What is a go-to-market strategy?

Written by Madalena Rugeroni, founder of Mazo · Updated 15 September 2026

A go-to-market (GTM) strategy is a company's plan for who it sells to, what it replaces, how it prices, and how buyers find and buy from it. For a B2B SaaS company before €1M ARR it should fit on one page: one ideal customer profile, one positioning statement, one price, one sales motion and one channel being proven.

The six decisions in a GTM strategy

Ideal customer profile: who buys fastest and stays longest.
Positioning: what you replace and why you're better for that customer.
Pricing and packaging: what you charge, and on which value metric.
Sales motion: product-led, sales-led or founder-led — largely decided by ACV.
Channels: one, where your ICP already spends time.
Metrics: a pass/fail number for every move, set before you start.

What a GTM strategy isn't

It isn't a marketing plan. A marketing plan executes one of those decisions — the channel. If the decisions underneath are wrong, a better marketing plan just reaches the wrong customers faster. And before €1M ARR it isn't a 40-page document: it's a short list of decisions, each paired with a test that tells you whether it was right.

How it changes from €0 to €1M ARR

Pre-revenue to 10 customers: prove who buys and why. Founder-led sales, one tight profile, early price tests.
10 to 50 customers: make it repeatable. Revisit pricing, document the sales process, run one channel hard.
50 customers to €1M ARR: build pipeline that doesn't depend on the founder, and make retention a priority.

Mazo's rule of thumb: plan in 90-day cycles: a handful of moves, one at a time, each with a pass/fail test set in advance, reviewed every week. Run one channel before 10 customers, not three.

For the full stage-by-stage answer — including a 90-day plan template and the most common mistakes — read the go-to-market strategy guide for B2B SaaS, from €0 to €1M ARR.

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FAQ

What should a B2B SaaS go-to-market strategy include?

Six decisions: the ideal customer profile, positioning, pricing and packaging, the sales motion, the channel, and the metrics that tell you whether each decision was right.

What is the difference between a GTM strategy and a marketing plan?

A go-to-market strategy decides who you sell to, what you replace, how you price and how customers buy. A marketing plan executes one part of it, the channel, so it depends on the strategy being right.

How long should a go-to-market strategy be for an early-stage startup?

One page. Before €1M ARR it should name one ICP, one positioning statement, one price, one sales motion and one channel, each with a test and a review every week.

Who wrote this

Madalena Rugeroni built Mazo. She's an ex-Googler, a startup advisor and investor, and runs a portfolio of internet companies. Before that, as Head of Growth at Amplemarket, she scaled a B2B SaaS to $10M ARR. LinkedIn

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