How do you contribute to the GTM if you're a new PMM in an org where product marketing is not a primary stakeholder in GTM plans?

It may take some time, but ultimately, as a PMM, you want to become the owner of the GTM plans. But, to get yourself into the sphere of influence, you will have to prove that you have valuable insights about the customer, their problem, the product, it's differentiation, and the best way to reach and convert customers. Some ways that you can gather this information are: Win/loss analysis with sales ops Customer ride-alongs with sales or customer success Hands on keyboard usage of the product on ...Read More

When you’re new, the key is to show value quickly without trying to solve every PMM problem: A few approaches that have worked for me: Start where you’re needed most. Look for the biggest GTM gap; maybe messaging feels generic or the same competitor is heating up in deals. Step in there and deliver something concrete like an updated first call deck or competitive battlecard. Quick wins earn you a seat at the table. Be the voice of the customer. Most GTM discussions default to product features or ...Read More

Build relationships with revenue leadership and marketing leaders to gain influence in go-to-market planning. Look for opportunities to improve the process and tie product marketing efforts to those improvements. Without knowing the specifics of the company size and industry, my short answer is that relationships are usually how you get into go-to-market if you don't already have influence there. In B2B especially, having credibility and strong relationships with revenue leadership is how you bu ...Read More

Identify what your company isn't considering in their decision-making process and bring that to the table. Voice of customer is always irrefutable, but also bring other elements that aren't being considered. When I look at my clients or companies I've been at before, PMM teams that wonder how they can bring more to the table are often in situations where the product strategy and roadmap is single-threaded. Decisions are typically made based on either which client is screaming the loudest, market ...Read More

Focus on building trust and strong relationships with stakeholders. Explicitly articulate the unique value of product marketing and your specific contribution in meetings to help others understand your perspective. I agree with Eric about the importance of building relationships. Anytime it's hard to get involved in something you want to be more deeply integrated into, start with trust and building really strong relationships. Additionally, demonstrate and articulate what the unique value of pro ...Read More

Don, Sharadhi, Eric, and Jack have covered the relationship-building playbook well. I want to add the pattern I've seen work specifically in enterprise tech orgs where PMM has been historically undervalued and the challenge isn't just building relationships, it's changing a structural assumption about what PMM is for. The fastest path I've seen: own the thing nobody else wants to own but everyone agrees matters. In most GTMs that have pushed PMM to the sidelines, there is a visible gap causing r ...Read More