A go-to-market (GTM) model is the way a company organizes people, processes, channels, and technology to deliver a product to a target customer and generate revenue. It defines who the company sells to, how customers discover and buy, how revenue teams are structured, and how growth is measured and scaled.
Core Parts of a Go-to-Market Model
Most GTM models include clear choices across these areas:
- Target customer and segmentation: ICP, buyer roles, industries, company size, regions
- Routes to market: direct sales, self-serve, partners, marketplaces, resellers
- Customer journey: awareness, evaluation, purchase, onboarding, adoption, renewal, expansion
- Revenue coverage: territories, account ownership, SDR and AE roles, customer success ownership
- Packaging and pricing motion: subscription, usage-based, contracts, trials, freemium, commitments
- Measurement: pipeline generation, conversion rates, CAC, retention, expansion, forecast accuracy
Common Types of GTM Models
Organizations often use one primary model or a blended approach:
- Sales-led: opportunities driven by sales outreach and sales cycles, common for higher ACV or complex deals
- Product-led growth: customers start through self-serve or trial, with sales engaged later for larger accounts
- Marketing-led: demand created through campaigns and content, then routed to sales based on qualification
- Partner-led: revenue driven through channel partners, alliances, or marketplaces
- Enterprise account-based: focus on a defined set of high-value accounts with coordinated marketing and sales plays
How GTM Models Use AI and Automation Today
Modern GTM models rely on automation to improve speed and consistency:
- Data enrichment and identity resolution to reduce duplicates and improve routing
- Lead and account scoring using fit and intent signals to prioritize outreach
- Lifecycle triggers to automate onboarding, activation nudges, and renewal plays
- Conversation intelligence to capture call insights and update CRM fields
- Forecasting support that combines pipeline data with activity and adoption signals
- Governance controls to keep attribution, pipeline stages, and definitions consistent across tools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a GTM model and a GTM strategy?
A GTM strategy is the plan for winning a market. A GTM model is the operating structure used to execute that plan.
Can a company have more than one GTM model?
Yes. Many companies use a hybrid model, such as self-serve for SMB and sales-led for enterprise.
How does pricing affect the GTM model?
Pricing and packaging shape who can buy, how they buy, and which channels work, such as self-serve subscriptions vs negotiated contracts.
What metrics indicate the GTM model is working?
Common indicators include conversion rates, pipeline generation, CAC payback, retention, expansion ARR, and forecast accuracy.
When should a GTM model change?
Common triggers include moving upmarket, adding a new product line, expanding regions, shifting pricing, or when CAC and retention trends no longer meet targets.
