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Chapter 0 of 15

Executive Summary

The transition from product development to systematic customer acquisition.

Playbook Chapters

Executive Summary

You've built the product. Now you need to sell it. Playbook 05 is about going from "we made something" to "we have a business."

The goal isn't just getting customers—it's proving your business model works.

The Build Trap

For every product that succeeds in the market, four fail (McKinsey). The cause? Not bad products—bad distribution. "Build it and they will come" is a lie that has killed more startups than bad code ever did.

Distribution > Product

Go-to-market means aligning four things: Market, Product, Channel, and Model.

Here's the hard truth: great products with bad distribution lose to okay products with great distribution. Peter Thiel says poor distribution is the #1 cause of startup death. Take distribution as seriously as you take your product.

GTM isn't a launch event. It's not press releases and hype. It's a system where getting one customer helps you get the next.

Four Questions You Must Answer

Answer these with data, not guesses:

  1. Who is the customer? Not "millennials" or "small businesses." The specific person who feels the pain the most.
  2. Where do they hang out? Which channels—online or offline—do they use to find solutions?
  3. How does growth work? Is it a funnel (linear) or a loop (compound)? One customer leads to another?
  4. How do you make money? A pricing model that works for both you and your customers.

The Growth Engine

By the end of this playbook, you won't just have customers. You'll have a growth engine—a system where every $1 you spend brings back $3+ in value.

What You'll Learn

This comprehensive playbook covers:

  • GTM Mindset: Hypothesis-driven strategies, growth loops over funnels, and unit economics as the North Star
  • Market & Persona Refinement: Defining the High Expectation Customer and macro trend analysis
  • Pricing Strategy: Value-based pricing, Van Westendorp analysis, and Economic Value to Customer
  • Channel Selection: The Bullseye Framework and the 19 traction channels
  • Growth Engine Design: Viral loops, content loops, paid loops, and K-factor mechanics
  • Activation & Onboarding: The Aha! Moment, time-to-value, and reducing friction
  • Product-Market Fit: The Sean Ellis Test, retention flattening, and the 40% rule
  • Common Failure Patterns: The Tugboat, saturated channels, CAC trap, and feature shock
The Magic Number

The target: LTV:CAC > 3:1. For every $1 you spend to get a customer, they should bring back $3+ over their lifetime. Below 1:1? You're losing money on every sale.

For SaaS: aim to recover your customer acquisition cost within 12 months.

From Hope to System

Stop hoping for a "viral hit." Build a machine that predictably gets customers.

This playbook will help you turn your MVP into a real business.

Let's Start

Chapter 1 explains the shift from "building stuff" to "selling stuff."

Turn Theory Into Action

Build your GTM strategy, test pricing, and validate PMF with the LeanPivot AI tool suite.

