Delayed Exit? How to Build your Go-to-Market for a Marathon

You were planning for a brisk sprint to exit. Now, due to market conditions beyond your control, it’s instead become an endurance marathon.

Over the past few years, many of us have decided to scale for an exit. Whatever the reason, we have set a deadline, this is preferable within the next 12 months.  But conditions have changed, and progress has stalled. The old playbook for a sprint isn’t going to get you to the finish line as you’d hoped. What used to be a race to the top-line has become a slow grind for sustainable, smart revenue. Yet you’re still driven to deliver that growth.

Most small firms aren’t wired for this shift. They’re bloated with tools they don’t use, missing the data they need, and staffed with talent that can’t or won’t adapt.  Meanwhile, the market isn’t giving you an easy way out.

You feel the pressure because the longer your performance stalls, the less attractive you are to potential suitors.  I know this firsthand, having been pursued by several strategic buyers only for them to walk away.  Not only were we not valuable enough, but we would drag their valuation down.  It may take years to recover to become an attractive target.

So instead of diving into the theory of a pivot, this is a high-level field manual for a Go-to-Market (GTM) engine that is built for the marathon.

Talent – Your Ultimate Multiplier in the Era of Smart Revenue 

When exits were quick, you could muscle through with a high-energy team and a strong pipeline. Not anymore. Now, you and your leaders need staying power and strategic depth. What is needed now is a new team built around sustainable execution.

Here are a few examples of how talent must deliver:

• Sales leaders that don’t lead from the gut but build a revenue plan based on historical data analysis.
• Sales leaders who understand enterprise-like selling cycles.
• Highly process-driven sales teams.  Follow the process, measure everything, manage to benchmarks.
• Marketing leads who can use data to connect brand value to lead generation.
• Disciplined use of tools such as Salesforce or HubSpot are standard operating procedure.
• Adoption of AI and automation tools to drive efficiency.  To do more with less.

A major theme is data and technical fluency. Those that continue to ride the technical wave are the only ones that can lead a future-proof marathon.

Some will argue that “I have a playbook,” or “I have the enablement tools.”  But if those “tools” is in PDF or PowerPoint, they are useless.

• Playbooks are too generic or outdated. A static document is obsolete as soon as it’s published.
• Managing to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are only as good as their real-time maintenance.
• Enablement tools launched at a Sales Kickoff are only as good as their weekly reinforcement.

Talent isn’t just your execution engine. Talent is your value multiplier. The adaptable, process-driven, tech savvy team is the only team that will help you run the marathon. 

Data – From Rearview Mirror to Revenue Compass

So many dashboards. A myriad of ways to slice the data.  But unless your data helps you predict and prescribe for the future, it is a waste of time. Accurate measurement and recording are extremely difficult (see above referenced Talent as a possible problem in this regard). No matter how good your technology and processes may be, your talent must enter the data as it happens.

In terms of pure data, this is what you need.

• An accurately defined (and maintained) formula that defines your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
• Research-based detailed profiles of your Buyer Personas
• Defined touchpoints on the customer journey (Marketing Qualified Leads, Sales Accepted Leads, Stages of the Opportunity Management Process, etc.).
• Actual vs. target conversion rates from one touchpoint to another.
• Average Sales Price (ASP)
• Opportunity Win Rate
• Sales Cycle Length
• Customer Churn Rate

There are things that will stand in your way of obtaining these metrics:

• Poor usage adoption of your CRM (ex. Salesforce or HubSpot)
• Marketing Automation (MA) tool not integrated with your CRM
• Revenue Operations team (the folks that manage your systems and data) are not strategically minded.

Fixing this isn’t about one new dashboard. It’s about setting a new standard. The best firms in your peer group conduct monthly data audits to assure accuracy and to identify breakpoints in the collection process. These are the firms that track the right metrics, hold the team to a high-quality standard, and make data a central part of the culture.

Tools – Choose Less, Use More

Most modern firms are not short on tech. They’re short on traction.

It’s common to find ten platform subscriptions and “in use” by a company, while only a few are actually used.  The latest AI widget?  Bought it.  That thing my IT person saw on LinkedIn? Subscribed. Before you know it, the technology line-item in the budget is bloated and the benefits are not realized.

The best operators ruthlessly prioritize and curate their tech stack. They look for tools that:

• Simplify handoffs between sales and marketing.
• Integrate easily with existing CRM and analytics platforms.
• Provide usage data that correlates with performance.
• Provide forecast accuracy and full pipeline visibility.

Start with the process, build a tech-motivated team, then invest in your tech stack. The technology is in the service of your team, otherwise it is a distraction.

I have seen companies triple marketing efficiency just by consolidating platforms and enforcing adoption standards. No new spend. Just better coordination between talent and tools. I have seen sales teams go from missing the number of exceeding it just through CRM adoption.

Connecting the Dots – Enablement

Imagine your GTM system as a triangle: talent at the top, tools and data at the base. Each element has a distinct role—talent executes, tools enable, and data informs. That is the ideal state.

But this triangle collapses without the connective tissue of enablement. This is the ongoing, repeatable coaching and accountability.

Enablement is the discipline of change management.  It turns an expected capability into consistent execution. It’s not a slide deck or a quarterly training. It’s the structure that ensures your GTM team knows what to do, how to do it, and that they act.

If you do not see unanimous adoption of GTM system, it is likely due to resistance.  There may be a lack of belief in the approach and it is therefore easily ignored. Eventually the tools are misused, data isn’t created, and the talent becomes tactically reactive.  Forward momentum is squelched.

The basic expectations of change management:

• Weekly individual performance coaching calls.
• Weekly pipeline, prospecting, and marketing calls.
• Ongoing learning & development programs to close knowledge gaps.
• Scorecards that individuals to expectations and measurable results.

Enablement & Change management require a mindset shift from “train once” to “reinforce constantly.” The overall culture much shift from “check the box” to “drive behavior change.”

Final Thought: Running the Marathon

If your exit timeline has been delayed, don’t wait for the market to rescue your outcome. Build an engine that works now. Your GTM system should be a strength in every aspect: talent, data, and tools. As you are forced to adapt to change, you must lead your team through the adoption of change.

This enables endurance.

Endurance wins the race.