Ease Is the Advantage: Rethinking GTM
The traditional go-to-market playbook—build a funnel, optimize the conversion path, crank up the sales machine—isn’t broken. But it is incomplete.
In many organizations, it's worse than incomplete—it’s entirely missing.
You've felt it before: when you have to practically beg a company to take your money because their sales process or product catalog is so convoluted, confusing, or ever-changing that neither you nor the salesperson truly understands how to buy what you need.
So what’s missing?
Clarity and ease.
Not more automation. Not another tech stack. Not another step in your sales funnel.
Just be easy to do business with—in how your customers understand you, engage with you, buy from you, and grow with you.
Because today, the companies winning aren't always the ones with the best product. They're the ones easiest to work with.
Ease Is the New Differentiator
The market is clear: people don't buy just because of what your product does—they buy based on how it feels to do business with you.
According to a study by PwC, 32% of customers abandon a brand after just one negative experience, with numbers often higher internationally. Friction is a silent deal-killer. It doesn't announce itself loudly—it works quietly, persistently, and at scale.
The old playbook relied heavily on features, pricing, and positioning.
But today?
Ease is your differentiator.
Can I quickly understand your offer?
Can I speak directly with someone without filling out lengthy forms or scheduling multiple meetings?
Will I receive clear guidance without chasing you down?
If the answer is "no," your customers move on—because someone else made it easier.
Consider Veterans United, a mortgage provider serving veterans. They transformed a notoriously difficult process into something genuinely enjoyable, filled with clarity, helpful support, and delightful moments. I recently shared my exceptional experience with them HERE.
The takeaway is clear: GTM strategy is no longer just pricing and packaging. It must create intentional, curated experiences that consistently delight buyers.
Rethinking the Role of GTM
Most GTM strategies operate like a relay race: Marketing passes to Sales, Sales to Delivery, Delivery to Support. Linear, logical—and completely disconnected from how modern customers experience brands.
Today's buyers encounter your brand as one continuous interaction, not a series of departmental handoffs. A modern GTM prioritizes continuity of experience, intentionally removing friction from the entire journey—from first impression through renewal.
This shift demands rethinking GTM itself. It's not enough to align sales and marketing. It requires operational simplicity, intentional experience design, and cross-functional trust.
Begin by mapping your entire GTM process from your customer's perspective—actively understanding their experience at every interaction.
Hanover Research indicates nearly 90% of organizations employing customer journey mapping see significant improvements in satisfaction, churn reduction, fewer complaints, and higher Net Promoter Scores (Hanover Research, 2022).
With this in mind, intentionally design frictionless experiences that proactively delight at every touchpoint. Customers don't care about internal silos or departmental lines—they care about one thing: How does it feel to do business with you?
What It Actually Means to Be Easy to Do Business With
"Easy to do business with" isn’t vague. Here’s exactly what it means:
The phrase "easy to do business with" gets thrown around a lot.
Let's define exactly what it means:
Clear – Your offering, pricing, and processes are simple to grasp. No jargon. No guesswork.
Fast – Customers get answers, clear next steps, and results quickly, without having to navigate internal complexity or chase you down.
Frictionless – Handoffs between teams are smooth, paperwork and proposals are straightforward, and the buying journey is effortless.
Empowered – Your team is equipped and trusted to make decisions. They don't need approvals for everything, and they can say "yes" quickly.
Consistent – Every interaction—whether it's sales, delivery, or support—feels unified and aligned with your brand promise.
This is modern GTM’s real work. It's not flashy campaigns or clever slogans. It's engineering experiences intentionally designed to earn trust, build momentum, and keep customers returning.
Where GTM Breaks (And How to Spot It)
Ever had a customer ghost after a seemingly great meeting or leave suddenly after years without explanation? It might not be your pitch—it might be your process.
I recently ended a nearly decade-long relationship with a company because their customer experience deteriorated as they scaled. What once felt seamless and personal became complicated and impersonal. Ironically, the very scale achieved through excellent customer experience threatened their future growth.
Think about your own business:
Does your pricing require translation?
Is your proposal buried in a lengthy PDF no one actually reads?
Do legal reviews stall deals for weeks?
Is onboarding reactive, inconsistent, or frustrating?
Internal complexity always leaks outward. What seems manageable internally becomes friction externally—and your GTM strategy quietly breaks.
Designing for Ease: Where to Start
Real progress doesn't require massive transformation—it demands clear intent paired with decisive action.
Here's exactly how:
Map the end-to-end customer experience. Identify friction points. Where do handoffs fail? Where do customers end up waiting or feeling frustrated?
Measure “ease” as a core performance metric. Integrate simplicity, clarity, and speed directly into your scorecards and KPIs.
Empower your teams. Shorten the chain of command. Equip front-line teams with the authority and tools they need to solve customer problems immediately.
Simplify your language. Clarity converts; complexity stalls.
Conduct an “ease audit” every quarter. Regularly review what's become more complicated or slower over time. Notice where customers hesitate, question, or disengage.
Small improvements compound quickly, faster than you think.
Final Thought: Ease Is Strategic
Ease isn’t "nice to have." It’s strategic.
Remember the company I left after nearly a decade? They succeeded because of exceptional experiences, then lost sight of what got them there. PwC underscores how a single negative experience can send nearly a third of your customers away.
Ease respects your customer's time, reduces effort, and accelerates outcomes. It intentionally engineers your processes, teams, and interactions to minimize friction, increase clarity, and curate delight.
When you're easy, you remove doubt.
You build trust.
You create momentum.
That's the true competitive advantage.
Before launching your next GTM initiative, pause and reflect deeply on your customer’s journey.
Then ask the critical question that matters more now than ever: Are we easy to do business with?
Because if you're not—someone else will be.