Go-to-Market Strategy Training Course

Duration 10 days 21 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Marketing Managers, Product Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-M-048

Before you join: Participants should have at least two years of experience in marketing, sales, product management, business development, customer experience or commercial operations.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Go-to-market decisions determine whether a product, service or offer reaches the right customers through viable channels at an acceptable cost. Teams often launch with unclear segments, weak value propositions, untested pricing logic, channel conflict or sales materials that do not match buyer needs. The result is slow adoption, missed revenue targets, high acquisition costs and avoidable friction between marketing, sales, product, operations and partners.

This course develops the practical discipline required to design, test and govern a go-to-market strategy. Participants define market choices using segmentation, targeting and positioning; analyse customer jobs, buying committees and decision journeys; shape offers, pricing and packaging; select direct, partner and digital routes to market; and create demand-generation, sales-enablement and launch plans. The course also covers market sizing, competitive strategy, commercial assumptions, revenue forecasts, performance measures and GTM governance.

Participants work from a live business initiative or realistic case, building components of a usable GTM plan throughout the course. Instructor briefings establish methods, while case analysis, group work, simulations and peer review test commercial choices under realistic constraints. Each participant leaves with a complete go-to-market strategy pack, including target-segment choices, value proposition, route-to-market design, launch roadmap, commercial model, KPI scorecard and risk controls.

The course suits managers responsible for bringing new products, services, programmes or market entries to customers. It is relevant to commercial teams in banking, technology, healthcare, consumer goods, industrial services, public services, development programmes and business-to-business markets.

What you will be able to do

  • Define market segments, priority targets and positioning using an evidence-based STP model
  • Build customer insight from Jobs to Be Done, buying committees and decision journeys
  • Develop differentiated value propositions, messaging architectures and proof-point libraries
  • Design pricing, packaging and commercial terms aligned to customer value and unit economics
  • Select direct, digital and partner channels using route-to-market criteria
  • Produce an integrated demand-generation, sales-enablement and launch plan
  • Model GTM revenue assumptions, acquisition costs, conversion rates and performance measures
  • Present a complete go-to-market strategy with governance, risks and implementation priorities

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce a board-ready GTM strategy rather than isolated campaign recommendations
  • Make clearer segment and channel choices using explicit commercial criteria
  • Translate customer research into persuasive value propositions and sales messages
  • Challenge launch assumptions through conversion, cost and revenue logic
  • Coordinate product, marketing, sales and partner teams around one operating plan

For your organisation

  • Improves consistency between market priorities, offer design and sales execution
  • Reduces wasted launch spending on poorly defined segments and channels
  • Creates measurable ownership for demand generation, conversion and retention activities
  • Strengthens partner selection and channel economics before commercial commitments
  • Provides a repeatable GTM planning method for new offers and market entries

Course modules

21 modules over 10 days

Participants can frame a go-to-market challenge and define the commercial choices required.

  • Go-to-market scope defined across product, market, customer and channel choices
  • Commercial objectives translated into revenue, adoption, retention and margin targets
  • GTM strategy distinguished from marketing plans, sales plans and launch communications
  • Market-entry, growth and product-launch scenarios compared through decision criteria
  • Assumptions register created for customer demand, capability and commercial constraints
  • Strategic choices linked through target customers, offers, channels and economics

Participants can define relevant markets and assess their commercial attractiveness.

  • Market boundaries specified by customer need, category, geography and use case
  • TAM, SAM and SOM estimates built from top-down and bottom-up methods
  • Demand drivers assessed using regulatory, economic, technological and behavioural evidence
  • Porter's Five Forces used to identify industry profit-pool pressures
  • Market attractiveness scored against growth, access, margin and strategic fit
  • White-space opportunities separated from unsupported market-size assumptions

Participants can create actionable segments and select priority target markets.

