintain brand leadership in the
segment , potential brand acceptance by
customers , fit of the segment with existing
and future properties
• Dynamic approach, permanently research and
fine-tunes definition of target markets
2 – Aligning with your customers: key customer
information for go-to-market decision making

• Customer needs:
• What do your customers need?
• How can you meet those needs?
• Customer experience:
• What kind of experience are your customer seeking? Including post sales,
support, training, ongoing conselling…
• How do they want to relate to their vendors
• Customer buying behaviors:
• How do customers do business with their vendors today?
• Through which channel or technology?
• How will they do business in the future?
• Strengths and weakenesses
• How do customers and prospect perceive you?
• Where are you considered as strong or weak?
• Sources of new business
• What would cause you to do at least 20% more business over the next year?
Typical groups of customer experience

1. Efficient, low cost transactional experience

2. High touch, consultative experience

3. Flexible, multi-access point experience

Typical groups of customer experience

1. Efficient, low cost transactional experience

2. High touch, consultative experience

3. Flexible, multi-access point experience

Typical groups of customer experience

1. Efficient, low cost transactional experience

2. High touch, consultative experience

3. Flexible, multi-access point experience

Typical groups of customer experience

1. Efficient, low cost transactional experience

2. High touch, consultative experience

3. Flexible, multi-access point experience

How to collect customer information?
How to collect customer information?

• Customer surveys (written/on-line)

• Interviews (face to face/over the phone)
• Focus groups
• Social Listening
• Customer board/customer advisory council
•…
3- Chosing the right channels and partners

Channels are the routes or “pipes” that connect

your product or services with the customers of your
targeted markets
• Ecommerce
• Direct sales – Field, Inside sales
• Distribution and resellers
• Business partners
• …
Go-to-market channels

Direct Sales Customer

Resellers Customer

Business Partners Customer

Your products
or services
E-commerce
Customer

Market place
Customer
Etc…
Customer
Go-to-market channels

Demand Creation: marketing campaigns, advertising, promotions

Six steps process for building a channel
coverage model
A. Build the « universe of channels » - your current channels and channels
your competitors or other relevant industries are using, “out of the box”
channels
B. Apply customer filter, to limit your choices to channels acceptable by your
targeted customers
C. Apply product filter, to exclude channels that do not have a good fit with
your product or solution, considering:
A. Product complexity and customization
B. Clarity of benefits
C. Risk and uncertainty
D. Negotiation
D. Apply custom filters based on your organization goals or requirements i.e.
profitability requirements, time-to-market, prestige…
E. Build a market coverage model
F. Pilot-test new market coverage in low risk, representative markets
Example: Channel selection for a B2B
technology solution
Fit with customers needs Fit with products and Custom filter: indirect
and behaviors? services? sales strategy
Field sales force

Integrators

Value added resellers

Corporate distributors

Local resellers

Telesales

Public web sites

E-commerce

E marketplace

Direct mails
Market coverage strategies

• Selective market coverage

• Assign each channel to a specific market sub-segment, minimizing overlapping
between channels
• Minimize conflicts and easy performance monitoring
• Difficult to maintain overtime, not always matching customer expectations
• Intensive market coverage
• All channels sell most of all products to all customers
• Very flexible model, allow full customer choice
• High level of channel conflicts eroding margin and leading to defection of best partners
• High cost to serve
• Hybrid market coverage
• Core group of premium customers served with high-touch channels, remainder of the
market offered a convenient, lower cost multi-channel mix
4- Rethinking your products and value proposition

• Traditionally, product strategy was established prior to and

independently of go-to-market
• With rapid change and multiples channels, companies need to
revisit their practices
• Some selected market segments have different requirements
• Features: I.e. New car designed for Asian requirements
• Price: Low cost version for developing countries
• Norms and regulations
• Support requirements
• Some channels options require product adaptation
• I.e. Product standardization and product line reduction for ecommerce/inside
sales
• Bundled versus custom training and support
• Value proposition may need to be adapted to fit your selected markets
and segments
Characteristics of winning value propositions

• Simple, clear and precise

• Compelling, motivates customer to evaluate and eventually purchase
• Believable, makes claims that are reasonable and believable
• Attractive to the right customers, targeted at their specific needs
and interests

Need to revisit when entering new segments

Summary of Methodology to establish a GTM
strategy

• Describe the market situation

Market
• Evaluate and prioritize markets segments

• Understand customers requirements in the selected segments

Customer
• Understand your strengths and weaknesses

• Understand all options available

Channels
• Select the appropriate mix for this segment and customers

• Review the value proposal to ensure the fit with selected segment and channels
Products and • Adapt product/solution to best fit with targeted customer needs and preferences
value proposition
Example : Starbucks

- Markets?
- Customers?
- Channels?
- Products?
- Value proposal?
- Customer experience?
An alternative framework

Anderson Gwanyebit Kehbila (2020): The entrepreneur’s go-to-market innovation strategy: towards a
decision-analytic framework and a road mapping process to create radically successful businesses driving
spectacular growth and profitability
Guidelines for Students presentations

• Prepare a short presentation and/or video (25 ‘) including:

• Topic and context of the paper,
• What you find interesting in the problem addressed and why,
• Key findings,
• Your view on the matter, adding your own perspective, extending the
discussion with additional examples, or proposing alternatives
• Build in your presentations some tactics to engage the audience
• Questions- Discussion 5’
• At the end of the session : feedback from every student on one
striking idea that you personally will take away from this
presentation
Questions?
5. References and readings
References

• Creating and adaptive go-to-market system, Mark Kovac, Diane

Ledingham, Lewis Weinger , Bain & Company,
https://www.bain.com/insights/creating-an-adaptive-go-to-market-
system/
• Main reference : Laurence G. Friedman , Go to Market Strategy,
Routledge 2002
• Anderson Gwanyebit Kehbila (2020): The entrepreneur’s go-to-market innovation strategy:
towards a decision-analytic framework and a road mapping process to create radically
successful businesses driving spectacular growth and profitability, Journal of Small Business
& Entrepreneurship, DOI: 10.1080/08276331.2020.1786646
• Alternative framework: video from VP Marketing on Demand:
https://youtu.be/cwCrvY2mBW4