How to Build a Full-Funnel GTM Strategy That Actually Scales: Expert Insights from Andrew Seidman
Don't Just Play the Game, Master It: How Go-to-Market Strategy is Like Poker
Hello and welcome! In this post, we're diving deep into the world of B2B go-to-market strategy with an expert who has a unique perspective: Andrew Seidman. As a digital agency co-founder, COO, and go-to-market strategist, he helps companies from Fortune 500 enterprises to Series B startups solve their most pressing growth challenges. What's even more interesting? Andrew is a former professional poker player, author, and coach. As you'll see, the parallels between the poker table and the boardroom are surprisingly strong.
"What's the most impactful thing to spend my next dollar on?"
The Go-to-Market Paradox: Silos in an Interconnected World
Andrew points out a significant challenge facing modern marketing teams: the go-to-market paradox. Decades ago, a single person could be a generalist and have a firm grasp of the entire marketing process. Today, with the rise of sophisticated technology and tools, it's virtually impossible for one person to be an expert in everything. This has led to the fragmentation of go-to-market teams into silos—teams that operate disjointedly, often with high friction and little collaboration.
Even in small teams, this can happen when there's a lack of clarity on how individual objectives contribute to the bigger picture. The result? A go-to-market effort that's more a collection of disconnected actions than a unified strategy.
Think of it like this: a great search program is useless without a good website to convert visitors, or a solid data system to ensure leads aren't lost. And even the best ad infrastructure won't work without a compelling brand message. The key is to unify these efforts so they work together as one cohesive system, all while keeping the customer's journey in mind.
The Problem of Priorities: What to Spend Your Next Dollar On?
Whether you're a startup with one employee or a global enterprise with a multi-million-dollar budget, the central question remains the same: "What's the most impactful thing to spend my next dollar on?"
Andrew explains that the answer starts with a crucial step: assessing your organization's maturity. Where are the weak spots? What's truly holding you back? This requires a top-down view of your entire go-to-market environment.
Another key factor is data. Many organizations have fragmented data systems and a lack of a single "source of truth." This makes it impossible for different teams to agree on a shared objective or a unified KPI. A team focused on demand generation might be incentivized by a sheer number of leads, while another team focused on account-based marketing (ABM) is concerned with quality engagement. Both are working toward the same ultimate goal—revenue—but their incentives are at odds, creating friction and conflict. The solution? Get everyone to agree on what the "truth" is, defined by a single set of data and a shared goal.
The ABM Playbook: Start With What You Already Have
Account-based marketing is a hot topic, but Andrew has a refreshing take on it. He says, "All B2B marketing is account-based marketing." After all, you're always selling to businesses. ABM isn't about buying a new tool; it's a resource strategy. It's about aligning the effort and resources you put in with the potential value of the output.
For a smaller company, where every customer is a good customer, a massive ABM effort might not be the right move. The first priority is simply to get customers and build a runway. But for larger organizations where some accounts are exponentially more valuable, ABM makes a lot of sense.
When it comes to getting started with ABM, Andrew has one piece of advice that many overlook: connect with your champions.
Who already loves you? Go back to your best customers. These aren't just your biggest clients—they're the ones who rave about your product.
Re-engage with them. You'd be surprised how many companies stop talking to their advocates once the deal is closed. A simple phone call, a check-in, or even a personalized gift can go a long way.
The power of referrals. Word-of-mouth referrals have a far higher close rate than any other lead source. Your champions are your best salespeople, and they can open doors at new accounts, especially since people are changing jobs more frequently than ever.
Instead of spending all your energy on complex ad campaigns, simply nurturing these existing relationships can be a far more effective and cost-efficient strategy.
AI's Role: A Double-Edged Sword
AI is here, and it's changing the go-to-market landscape at an incredible speed. Andrew sees a lot of excitement around tools like Clay, which can pull highly contextualized data about accounts and people. Imagine being able to personalize a message with the name of a person's favorite coffee shop near their headquarters. This is a game changer for creating highly relevant and personalized outreach.
However, Andrew cautions that much of this innovation has been funneled into the least effective channel: cold emails. While the personalization is impressive, the medium itself is often frustrating and easily ignored. He believes the real opportunity for AI lies in applying this contextual data to less spammy channels, such as:
Building better ad lists to create more resonant advertisements.
Creating personalized events based on location and shared interests.
Curating highly targeted content that speaks directly to a company's specific needs.
Tools like Tofu are already taking this a step further by using an organization's "knowledge brain" to create infinitely personalized versions of a single web page. For example, a trends report could be dynamically tailored for specific companies like "Trends Report for Spotify" versus "Trends Report for Farmer's Insurance." This level of personalization at scale was impossible just a few years ago.
The Final Takeaway: Stop Pouring Water into a Sinking Ship
Andrew's biggest frustration is watching organizations ignore the urgent need to get their data and systems in order. The AI train is coming, and the companies that will be able to harness its power are those with organized, structured data.
While many companies are spending millions on ads and campaigns, they resist investing in the foundational "plumbing" of their go-to-market systems. This is a critical mistake. If you don't fix the holes in your ship, it doesn't matter how many buckets of water you pour in—it will still sink. The future belongs to those who embrace this change and prepare their organization for the incredible power of AI.
Andrew's poker background gives him a unique perspective on this: you can't control the cards you're dealt, but you can control your strategy. The same goes for your go-to-market. You can't control every market trend, but you can build a resilient, adaptable system that's prepared for whatever comes next.
What steps can you take to get your systems in order and prepare for the future of go-to-market?