  • Segmentation variables selected from firmographic, behavioural, needs-based and value criteria
  • Customer segments sized using revenue potential, accessibility and propensity indicators
  • Segment profiles documented with needs, triggers, barriers and purchase conditions
  • Attractiveness-versus-ability matrix used to rank target-market priorities
  • Primary, secondary and excluded segments defined with explicit selection rationale
  • Target-account lists structured by potential value, fit and buying readiness

Participants can turn customer evidence into clear purchase and adoption insight.

  • Jobs to Be Done interviews distinguish functional, emotional and social progress
  • Purchase triggers identified from events, pain points and performance gaps
  • Buyer research separated from unsupported internal opinions and feature preferences
  • Decision criteria ranked by importance, dissatisfaction and competitive differentiation
  • Customer journey maps identify moments of truth before, during and after purchase
  • Adoption barriers documented across risk, effort, switching cost and trust

Participants can map buying groups and plan influence across complex decisions.

  • Buying committees mapped across users, influencers, buyers, approvers and gatekeepers
  • Economic buyers distinguished from technical buyers and operational users
  • Decision process charted from problem recognition through renewal or expansion
  • Stakeholder power-interest analysis identifies sponsorship and resistance patterns
  • Procurement, legal, risk and compliance requirements integrated into sales planning
  • Account influence plans assign messages, evidence and contact responsibilities

Participants can assess competitors and identify defendable points of differentiation.

  • Competitor sets defined across direct, indirect, substitute and internal alternatives
  • Competitive intelligence structured around offers, pricing, channels and customer perceptions
  • Battlecards compare claims, proof, vulnerabilities and likely objection responses
  • Points of parity separated from meaningful points of difference
  • Strategic positioning tested against customer value and competitor credibility
  • Response scenarios prepared for incumbent, low-cost and category-creator competitors

Participants can craft positioning and value propositions for priority segments.

  • STP choices translated into a focused positioning statement
  • Value proposition canvas connects customer pains, gains and offer benefits
  • Benefit ladders link features, capabilities, outcomes and strategic value
  • Proof points specified through evidence, demonstrations, cases and quantified outcomes
  • Segment-specific value propositions avoid generic claims and internal product language
  • Positioning statements tested for relevance, differentiation, credibility and clarity

Participants can design offers and packages that support customer choice and delivery.

  • Offer architecture separates core service, options, add-ons and support levels
  • Good-better-best packages designed around needs, value and willingness to pay
  • Bundles assessed for customer simplicity, margin impact and operational feasibility
  • Service levels defined through scope, response times, responsibilities and exclusions
  • Minimum viable offer identified for staged market entry and learning
  • Cross-sell and upsell paths aligned with customer maturity and usage

Participants can set pricing approaches and commercial terms grounded in value and economics.

  • Value-based, cost-plus and competition-based pricing compared for strategic fit
  • Willingness-to-pay evidence translated into price corridors and packaging decisions
  • Price metrics selected by user, transaction, asset, outcome or subscription
  • Discount governance defines authority levels, floors and concession trade-offs
  • Commercial terms address payment timing, commitments, renewal and termination conditions
  • Price waterfall analysis identifies list-price leakage and margin erosion

Participants can test go-to-market choices using practical commercial economics.

  • Unit economics model links price, variable cost, acquisition cost and contribution
  • Customer acquisition cost calculated by channel, segment and campaign source
  • Lifetime value estimated from retention, margin, expansion and service assumptions
  • Conversion funnels quantify leads, opportunities, wins and revenue timing
  • Payback periods tested against cash constraints and growth objectives
  • Sensitivity analysis exposes critical assumptions in volume, price and retention

Participants can select routes to market that fit customer behaviour and commercial objectives.

  • Direct sales, digital, retail and partner routes compared systematically
  • Channel selection criteria assess control, reach, cost, speed and capability
  • Customer preferences matched to route complexity, ticket size and service needs
  • Channel conflict risks identified between direct teams, distributors and resellers
  • Territory design aligns account potential, coverage capacity and travel economics
  • Route-to-market decisions documented through segment-to-channel allocation rules

Participants can build partner models with clear economics, roles and controls.

