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Clients often ask us whether our work includes the strategy. It is a fair question. A GTM strategist and a GTM engineer do different jobs. A go-to-market plan needs both of them from the first day.
On every Vanderbuild project, I work as the GTM strategist and a GTM engineer runs the execution. This post walks through what I do at each stage, where the engineer takes over, and who from your side should join.
What is a GTM strategist?
A GTM strategist sets the direction of a go-to-market plan. They decide which offer goes to which target group and persona, and with which idea. They need to know what works and understand how execution runs.
What sets a strategist apart is history. A strategist has worked at a similar company, in a similar industry, or seen a similar business model. They know what performed well and what performed badly, what to cut and what to push, because it only works under the conditions and variables available on the market.
A strategist who has never taken a business through your stage is guessing, and ends up testing on your business.
GTM strategist vs GTM engineer: two roles on one project
I split every project into two roles, and the split holds outside GTM too. There is always a strategist and always an executor. A founder decides and a salesperson executes. A head of marketing writes the marketing strategy and specialists run the channels. The executor does good work only when they understand the strategy. The strategy, in turn, has to be well written.
In a GTM project, the GTM engineer is the executor. Their job is to challenge the strategy with operational knowledge. Above all, they have the operational skills and know what can realistically be done. When a plan asks for something that cannot be done, the engineer says so.
The two roles overlap in knowledge and stay separate in ownership. The strategist has to understand how execution works. The GTM engineer has to understand how to build a strategy, how to explain it, and how to run it. The two of us cross over at exactly that level and stay specialists in our own areas. That is why every Vanderbuild client works with two named people.
The engineering side has its own guide: what a GTM engineer is and what the role covers day to day.
GTM strategist vs GTM engineer
Every Vanderbuild project has both. What each one owns and when each one leads.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Aspect | GTM strategist | GTM engineer |
|---|---|---|
| What they own | Direction: the offer, the target group, the persona, and the idea | Execution: campaigns, tools, data, and messages |
| What they bring | Experience of what performed well and badly at similar companies, industries, and business models | Operational skills and knowledge of what can realistically be done |
| When they lead | Research, the workshop, the digest, and the client's sign-off | From the handoff on, with a course check about every two weeks |
| What they know of the other side | How execution works | How a strategy is built, explained, and run |
Both join at the start. The GTM engineer takes the helm once the client signs off.
What a GTM strategist does on a client project
My work as the strategist runs in four stages, from the first research to the client's sign-off.
1. Research before the first conversation. I start without talking to the client, with a mini audit. In this stage I am a journalist and a researcher. The research covers what the company does in public, how people write about it, and with what sentiment. It also checks whether the company's own description matches how others understand it. Then it maps the channels in use and the offer. The aim is to know the business the way its best salesperson or marketer knows it.
2. The workshop. Next comes a workshop with the client. I check the picture from research against how the company actually works. Then we shape the strategy around four parts: the offer, the target group, the persona, and the idea. The next section shows how they fit together, starting with the idea.
3. Digesting the workshop. A workshop runs two to three intensive hours and leaves a lot of noise behind. I write a summary and a report, cut the noise, and keep what matters: the priorities and the next steps. I call this stage digesting.
4. Onboarding and sign-off. Last, I walk the client through the plan and get their approval. The most important thing is that we are all on board and know which way we are sailing.
What a GTM strategist does on a project
Four stages, from research to sign-off.
After sign-off, the strategist checks the course about every two weeks.
The four parts the strategy workshop settles
When we build sales campaigns, the strategy usually comes down to four parts: the offer, the target group, the persona, and the idea. The report that follows breaks the plan down to first principles, so it is easy, understandable, and simple to implement.
Two examples show what an idea looks like.
The first targets directors of software houses in Poland. The idea is a research report on how far their companies use AI. Behind it sits the offer: AI agents for marketing and sales. The first touch is a simple question with a simple answer, to build better touchpoints before the offer comes.
