Enterprise GTM Playbook
"The commercial architecture for selling a technical product to an enterprise buyer."
The Problem This Solves
Most AI companies that stall at enterprise don't have a product problem. They have a commercial architecture problem.
The product works. Early customers are happy. The demo lands well. But deals stall at procurement, die at the second meeting, or close only when the founder is in the room. The motion that worked at $1M ARR — founder-led, relationship-driven, demo-heavy — doesn't translate to enterprise at scale.
Enterprise buyers don't buy demos. They buy certainty: that the vendor understands their governance environment, that the deal will survive procurement, that the solution maps to a real budget holder's problem, not a champion's enthusiasm.
The Enterprise GTM Playbook builds the commercial architecture that closes enterprise at scale — ICP derived from evidence, messaging designed for urgency not curiosity, a qualification framework every rep can apply, and a sales process where stages reflect buyer behaviour rather than internal activity.
Who It's For
AI companies with a genuine product-market signal — at least 3–5 paying customers — experiencing one or more of the following:
- Deals close only when the founder is directly involved
- Win rate below 25% on qualified opportunities
- Sales cycle is lengthening or unpredictable
- Pipeline is large but conversion to closed-won is low
- Reps present the product differently — no consistent commercial story
- Deals die at procurement, legal, or "internal reprioritisation"
- The company is expanding into EMEA from North America (or vice versa) and the existing motion isn't translating
Not the right engagement if:
- The company is pre-revenue or has fewer than 3 closed-won enterprise logos
- The constraint is an execution/leadership problem (→ Fractional CRO is the right next step)
- No founder or commercial lead available to participate in working sessions
What the Client Receives
Seven deliverables. All written. All operational — designed to be used immediately, not filed.
| # | Deliverable | What it enables |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ICP Definition | Tells the team exactly who they can win and who to disqualify at first contact |
| 2 | Buyer Persona Map | Economic buyer, champion, technical evaluator, and veto holder — mapped for the client's specific deal type |
| 3 | Messaging Framework | One value proposition, three urgency levers, objection handling for the five most common blockers |
| 4 | MEDDPICC Qualification Criteria | Customised qualification standard for their deal type — what must be true at each stage |
| 5 | Sales Process Design | Stage definitions with buyer-behaviour exit criteria and CRM configuration guide |
| 6 | Comp Structure Recommendation | Quota-setting logic, base/variable split, accelerator structure, ramp period design |
| 7 | 90-Day Execution Calendar | Sequenced actions, owners, and observable outcomes for the first 90 days of the new motion |
What the Client Does Not Receive
- A generic sales training programme
- A deck to present to the board
- A methodology the team won't use after the engagement ends
- Malcolm doing the selling — this engagement designs the system; Fractional CRO runs it
Duration and Structure
Standard: 4 weeks
Complex (multi-market, multi-product, or team > 10): 5–6 weeks
The engagement runs as working sessions — not workshops. Each session produces a specific output that feeds directly into one or more deliverables. Nothing is produced speculatively.
How It Connects to the Rest of the Service Line
The Enterprise GTM Playbook typically follows a Revenue Architecture Diagnostic. The diagnostic identifies the primary constraint; the Playbook builds the fix.
After the Playbook is delivered:
- Ongoing execution leadership needed → Fractional CRO
- Expanding into EMEA and the Playbook is NA-scoped → EMEA Market Entry
- Specific named deal stalled during or after the engagement → Enterprise Deal Acceleration