  • Partner types assessed across referral, reseller, distributor, alliance and marketplace models
  • Partner selection scorecards assess market access, capability, reputation and incentives
  • Channel economics define margins, rebates, marketing funds and deal registration
  • Joint business plans specify pipeline, demand generation and revenue commitments
  • Partner onboarding covers training, certification, collateral and operational processes
  • Governance cadences monitor partner performance, compliance and conflict resolution

Participants can design demand-generation plans connected to target segments and sales capacity.

  • Demand-generation objectives aligned with awareness, consideration, pipeline and conversion goals
  • Channel mix selected across owned, earned, paid and partner activity
  • Campaign architecture connects audience, message, offer, call-to-action and measurement
  • Content mapped to buyer questions, decision stages and stakeholder roles
  • Lead definitions establish marketing-qualified, sales-accepted and sales-qualified criteria
  • Acquisition budgets allocated using expected reach, conversion and customer value

Participants can equip sales teams to convert priority opportunities consistently.

  • Sales plays structure target triggers, stakeholder messages, proof and next actions
  • Discovery frameworks uncover customer context, priorities, constraints and decision criteria
  • Qualification criteria assess fit, need, authority, timing and commercial potential
  • Objection-handling guides address price, risk, incumbent and implementation concerns
  • Sales collateral mapped to prospect maturity, role and meeting purpose
  • Service-level agreements define marketing and sales handoffs, follow-up and feedback

Participants can integrate digital touchpoints into acquisition, conversion and retention plans.

  • Digital journeys designed across discovery, evaluation, purchase, onboarding and support
  • Website conversion paths connect landing pages, forms, content and sales follow-up
  • Marketing automation rules define nurture sequences, triggers and lead scoring
  • Self-service options assessed against customer preference, cost and complexity
  • Onboarding plans reduce time-to-value through milestones, education and support
  • Customer feedback loops capture friction, satisfaction, usage and expansion signals

Participants can build phased launch plans with accountable actions and readiness controls.

  • Launch phases sequence internal readiness, controlled release and market-scale activation
  • Readiness checklists cover offer, pricing, systems, training, support and legal approval
  • Launch calendars coordinate product, marketing, sales, partners and service operations
  • Critical path analysis identifies dependencies, decision gates and schedule risks
  • Pilot markets selected for learning value, representativeness and controllable exposure
  • Contingency plans address demand shortfalls, capacity gaps and reputation risks

Participants can establish operating rhythms, decision rights and controls for GTM execution.

  • GTM operating model assigns accountabilities across product, marketing, sales and service
  • RACI matrices clarify decision rights for pricing, channels and launch changes
  • Weekly operating cadences track priorities, blockers, pipeline and conversion performance
  • Data requirements specify sources, definitions, ownership and reporting frequency
  • Escalation paths address channel disputes, capacity constraints and customer issues
  • Change-control procedures manage revisions to scope, price, message and timing

Participants can build KPI systems and improvement cycles for go-to-market performance.

  • KPI trees connect strategic objectives with leading and lagging performance measures
  • Funnel dashboards track reach, response, qualification, conversion and revenue
  • Cohort analysis examines retention, expansion and payback by acquisition period
  • Channel attribution methods distinguish contribution, correlation and double counting
  • Test-and-learn backlogs prioritise hypotheses by impact, confidence and effort
  • Performance reviews convert data into decisions, owners and corrective actions

Participants can adapt GTM choices for regulated, cross-border and institutional markets.

  • Market-entry screening assesses demand, regulation, localisation and partner access
  • Regulatory requirements incorporated into claims, data handling and sales processes
  • Public procurement cycles mapped across tendering, evaluation, award and mobilisation
  • Localisation choices cover language, price, payment methods and service expectations
  • Institutional stakeholders analysed across funders, regulators, beneficiaries and delivery partners
  • Country-entry plans balance standardisation, local adaptation and governance requirements

Participants can identify, assess and mitigate strategic and execution risks.