The second starts from a market change. Buyers now see so much AI-written content that many have stopped trusting it. Video can stand out. Viewers see a person and can judge whether that person knows the subject and can solve the problem.
An idea always pairs a channel with what you will do on it. The words should be simple enough for anyone on the team to repeat. Asked about YouTube, anyone should answer in one line, for example: we talk about GTM strategy, outbound, and GTM engineering.
The target group gets mapped in full later. Once a thesis works, the strategy moves to the total addressable market for that persona.
Where GTM execution starts: the handoff to the GTM engineer
The GTM engineer joins at the start, during the research and the workshop, as an active member. They need the reasoning behind each choice, so they understand why we made this decision and not another one.
I think of the handoff as a ship. At the start I am the captain and the GTM engineer is the first officer. Once the client is onboarded and knows where it wants to sail, the roles shift and the first officer takes the helm. From then on the GTM engineer gives the orders. Launch this campaign. Buy these tools. We need this database. The message should read this way.
The captain stays on the ship. I don't get into a lifeboat and leave for the Maldives. I check the course, watch for drift, and make sure there are enough resources for the work. The GTM engineer's allocation gets reviewed about every two weeks, and on fast projects as often as every other day.
Deciding whether that engineer should sit in-house or at an agency? Plan for the handoff. Someone with the strategist's history has to stay on board after it.
Hiring before there is anything to engineer is one of the mistakes companies make when hiring a GTM engineer.
Who creates a GTM strategy, and who joins the strategy call
The people who decide create the strategy. Strategy is set by people at the top in decision-making roles, and execution is done by the whole organization.
On the client side, the strategy call (the workshop in stage 2) needs:
- The founder or owner.
- Managers and above in sales and marketing functions: a manager, head, director, VP, or partner in sales, growth, marketing, or GTM. What the function is called does not matter, as long as it covers sales or marketing. Who joins also depends on company size.
- The person who delivers the offer, when it is complex. A product owner or a delivery lead walks through what the client gets, step by step.
The third seat depends on the offer. A simple product needs no explanation. A complex service needs someone who knows how it is delivered from start to finish. There is often a very big difference between what is done and what is ultimately delivered. Whether that person also sees the value for the buyer depends on the person, and I have no rule for it.
When to bring in a GTM strategist
The case for a strategist is time. People who know what works save you the three to six months you would spend learning it yourself. A small company does not have those months.
If you already have someone in that seat, give them a GTM engineer who can challenge the plan and run it. If you have an engineer and no direction, the gap is the strategist, and our go-to-market strategy workshop is where that work starts.
The strategist decides where the ship sails, and the GTM engineer steers it there. If you want both on your project, book a free consultation.
FAQ
What does a GTM strategist do?
A GTM strategist researches the company and runs a workshop on the offer, target group, persona, and idea. Then they write a report with priorities and next steps and get the client's sign-off. After the handoff, they check the course with the GTM engineer, about every two weeks.
What is the difference between a GTM strategist and a GTM engineer?
The strategist sets the direction from experience of what worked at similar companies. The GTM engineer runs the execution and challenges the plan with operational knowledge of what can realistically be done.
Who creates a GTM strategy?
The decision makers: the founder or owner and managers and above in sales, growth, and marketing, with a strategist leading the workshop. For a complex offer, the person who delivers it joins too.
What is GTM execution?
GTM execution is the work that turns the strategy into campaigns: lists, tools, data, messages, and sending. On our projects the GTM engineer owns it after the handoff, and the strategist checks the course.
Does a GTM engineer need to understand strategy?
Yes. A GTM engineer has to understand how a strategy is built and how to explain and run it. That is why they join from the start, during the research.
How often should the strategist check the course?
On our projects, the GTM engineer's allocation and the project's course should be reviewed about every two weeks. When the project moves fast, the check can come as often as every other day.
Is a go-to-market strategist the same as a GTM strategist?
Yes. GTM is short for go-to-market, so both titles name the same role. It is the person who sets the direction of the plan and stays on board while a GTM engineer runs it.
