GTM Plan Workbook
Use this as your master template. Each phase gives you a copyable template plus a pointer into the chapter that explains it. Work top-down — every later decision inherits from the earlier one. When you’re done, you have a single-document GTM plan.
Reading time: ~10 minutes. Plan-writing time: 2-4 hours for a first pass. Iteration cadence: revisit quarterly. Copy each template block below into your own document, then fill the brackets.
The five phases
Section titled “The five phases”flowchart LR
Strategy --> Marketing --> Sales --> CS[Customer Success] --> Operate
Operate -.quarterly review.-> Strategy
Strategy decides the play. Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success execute it. Operate is the rhythm that keeps the loop honest — and feeds learning back into Strategy each quarter.
Phase 1 — Strategy
Section titled “Phase 1 — Strategy”The three upstream decisions everything else inherits from. If any of these are fuzzy, no amount of downstream excellence will fix the plan.
1a. ICP & Segmentation
Section titled “1a. ICP & Segmentation”Who is the ideal customer — and just as important, who do you deliberately not serve?
ICP: [Entity type] that [key trait], experiencing [specific pain], currently [current workaround], with [budget/authority signal].
We recognize a fit by: [3-5 observable qualifying signals]We deliberately exclude: [2-3 disqualifiers — who not to chase]Primary persona: [role/type] who cares about [their goal]Reference: Strategy: ICP & Segmentation.
1b. Positioning
Section titled “1b. Positioning”What distinct value do you offer, against which alternatives?
For [target customer]who [has this need / pain],[product] is a [market category]that [key benefit / what it does differently].Unlike [primary alternative],[product] [the key differentiator + reason to believe].Then distill that into the customer-facing value proposition:
Value prop: [Headline outcome] — without [the pain/tradeoff they expect]. [One line on how / proof.]Reference: Strategy: Positioning.
1c. Pricing & Packaging
Section titled “1c. Pricing & Packaging”How do you capture the value you create — value metric, model, and tiers?
Value metric: [the unit that scales with customer value]Model: [flat | tiered | usage | per-seat | hybrid]Entry plan: [free/low — gates capacity, proves value]Target plan: [$X/mo — the one most should pick; the anchor]Premium plan: [$Y/mo or "contact us" — captures large accounts]Upgrade trigger: [what crossing makes them need the next tier]Reference: Strategy: Pricing & Packaging.
Phase 2 — Marketing
Section titled “Phase 2 — Marketing”Demand creation: turn strangers into qualified leads (or qualified product trials), with a message and channel mix that match the ICP.
2a. Audience & message
Section titled “2a. Audience & message”Primary segment: [from your ICP]Buyer / user: [persona — who reads the message vs. who uses the product]Core message: [one sentence — the value prop in their words]Proof points: [2-3 — testimonials, numbers, demo moments]2b. Channel mix
Section titled “2b. Channel mix”Pick 2-3 channels to start. More than that and you spread thin; fewer and you can’t tell signal from noise. Tick the ones you’ll invest in for the first 90 days:
[ ] Content / SEO (good for considered, search-driven categories)[ ] Paid acquisition (good when you know CAC payback math)[ ] Social / community (good for developer / creator / niche audiences)[ ] Outbound / ABM (good for high-ACV, named-account motions)[ ] Partnerships (good when an established player has your audience)[ ] PR / launches (good for category creation, episodic boosts)[ ] Referrals (works only once activation is solid)Write a one-line “why this channel for this ICP” beside each tick.
2c. KPI baseline
Section titled “2c. KPI baseline”Pick 3-5 metrics to instrument from day one. Leading indicators beat lagging ones.
Awareness: [traffic, impressions, branded search]Activation: [MQL volume, signup rate]Conversion: [MQL → SQL rate, or freemium → paid %]Efficiency: [CAC, CAC payback months]Brand: [share of voice, NPS, repeat-visit rate]Reference: Marketing.
Phase 3 — Sales
Section titled “Phase 3 — Sales”Conversion: turn qualified demand into closed deals. Skip or shrink this phase if you’re pure-PLG and self-serve handles 100% of conversion.
3a. Motion choice
Section titled “3a. Motion choice”Primary motion: [sales-led | product-led | hybrid]If hybrid, split: [e.g. PLG for self-serve <5 seats; sales-assist for 5+]Why this motion: [one line tying motion to ICP and ACV]Reference: the two motions on the Library overview.