  • Risk registers capture market, customer, channel, delivery and financial exposures
  • Likelihood-impact scoring prioritises mitigations and management attention
  • Scenario planning tests base, upside and downside commercial outcomes
  • Early-warning indicators identify deteriorating conversion, retention and channel performance
  • Mitigation owners assigned with deadlines, triggers and contingency actions
  • Pre-mortem reviews expose hidden assumptions before launch commitments

Participants can build, review and present a complete evidence-based go-to-market strategy for a defined offer and target market.

  • GTM strategy pack integrates market choices, customer insight and positioning
  • Commercial model consolidates pricing, channels, conversion assumptions and revenue targets
  • Launch roadmap assigns milestones, owners, dependencies and decision gates
  • KPI scorecard defines measures, data sources, thresholds and review cadence
  • Peer review tests strategic coherence, feasibility, risks and evidence quality
  • Executive presentation communicates recommendations, investment needs and implementation priorities

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Go-to-market strategy template
  2. Segment prioritisation matrix
  3. Value proposition and messaging canvas
  4. Route-to-market decision model
  5. Launch readiness and governance checklist
  6. GTM KPI scorecard

Who should attend

  • Marketing Managers — need to translate market insight into measurable commercial plans
  • Product Managers — need viable launch choices beyond product feature definition
  • Sales Managers — need target-account, channel and enablement plans aligned with marketing
  • Business Development Managers — need structured approaches to new markets and partnerships
  • Commercial Directors — need consistent decisions across offer, pricing, channels and execution
  • Programme and Service Managers — need adoption plans for customer-facing services or initiatives

Skills and tools covered

Market segmentationValue proposition designChannel strategyCommercial modellingLaunch planningGTM governance

Tools and standards

STP model, Jobs to Be Done, Porter's Five Forces, Value Proposition Canvas

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course combines short instructor briefings with applied case work, facilitated group exercises, commercial simulations and structured peer review. Participants use market, customer and sales evidence to make choices on segments, offers, pricing, channels and launch sequencing. Cases reflect business-to-business, consumer, public-service and partner-led routes to market. Daily application planning connects each method to a current initiative, while feedback sessions test assumptions, identify gaps and improve the final GTM strategy pack.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of experience in marketing, sales, product management, business development, customer experience or commercial operations. They should be comfortable discussing customers, revenue objectives, basic market data and their organisation's offer. Experience with a product launch, market-entry project or sales campaign is useful but not essential. No prior formal marketing qualification, financial modelling qualification, specialist software expertise or advanced statistics is required. Participants may bring a current product, service, market-entry or growth challenge for direct application.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have practical exposure to marketing, sales, product, customer experience or commercial operations. The course does not require a formal marketing qualification or advanced financial modelling skills.

Bring information about a product, service, target market or launch challenge where possible. Useful materials include customer research, sales data, pricing information, campaign results, competitor information and existing plans.

It is designed for managers who shape or deliver market-entry, product-launch, growth or customer-acquisition initiatives. It is especially relevant where marketing, sales, product and channel decisions must be coordinated.

General marketing courses often focus on communications, brands or campaign planning, while sales courses focus on opportunity management and selling skills. This course joins customer selection, value proposition, pricing, channels, demand generation, sales enablement and launch governance into one commercial plan.

Participants leave with reusable templates and a GTM strategy pack that can be adapted to a current initiative. The methods support new product launches, market-entry decisions, channel redesigns, service adoption programmes and growth planning.

The first part of the course builds market, customer, positioning and offer choices. The later modules develop pricing, channels, demand generation, sales enablement, launch operations, measurement and a final capstone presentation; each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 with about 6.5 contact hours.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

More courses in Marketing

Marketing Export Market Intelligence Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Marketing Export Marketing and International Market Research Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Marketing Food Packaging, Branding and Marketing Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Marketing Global Marketing Strategy Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Marketing Growth Marketing Strategy Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Marketing Integrated Marketing Communications Training Course 5 days · from USD 1,100 · next 16 Nov Marketing Market Research and Business Intelligence Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov Marketing Market and Competitive Intelligence Masterclass Training Course 10 days · from USD 2,200 · next 16 Nov