The Timeless B2B Foundational GTM Truths

A Reddit thread recently laid out many of the challenges B2B GTM teams are dealing with right now, and I thought it was worth sharing.

But it also got me thinking about the fundamentals that continue to work even as technology, trends, and the “book du jour” come and go. What are the tried and true foundational keys to good marketing that deliver an enduring brand. The elements that work no matter what new technology or new channels get created.

So I asked ChatGPT to revisit all the great classics of GTM we all know and maybe love: the famous 4Ps and STP, AIDA, JTBD, Brand Equity, SPIN, MEDDICC, Sandler, Challenger, Consultative selling. I asked it to determine what has truly stood the test of time.

**ChatGPT wrote the first draft of the list below and I edited and added my two cents based on personal experience.

How ChatGPT determined “stood the test of time”

Results were based on these criteria:

• POVs existed pre-digital, but are still regarded by experts (e.g. Kotler) as holding up across channels, tech, and buying behaviors

• Appear in multiple well-regarded frameworks

• Rooted in behavioral psychology (how humans form memory, trust, and reduce risk)

• Predicts high performance in longitudinal studies (e.g. HBR, McKinsey, Bain, Ehrenberg-Bass)

• Validated over time by failure patterns and metrics when teams ignored key elements

The Short List of Foundational GTM

So without further ado, below are the “basics” that if growth, marketing and sales leaders focus on, they should see success.

Know exactly who you serve

Actual people in specific contexts with something real at stake. That means understanding their needs, fears, what they value, and what they’re trying to make happen for their business. If you don’t understand all of this, you have zero relevance. 

One caveat for the world of buying committees, the story needs to connect to each individual’s lens and decision criteria and risk profile.

Positioning means choosing what you are and what you are not

Emphatically yes on "choosing" (I’m upvoting my own comment). Leaders' fear of “leaving money on the table” means a lack of focus for sales and marketing, vague messaging that doesn't always feel applicable and ultimately slow growth. 

Trying to speak to everyone is the fastest path to no one. Differentiation comes from focus, not features. Differentiation equals relevance and relevance equals growth.

One narrative across Marketing and Sales (and Service)

Sales and Marketing aren’t supposed to be frenemies. They’re supposed to be in the same boat, rowing in the same direction, not slowly sinking each other.

One story. One goal. When that happens, pipeline and brand momentum stop being so challenging.

Taking it one step further, great sellers help champions also sell internally, translating the same core story to the lenses of Finance, Ops, IT/Sec, and Exec sponsors - anyone sitting on or influencing that buying committee.

Show proof over claims

Buyers move through emotional and rational confidence-building steps before they commit. Our job is to make sure we’re satisfying both types of confidence along the way. Trust has to be earned, not asserted. 

Trust comes through honesty and integrity, but also case studies, demos, customer language, references, impact data. Trust compounds when evidence is consistent at every step of the sales process.

Brand combines memory and meaning

Brand is what people remember, how they describe you, what it stand for, and how confident they feel choosing you.

Logo and aesthetic plays a part, but not as much as the experiences they have with your people and your product, how they feel after those interactions, and the outcomes associated with your brand. Strong brands reduce friction and shorten sales cycles. Every time. 

Consistency beats cleverness

This is the message I hammer home every time I onboard a new employee; if we’re not consistently telling the same story in every marketing message, sales pitch, as well as walking/talking the same brand values, we're going to struggle to gain mindshare and marketshare. 

Because a consistent, connected message (both words and deeds), builds recognition and trust. This is so critical now that buyers are everywhere (and yet nowhere), consuming in micro-moments and self-educating before they talk to sales. 

Consistency isn't just messaging, it's also: clear next steps, predictable follow-through, mutual plans, and no dropped balls. Consistency and reliability builds credibility, credibility builds confidence, and confidence leads to commitment.

Diagnose before you prescribe

Top performers don’t jump to pitch. (Louder for the people in the back!) They run discovery - ask, listen, clarify, and THEN frame the problem so the buyer sees both value and urgency. Selling without diagnosis is guesswork. Understanding builds trust that "you get me". Trust opens doors (and emails).

Make the problem clearer and more costly

The best sellers don’t “convince," despite what the sales stage says. A good salesperson helps the buyer connect the dots between the business problem, the cost of inaction, and the strategic priority that makes solving it matter today.

Reframing, not reacting is the backbone of a great sales approach.

Why some GTM feels a little “cringe” right now

It’s not because new tools or new formats are bad. Some companies are using AI, short-form creative, and modern channel strategies really well.

The cringe comes, in my experience, when teams adopt things for the wrong reasons (and I'm as guilty of this as the next person at times):

• Copying competitors instead of choosing what fits their own brand and buyer

• Chasing formats because they’re popular, not because buyers are actually there

• Using AI or automation to signal innovation (sometimes just for the sake of innovation), instead of to improve the user experience.

• Optimizing for volume over value

• Changing the narrative every quarter before the market had time to absorb the last one

The tools aren’t the issue. The issue is when tools subsume brand, identity and foundational excellence.

Staying close to the core truths

When the GTM team (and broader organization) is clear on:

• Who they serve

• What job they solve

• Why solving it matters

• What they uniquely believe

• And how they prove it’s true

Then:

• Brand becomes memorable

• Messaging gets consistent and crisp

• Sales conversations are easier

• Buyers feel trust and value

You can successfully navigate trends and channel shifts when you stay close to the foundational GTM "truths" and fundamentals. That's how you maintain a brand that stands the test of time.