# marketing-strategy-pmm

Marketing Strategy & PMM
Product marketing patterns for positioning, GTM strategy, and competitive intelligence.
Table of Contents
ICP Definition Workflow
Positioning Development
Competitive Intelligence
Product Launch Planning
Sales Enablement
International Expansion
Reference Documentation
ICP Definition Workflow
Define ideal customer profile for targeting:
Analyze existing customers (top 20% by LTV)
Identify common firmographics (size, industry, revenue)
Map technographics (tools, maturity, integrations)
Document psychographics (pain level, motivation, risk tolerance)
Define 3-5 buyer personas (economic, technical, user)
Validate against sales cycle and churn data
Score prospects A/B/C/D based on ICP fit
Validation: A-fit customers have lowest churn and fastest close
Firmographics Template
DimensionTarget RangeRationaleEmployees50-5000Series A sweet spotRevenue$5M-$500MBudget availableIndustrySaaS, Tech, ServicesProduct fitGeographyUS, UK, DACHMarket priorityFundingSeed to GrowthWilling to adopt
Buyer Personas
PersonaTitleGoalsMessagingEconomic BuyerVP, Director, Head of [Department]ROI, team productivity, cost reductionBusiness outcomes, ROI, case studiesTechnical BuyerEngineer, Architect, Tech LeadTechnical fit, easy integrationArchitecture, security, documentationUser/ChampionManager, Team Lead, Power UserMakes job easier, quick winsUX, ease of use, time savings
ICP Validation Checklist
5+ paying customers match this profile
Fastest sales cycles (< median)
Highest LTV (> median)
Lowest churn (< 5% annual)
Strong product engagement
Willing to do case studies
Positioning Development
Develop positioning using April Dunford methodology:
List competitive alternatives (direct, adjacent, status quo)
Isolate unique attributes (features only you have)
Map attributes to customer value (why it matters)
Define best-fit customers (who cares most)
Choose market category (head-to-head, niche, new category)
Layer on relevant trends (timing justification)
Test with 10+ customer interviews
Validation: 7+ customers describe value unprompted
Positioning Statement Template
FOR [target customer]
WHO [statement of need]
THE [product] IS A [category]
THAT [key benefit]
UNLIKE [competitive alternative]
OUR PRODUCT [primary differentiation]
Value Proposition Formula
Template: [Product] helps [Target Customer] [Achieve Goal] by [Unique Approach]
Example: "Acme helps mid-market SaaS teams ship 2x faster by automating project workflows with AI"
Messaging Hierarchy
LevelContentExampleHeadline5-7 words"Ship faster with AI automation"Subhead1 sentence"Automate workflows so teams focus on what matters"Benefits3-4 bulletsSpeed, quality, collaboration, costFeaturesSupporting evidenceAI automation → 10 hrs/week savedProofSocial proofCustomer logos, stats, case studies
Competitive Intelligence
Build competitive knowledge base:
Identify tier 1 (direct), tier 2 (adjacent), tier 3 (status quo)
Sign up for competitor products (hands-on evaluation)
Monitor competitor websites, pricing, messaging
Analyze sales call recordings for competitor mentions
Read G2/Capterra reviews (pros and cons)
Track competitor job postings (roadmap signals)
Update battlecards monthly
Validation: Sales team uses battlecards in 80%+ competitive deals
Competitive Tier Structure
TierDefinitionExamples1Direct competitor, same category[Competitor A, B]2Adjacent solution, overlapping use case[Alt Solution C, D]3Status quo (what they do today)Spreadsheets, manual, in-house
Battlecard Template
COMPETITOR: [Name]
OVERVIEW: Founded [year], Funding [stage], Size [employees]
POSITIONING:
- They say: "[Their claim]"
- Reality: [Your assessment]
STRENGTHS:
1. [What they do well]
2. [What they do well]
WEAKNESSES:
1. [Where they fall short]
2. [Where they fall short]
OUR ADVANTAGES:
1. [Your advantage + evidence]
2. [Your advantage + evidence]
WHEN WE WIN:
- [Scenario where you win]
WHEN WE LOSE:
- [Scenario where they win]
TALK TRACK:
Objection: "[Common objection]"
Response: "[Your response]"
Win/Loss Analysis
Track monthly:
Win rate by competitor
Top win reasons (product fit, ease of use, price)
Top loss reasons (missing feature, price, relationship)
Action items for product, sales, marketing
Product Launch Planning
Plan launches by tier:
TierScopePrep TimeBudget1New product, major feature6-8 weeks$50-100k2Significant feature, integration3-4 weeks$10-25k3Small improvement1 week<$5k
Tier 1 Launch Workflow
Execute major product launch:
Kickoff meeting with Product, Marketing, Sales, CS
Define goals (pipeline $, MQLs, press coverage)
Develop positioning and messaging
Create sales enablement (deck, demo, battlecard)
Build campaign assets (landing page, emails, ads)
Train sales and CS teams
Execute launch day (press, email, ads, outbound)
Monitor and optimize for 30 days
