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Over the weekend I had the chance to meet with students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, Emerson College, and Northeastern University.

(Yes - college kids, in Boston, on a Saturday morning, opting to spend the day building a startup Go To Market plan. Dedication.)

 

Each group was building a startup venture from the ground up within InnovateEDU, a collaborative student-led initiative to give student entrepreneurs access to Boston's startup ecosystem.

The task: Prepare them for the Go to Market portion of their pitch - to be presented in April.

Incorrect assumptions

Many people assume a Go To Market strategy is really just a list of tactics -- trade shows, email, social media, influencers, etc.

In my presentation, below I share the 7 questions every investor will likely ask about GTM... 6 of which have nothing to do with tactics. GTM is more like a business plan, just specifically related to marketing and sales.

  1. Who is the customer?

  2. What is the problem you're solving?

  3. How are they solving it today?

  4. What is your value proposition / brand promise?

  5. What are your customer acquisition numbers?

  6. What tactics will you use to acquire customers?

  7. What are your goals?

I had compiled these seven from my own experience raising money, asking Boston investors (thank you Jere Doyle of Sigma Prime & others for your input!) and from a collection of advice around the web (you'll notice some slides within.)

See the full presentation below.

If Saturday is any indication, the future of entrepreneurship is in good hands.

 

Every week(ish) I send out new ideas, writings, and interesting links on marketing, business, and life. It’s free & curated by me. Get on the list.

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