Grow To Market

Wishing you a Happy Festive season! 2025 will be here soon, full of excitement and lots of growth! #gtm #growtomarket #happyholidays

Had so much fun delivering yesterday's workshop with AfricInvest Group's investment management team, where we dove deeper into GTM red flags that are often symptoms of deeper challenges! Great discussions around: - Effectiveness vs Efficiency in GTM teams - LTV/CAC ratios and what they're hiding (especially if a company is unwilling to talk about their Rule of 40 metrics) - Why "anyone can be our customer" is often a red flag - When high lead volume and low conversions mask deeper problems - The uncomfortable conversations around sales pipelines It's great to work with investors who understand that great returns start with solid GTM fundamentals. Thank you to the AfricInvest team and management Yassine OUSSAIFI Hana Maalej #venturecapital #vc #privateequity #pe #investment #gtm #operationalexcellence Vertex Value Partners Ulf Pralle

Let's talk 2025 planning! From startups to established enterprises, I've been having plenty of conversations about 2025 planning, and it's striking how similar challenges are across the board. Here's what I've been hearing that could help you with your planning. Insight #1: Planning playbook has changed Remember when we could just say "spend X to get Y"? Those days are gone. Sure, you still need to watch your unit economics, but here's the thing - just because you spent X to get Y last year doesn't mean doubling your spend will double your results. The real world is messier than that. Insight #2: Marketing's true value is underestimated Yeah, I'm a marketer at heart, but this insight is not biased (I promise!). Here's something that consistently surprises GTM leaders in conversation: effective marketing (targeting the right ICP is critical here!) typically drives: • 8X better sales effectiveness • 5X better sales efficiency (source: proof analytics) So when someone suggests cutting the marketing budget to hit numbers... well, let's just say that's like removing the engine to make your car lighter. So here are some suggestions to improve on your 2025 planning: 1. Start Early (Yes, Now, or if you have a time machine, yesterday) - Take an honest look at your pipeline - Check conversion rates across different segments - Map out sales cycles and identify bottlenecks - Evaluate where AI tooling could improve efficiency 2. Understand the bigger picture. Markets change. Competitors evolve. Budgets shift. A lot of what affects performance isn't even in your control. Understanding this helps plan more realistically and adapt more effectively. 3. Build in flexibility - Plan for extended sales cycles - Assume efficiency might dip before it improves - Give new initiatives proper time to ramp up 4. Have transparent conversations with the business leadership Instead of promising the moon, show: - What's actually achievable (backed by data) - Multiple scenarios and their likelihood - Risk factors and opportunity areas - Adaptation strategies for different market conditions Want to dive deeper into 2025 planning or bounce some ideas externally? Drop me a message or an email [email protected] #gtmstrategy #growth #2025 #revenue #planning

Just raised pre-seed funding? Congratulations! That’s a huge milestone. But now comes the big question: What’s next? That cash is going to have to stretch, and navigating the next steps after securing pre-seed can be daunting, but it’s also an exciting time to lay the foundation for growth! Our latest blog covers the strategic moves you need to make to ensure long-term success. From building the right team to solidifying your product-market fit, we’ve got you covered. 🔗 Check out the full post here: https://lnkd.in/efgqBc4F #startupgrowth #preseed #funding #entrepreneurship #growtomarket #startups

Is your GTM strategy aligned with your 2025 budget planning? With Q4 now underway, the discussions about next year’s budgets are just around the corner. Don’t let budgeting become an afterthought or catch you unprepared, 2025 is not the year for missteps. We’ve already noticed three key areas being overlooked in budget discussions - are these on your radar? 1. The impact of AI and technology on resource planning 2. The investment required to shorten sales cycles and make them a reality 3. The cost vs. opportunity of expanding into new customer segments and geographies 2025 presents incredible growth opportunities for your business, ensure you’re ready by planning for it now, not later. Need some guidance or just want to brainstorm ideas? Book a complimentary 30-minute session with our team via this link: https://lnkd.in/eJVN78My #growtomarket #startups #budgeting #2025 #operations #finance #GTM

Premature Sales Scaling: A Cautionary Tale for Startups >>> We’ve all seen the math: Number of reps x Quota = Target. Simple, right? Just hire the reps, ensure they hit their quotas, and watch the growth roll in. But here’s the reality: It rarely works out that way. The Pitfalls: • New reps struggle to get up to speed • Response rates drop → Less pipeline • Conversion rates dip → Fewer deals closed • Average selling prices fall → Quotas are missed Even your top performers can’t compensate for the reps who are underperforming. It’s time to rethink that old math. This market doesn’t reward blind scaling. It demands a smarter approach. Here’s what to focus on instead: Match your hiring to actual demand, not an aspirational goal. Our Advice: • Don’t hire just because your plan says you need more production. • Hire when your in-ICP meetings exceed your team’s capacity. But what if you don’t hit the number you promised? The hard truth is, you probably won’t hit it with bad math anyway. Signing up for unrealistic goals only puts unnecessary pressure on your team. Instead, reset expectations: • Burn less, but for longer, to build sustainable demand. • Scale only when the market shows you it’s time. Growth is a marathon, not a sprint. Build demand the right way, and scale when it’s truly needed. #StartupGrowth #ScaleSmart #DemandGeneration #GrowToMarket

Ah, August, where nothing happens, everyone is on holiday… Well, actually, if business is quieter, the pipeline is slow, and half of the team is enjoying the sun, it’s the perfect time to tidy up the house and set yourself up to smash the rest of the year. Here are 5 areas you could focus on in August: 1. Review your goals: Review up to date business plan and be realistic with your business goals for the rest of the year. Identify what’s working and plan to tweak what’s not. 2. Streamline cross department operations: Empower your teams to review the touchpoints that connect departments and review how efficient these areas are. Prioritise the most inneficient to improve resource usage when September hits. 3. Strengthen customer relationships: Reach out to clients for feedback and show appreciation. If you're working, some of your customers will be as well. 4. Revisit Sales pipeline: Look at your closed-lost pipeline and revisit stagnant deals. You often find opportunities to re-engage and ideally convert them. 5. Ignite Marketing creativity: The sun is out and so is marketing inspiration! August is a great time to brainstorm fresh ideas, plan exciting campaigns, and schedule content for the upcoming months. August might seem slow, but it’s a great opportunity to strengthen your foundations and prepare for the rest of the year. What are you focusing on this August? Share your thoughts below! #startups #strategy #marketing #August #summer #holidays #vacation #earlystage #growtomarket

Are you leveraging these 3 strategies to hack your growth? https://lnkd.in/e9jb6Mmd #growtomarket #growth #startup #earlystage

Super excited that we have worked with HubSpot For Startups and Sales Cloud GmbH to bring this (super on topic) webinar together. Outbound has changed dramatically recently, and without the right structure, tooling and approach, you are more than likely turning away from this staple of sales. But it doesn't have to be that way. Join us as we take you through the trends, insights, best practices, and get inputs from sales leaders from WorkMotion and bookingkit on what is working in their successful startups. Sign-up link in the comments section below #earlystage #marketing #sales #growth #webinar #outbound

On the road to $1million, it's easy to forget the basics and make your life harder. Avoid 5 common mistakes on this essential part of your startup journey! https://lnkd.in/echAr9e5 #startup #growth #growtomarket