Tips/Tricks for Running GTM Experiments

Startups operate based on assumptions and imperfect information — a game of trial and error.

Designing go-to-market strategies and planning over months can consume significant time and become a distraction, especially knowing the market will likely invalidate the plans within weeks.

In short, multi-week/month-long planning & strategy takes away from learning.

Read that one more time :)

The fastest way to learn involves seeking to invalidate parts of your vision. Unlocking product-market fit is a game of refinement and subtraction—treating every activity and interaction as an experiment that invalidates (and, of course, validates) assumptions. This approach reframes rejection into a positive by eliminating non-viable paths and clarifying those that show promise.

It's not discussed enough, but market rejection is not a setback; it brings you closer to discovering market truth—a leading indicator of progress toward product-market fit.

Contrary to popular belief, invalidation is proof a Founder is:
1. not attached to their initial market vision established on Day 1
2. actively avoiding biases — maintaining objectivity
3. engaging in learning and ‘truth-seeking’

To provide some suggestions on how to take advantage of experiments, below are a few recommendations from our almost 8 years of conducting/running market experiments at JJELLYFISH …

1. Get it out of your head and onto paper.

Writing is a forcing mechanism to clarify ideas, and it illuminates how often you change your mind – when things are living only in your head, it can play tricks on you. You must hold yourself (and be held) accountable and stop adjusting variables on a whim through conversations.

2. Elect ONE person to be the 'Lead Experimenter.

As with anything, there must be clear ownership over the process and results. 

Each additional person introduces a variable. Every variable creates more noise. Everyone has a slightly different way of engaging, learning, and perceiving market feedback. 

Not to mention, consistency is critical when holding conversations as it’s the only way to unlock repeatable themes – i.e., compare apples to apples.

Hint: The Lead Experimenter should be a founder. 

3. Refrain from testing things you feel comfortable with. Assumption testing should feel highly uncomfortable (i.e., very specific).

Your job is to validate the next most important assumption you have the least evidence on. Don't take the easy road out and think "challenged to create revenue" or "drive more leads" is an assumption – a market truism that will not help you build market trust.

The more specific you are, the deeper the insight into why OR why not. Specifics allow you to align on measurable outcomes and historical attempts to solve.

Hint: Discomfort signals learning is ahead.

4. Never, ever test solution-based assumptions.

The market has NO idea how to solve it; they are only experts at experiencing the problem—position with the customers’ voice, their needs and desires, NOT yours ;)  Remember. the solution, in many cases esp. ‘ai’, is abstract to buyers.

Hint: Automation is a solution, not a problem. Insights are a solution, not a problem. More revenue is a solution, not a problem.

5. Ensure what you're testing is self-evident.

If I talk to one person at one company, I should be able to directly compare their responses with someone else's in another conversation. Consistency reveals patterns. :)

Hint: Low-value tasks OR high-touch mean different things to different people. Get specific!

6. Focus on testing ONE Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) at a time and < 3 unmet needs/problems (i.e., variables). 

It's incredibly challenging to test more than that. One assumption alone could take up to 15-20 minutes.

A single ICP should yield a buyer segment that (a) can be approached similarly, (b) has similar perceived pains, and (c) has similar job responsibilities at similar companies.

Hint: This is a process of elimination, NOT a hedging activity. You'll likely run numerous experiments and must keep variables to a minimum; finding the signal is hard enough.

7. Controlling a conversation is challenging. It’s a hardcore interview where the customer doesn’t feel they’re being interviewed (it’s a true art).

Make sure your probing questions illuminate and deepen the discussion on the validity of assumptions.

Hint: You don't outright ask if they agree/disagree with an assumption.

8. Be prepared; there should be more invalidation than validation.

If you find a lot of validation, this is a sign that you're not diving deep enough, OR your assumptions are already well-served.

Hint: rejection is simply redirecting you faster to market truth — and, likely an insight other’s have not yet cracked

9.  Show your team and investors how much you're learning.

The ability to disprove yourself proves you aren't falling victim to your original idea.

Hint: Your original market vision is (almost) never the same vision that will take you to product/market fit.

10. Planning, strategizing, and building have negative compounding effects.

Every day spent not engaging in sales or market activities and learning adds an additional 2-3 days to the timeline for achieving revenue.

Hint: Maximize your chances of success by starting experiments on Day 1.

>>>> For more bit-size insights HERE