Validation: Pipeline on track to goal by week 2
Launch Day Checklist
Press release distributed
Email announcement sent
Social media posts live
Paid ads at full budget
Sales outbound blitz launched
In-app notification active
Metrics monitored every 2 hours
Launch Metrics
MetricLeading (Daily)Lagging (Weekly)TrafficLanding page visitors-EngagementDemo requests, signupsFeature adoption %PipelineMQLs generatedSQLs, pipeline $Revenue-Deals closed, revenue
Sales Enablement
Equip sales team with PMM assets:
Create sales deck (15-20 slides, visual-first)
Build one-pagers (product, competitive, case study)
Develop demo script (30-45 min with discovery)
Write email templates (outreach, follow-up, closing)
Create ROI calculator (input costs, output savings)
Conduct monthly enablement calls
Deliver quarterly training (positioning, competitive)
Validation: Sales uses assets in 80%+ of opportunities
Sales Deck Structure
SlideContent1-2Title, agenda3-4Company intro, problem statement5-7Solution, key benefits, demo8-10Differentiation, case study, pricing11-12Implementation, support, next steps
Demo Flow
1. Intro (2 min): Who we are, agenda
2. Discovery (5 min): Their needs, pain points
3. Demo (20 min): Product focused on their use case
4. Q&A (10 min): Objection handling
5. Next steps (3 min): Trial, POC, proposal
Sales-Marketing Handoff
HandoffFrequencyContentWeekly sync30 minWin/loss, competitive, new assetsMonthly enablement60 minProduct updates, trainingQuarterly reviewHalf-dayResults, strategy, planning
International Expansion
Enter new markets systematically:
Validate market demand (inbound leads, TAM analysis)
Localize website, pricing, legal
Establish sales coverage (hire or agency)
Adapt messaging for cultural fit
Build local partnerships and references
Launch localized campaigns
Monitor CAC and conversion by market
Validation: 3+ paying customers from market in first 90 days
Market Priority (Series A)
MarketTimelineBudget %Target ARRUSMonths 1-650%$1MUKMonths 4-920%$500kDACHMonths 7-1215%$300kFranceMonths 10-1510%$200kCanadaMonths 7-125%$100k
Localization Checklist
Website translation (professional, not machine)
Currency and pricing localized
Local phone number and address
Legal compliance (GDPR, PIPEDA)
Local payment methods
Sales coverage during local hours
Local case studies and references
Reference Documentation
Positioning Frameworks
references/positioning-frameworks.md contains:
April Dunford 5-step positioning process
Geoffrey Moore positioning statement template
Positioning validation interview protocol
Competitive positioning map construction
Launch Checklists
references/launch-checklists.md contains:
Tier 1/2/3 launch checklists
Week-by-week launch timeline
Launch day runbook
Post-launch metrics dashboard
International GTM
references/international-gtm.md contains:
US, UK, DACH, France, Canada playbooks
Market-specific channel mix and messaging
Localization requirements per market
Entry timeline and budget allocation
Messaging Templates
references/messaging-templates.md contains:
Value proposition formulas
Persona-specific messaging
Competitive response scripts
Objection handling templates
Channel-specific copy (landing pages, emails, ads)
PMM KPIs
MetricTargetMeasurementProduct adoption>40% in 90 daysFeature usage after launchWin rate>30% competitiveDeals won vs. competitorsSales velocity-20% YoYDays from SQL to closeDeal size+25% YoYAverage contract valueLaunch pipeline3:1 ROMIPipeline $ : marketing spend
Quick Reference
PMM Monthly Rhythm
WeekFocus1Review metrics, update battlecards2Create assets, publish content3Support launches, optimize campaigns4Monthly report, plan next month
Proactive Triggers
No documented positioning → Without clear positioning, all marketing is guesswork.
Messaging differs across channels → Inconsistent story confuses buyers.
No ICP defined → Selling to everyone means selling to no one.
Competitor repositioning → Market shift detected. Review your positioning.
Output Artifacts
When you ask for...You get..."Position my product"Positioning framework (April Dunford method) with output"GTM strategy"Go-to-market plan with channels, messaging, and timeline"Competitive positioning"Positioning map with competitive gaps and opportunities
Communication
All output passes quality verification:
Self-verify: source attribution, assumption audit, confidence scoring
Output format: Bottom Line → What (with confidence) → Why → How to Act
Results only. Every finding tagged: 🟢 verified, 🟡 medium, 🔴 assumed.
Related Skills
marketing-context: For capturing foundational positioning. PMM builds on this.
launch-strategy: For executing product launches planned by PMM.
competitive-intel (C-Suite): For strategic competitive intelligence.
cmo-advisor (C-Suite): For marketing budget and growth model decisions.