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Works Cited & Recommended Reading
GTM Strategy & Frameworks
  • 1. Complete Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy Framework with Examples. Slideworks
  • 2. The Lean GTM Framework: A Founder's Guide. Seed Through Series
  • 3. 6 Steps to Creating a Go-to-Market Plan. YouTube
  • 4. How to Build a GTM Strategy Without Guesswork in 2026. Via Marketing
  • 5. GTM Strategy for SaaS: Step-by-Step Process & Examples. Default
Growth Loops & Viral Mechanics
  • 6. Growth Loops: Transcending AARRR Frameworks. Reforge
  • 7. Brian Balfour on Flywheels, Funnels, and the Future. Proof Blog
  • 8. The 4 Growth Frameworks You Need to Build a $100M Product. Reforge
  • 9. Four Fits For $100M+ Growth. Brian Balfour
  • 10. Product Channel Fit Will Make or Break Your Growth Strategy. Brian Balfour
  • 11. What is K-Factor? Complete Viral Growth Guide. Arfadia
  • 12. Viral growth explained with a formula for the viral factor. Hacker News
  • 13. Why more retention drives more viral growth. Andrew Chen
  • 14. Discover content growth loops. Reforge
  • 15. Discover paid growth loops. Reforge
Bullseye Framework & Channel Selection
  • 16. Strategize, Test, Measure: The Bullseye Framework. Brian Balfour
  • 17. Bullseye Framework: The Definitive Guide To Traction Channels. DesignWithValue
  • 18. The 19 Traction Channels for Extraordinary Growth. GrowthRocks
  • 19. How does the Bullseye method compare with other frameworks? Medium
  • 20. 24 Budget-Friendly Marketing Ideas for Startups Under $500. KeyGroup
  • 21. 24 Marketing Ideas for Startups Under $500. M1-Project
Pricing Strategy & Van Westendorp
  • 22. Pricing Products the Silicon Valley Way - Van Westendorp Model. First Principles
  • 23. How To Price Your Product: Van Westendorp Pricing Model. Forbes
  • 24. Conducting a pricing survey with Van Westendorp. Startup Recipes
  • 25. Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Survey Template. Contentsquare
  • 26. A complete guide to Van Westendorp + How to graph it in Excel. The Maykin
  • 27. Van Westendorp Price Optimization Using LimeSurvey. LimeSurvey
Value-Based Pricing & Economics
  • 28. EVC, a value-based pricing technique based on Competitive Analysis. Gocious
  • 29. PRICING ECONOMIC VALUE TO THE CUSTOMER. MIT OpenCourseWare
  • 30. Value-Based Pricing: Pricing on Customer Outcomes - 2026 Guide. Rework
  • 31. SaaS Unit Economics: Pricing for Growth. Lucid.Now
  • 32. Mastering Value-Based Pricing Calculation. Togai
  • 33. Value-based pricing example: Pricing SaaS products by value. Orb Billing
Unit Economics & SaaS Metrics
  • 34. LTV/CAC Ratio: Guide for Startup Founders. Lucid.Now
  • 35. LTV:CAC Ratio: What It Is & How To Calculate It. Klipfolio
  • 36. CAC Trends for Growth-Stage Companies 2025. Phoenix Strategy Group
  • 37. 2025 SaaS Benchmarks: CAC Payback. ScaleXP
  • 38. CAC in SaaS: How to calculate, benchmark, and improve. Stripe
  • 39. Go-To-Market Fit: SaaS KPIs & Metrics. Oxx VC
  • 40. 2025 B2B SaaS Benchmarks: CAC, NRR & Growth Rate Metrics. Pavilion
  • 41. 2025 Private B2B SaaS Company Growth Rate Benchmarks. SaaS Capital
Product-Market Fit & Sean Ellis Test
  • 42. How to Measure Product Market Fit: Tips & Metrics to Master. First Round Review
  • 43. How the 40% Rule Can Help You Find Product-Market Fit. Usetiful
  • 44. Measure and improve product/market fit with the 40% test. Reforge
  • 45. SaaS churn and user retention rates: 2025 global benchmarks. Pendo
  • 46. SaaS NPS Benchmarks 2025: Software Company Scores. NPSpack
  • 47. 38 SaaS NPS Benchmarks & Top SaaS eNPS scores. Customer Gauge
Activation, PLG & Experimentation
  • 48. What is Activation Rate? Full Guide With Examples. Eppo
  • 49. 20 Product-led Growth Examples to Inspire Your Own Strategy. Userpilot
  • 50. 8 Inspiring Product Led Growth Examples to Emulate in 2025. Development Corporate
  • 51. Growth Experiments Templates. Todoist
  • 52. Experiment Canvas Template. Soren Kaplan
Channel Saturation & Risk
  • 53. Diminishing Returns: Accounting for Channel Saturation. Recast MMM
  • 54. MMM: Saturation Curves. Indaru
  • 55. Advertising response curves: What are they and why do you need them? Sellforte
  • 56. Essential Steps for Risk Managers in Product Launches. LaunchPad Agency
  • 57. Top 10 Product Risk Assessment Templates. SlideTeam

This playbook synthesizes research from traction methodologies, growth engineering, and value-based pricing frameworks. Some book links may be affiliate links.