3b. Qualification
Section titled “3b. Qualification”Default framework is BANT; substitute MEDDIC, CHAMP, or a usage-signal model if it fits better.
Budget: [signal you look for]Authority: [who must say yes]Need: [what makes it urgent]Timeline: [decision window]Disqualify if: [2-3 hard nos]Reference: Sales: Qualification.
3c. Pipeline stages
Section titled “3c. Pipeline stages”1. [Stage 1 — entry criterion]2. [Stage 2 — entry criterion]3. [Stage 3 — entry criterion]4. [Stage 4 — entry criterion]5. [Closed-won | Closed-lost — exit criterion]A stage exists only if there’s an objective entry criterion. “Feels warm” is not an entry criterion.
Reference: Sales: Pipeline & Process.
3d. Targets baseline
Section titled “3d. Targets baseline”Annual revenue target: [$ARR or new MRR]Average deal size: [ACV]Required wins: [target ÷ ACV]Assumed win rate: [%]Required opps: [wins ÷ win rate]Pipeline coverage: [3-4× the required opps is a typical starting point]Reference: Sales: Analytics & Forecasting.
Phase 4 — Customer Success
Section titled “Phase 4 — Customer Success”Retention and expansion. New revenue costs roughly 5× retained revenue — this phase is where the unit economics actually work.
4a. Activation definition
Section titled “4a. Activation definition”The single observable event that says “this user got the core value.”
Activation = [core value action] × [quantity] within [time window]
Required properties:- Causal: users who hit it retain noticeably better- Early: happens in the first session or first few days- Single: one event, not a composite scoreReference: Library: Activation and PQL thresholds.
4b. Onboarding flow
Section titled “4b. Onboarding flow”Step 1: [account / setup]Step 2: [first connection / config]Step 3: [first value moment — the activation event above]Step 4: [habit-forming second use]Step 5: [team / collaborator invite, if applicable]Reference: Customer Success: Onboarding.
4c. Retention baseline
Section titled “4c. Retention baseline”Logo churn target: [%/month or %/year]Revenue churn target: [%/month or %/year]GRR target: [% — gross retention, ex-expansion]NRR target: [% — net retention, includes expansion; >100% = compounding]Reference: Customer Success: Retention.
4d. Expansion path
Section titled “4d. Expansion path”Upsell trigger: [usage signal that says "they're ready for the next tier"]Cross-sell motion: [adjacent product / module / use-case]Pricing lever: [seats | usage | features | a new SKU entirely]Reference: Customer Success: Upsell & Cross-sell and Expansion.
Phase 5 — Operate
Section titled “Phase 5 — Operate”The rhythm that keeps the loop honest. Without it, your plan is a document, not a system.
5a. Operating rhythm
Section titled “5a. Operating rhythm”Weekly: pipeline review, activation rate, blocking issuesMonthly: funnel cohort read, channel CAC, NRR/GRR trendsQuarterly: ICP, positioning, and pricing re-open (kill / keep / tighten)Annually: budget, headcount, motion review5b. Iteration trigger
Section titled “5b. Iteration trigger”You revisit a strategic decision when:
Re-open ICP when: win-rate falls in a segment | churn concentrates in a sub-segmentRe-open positioning when: prospects keep mis-categorizing you | win-loss reasons shiftRe-open pricing when: customers cluster at the top tier | discount rate creeps up | a value-metric mismatch shows up in support / churnSanity check
Section titled “Sanity check”Run through these before you publish v1 of your plan. A “no” anywhere is a sign to tighten that phase.
- Can a stranger read your ICP and tell you who you won’t serve?
- Does your positioning name the primary alternative the customer drops to choose you?
- Does your value metric scale with the customer’s value, not just their team size?
- Are 2-3 channels picked (not 6-7), and is the “why this channel for this ICP” written for each?
- Are your activation event and PQL threshold defined as a single observable event, not a composite score?
- Are NRR and GRR targets written down (even if rough), and are they instrumented?
- Is there an explicit operating rhythm — not just “we’ll revisit when things break”?
See it filled in
Section titled “See it filled in”The Worked Example walks through this same workbook end-to-end for a hypothetical small-team SaaS workspace product, extending the through-line used in the Strategy chapters. Open it in a second tab while you fill in your own.