In this episode, we dive into the world of go-to-market strategy with Maja Voje, a bestselling author and consultant who has spent 15 years working with high-profile companies like Google, Bayer, and Heineken, as well as over 800 startups. Maja shares her insights on why 74% of products fail due to GTM mistakes and how even average products can succeed with a solid plan.
Throughout our conversation, Maja emphasizes the importance of customer research as the most overlooked aspect of successful go-to-market strategies. She explains why founders often avoid talking to customers and how spending 60% of your time defining and refining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) can make all the difference in your success.
We explore Maja's "beachhead strategy" for market segmentation, which focuses on starting with a small market segment that has a burning pain point, reasonable willingness to pay, proximity to your expertise, and the ability to produce case studies for future growth. Maja also shares her framework for creating a differentiated value proposition, especially important in the age of AI.
Maja provides practical advice on testing messaging with early customers, selecting the right channels for your go-to-market approach, and why positioning should come before branding. She outlines seven go-to-market motions and offers a systematic approach to choosing the ones that will work best for your specific situation.
Whether you're a founder, marketer, or product leader, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you focus your resources where you have the highest chance of winning and give your product the fighting chance it deserves.
Enjoy!