Marketing, sales, product, and customer success - different functions that share the same mission: driving go-to-market (GTM) success.

While many still treat them as siloed entities, they are more connected than you might imagine. The success of one depends on the effectiveness of the other.

How can you successfully align product, marketing, sales, and customer success for a winning GTM strategy?

To shed light on the topic, we have Kimberly Kaminski, CMO at Lakeside Software, sharing her insights on achieving team alignment for measurable results.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Align GTM Functions

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1. Unpacking the Go-To-Market Diamond

Kimberly introduces us to the concept of the "GTM diamond," where marketing, sales, product, and customer success are not isolated points but closely interconnected.

"I think the go-to-market used to be thought of, and still, some big organizations think of go-to-market as just the sales team. I think in the last five years, in particular, I've seen this go-to-market diamond, where marketing, sales, product, and customer success come together, build the go-to-market strategy, and work really closely together to make that strategy manifest." Kimberly explains.

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2. Establish Shared Goals

The first step towards alignment is setting common goals that resonate across all teams. At Lakeside, this is done by intertwining each team's objectives with the company's core priorities: growth in EBITDA, revenue, profitability, customer satisfaction, and retention, ensuring that while each team may play different roles, they are harmonized toward the same endgame.

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3. Foster Continuous Communication

"For us, the real value is continuing to stay close to the customers who have our solutions and understanding how they're using them in their different day-to-day business cases and then sharing that learning with other customers to try to help them uncover the same value."

Regular communication helps teams stay aligned, anticipate customer needs, and support each other's objectives.

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4. Embrace Cross-Functional Support

Integration across functions is key. As Kimberly points out, "We want to make sure people are trained and productive. So, it's not to exclude the other goals related to people and products. But the big metrics are around customer retention, existing customers, and then acquiring new customers, growth, and profitability."

In other words, this means actively supporting initiatives across departments, whether it's product development lending insights to marketing, or customer success informing sales strategies.

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5. Overcome Misalignment and Build Trust

Found yourself in an organization with misalignment and silos? Remember, it's nobody's fault.

However, it's up to you to take the initiative to extend the olive branch. Embrace a mindset of humility, realizing you don't know everything and need your team.

Be patient, empathetic, and persistent.

Make efforts to connect face-to-face to resolve difficult alignment issues. Moreover, miscommunication is common, especially through email. So, strive for clean and compassionate dialogue.

“I am of the mindset that I'm always going to be the olive branch extender or I'm going to try to be. Somebody has to start it. So I would say that the first thing is just to be the olive branch extender. Don't worry about whether it's your job or not. Just extend the olive branch because then somebody is going to reach back. Someone has to do it first, and then people will reach back.”

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Aligning your GTM teams isn't just about ticking off a checklist; it's about building a culture where every team member feels invested in the collective success.

With Kimberly's insights, it's clear that when teams come together, the growth potential is exponential.

Take the first step today, reach out, and truly connect. After all, a successful GTM strategy is built on the foundation of strong, aligned teams working toward a shared vision.

Now that you know the importance of aligning product, marketing, sales, and customer success for a successful go-to-market strategy, discover the full list of episodes at The B2B Revenue Executive Experience. If you enjoy the show, instructions to rate and review it are found here.