Takeaways from Pavilion's GTM Summit

Three main themes from an executive conference on all things go-to-market

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Oct 18, 2024

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Takeaways from Pavilion’s GTM Summit

Austin was buzzing with Pavilion’s GTM Summit this week. Pavilion is the world’s #1 private community for GTM leaders and GTM Summit is one of their executive summits.

Kathleen Booth (SVP of Marketing & Growth at Pavilion), Sam Jacobs (Founder & CEO of Pavilion) and the whole Pavilion team brought together over 800 go-to-market executives for one-of-a-kind sessions, interactive workshops, and unique networking opportunities.

These are three main takeaway themes from the summit with examples - let’s get into it.

AI is everywhere but still uncharted

As anticipated, AI was at the heart of nearly every conversation at the conference. What stood out was the collaborative atmosphere - an open learning environment where attendees freely shared their experiences and insights.

“Lots of interesting things, but nobody has figured it out. Areas with the greatest data are those that are furthest developed” - Mike Levy (CRO of SalesIntel)

Mike’s comment underscores the fact that while AI is rapidly advancing, there’s still much to learn, and the most progress is happening where data is abundant.

Caroline Kinlin (CMO at SPHERE) highlights that AI is use case agnostic - regardless of industry or function, the core question is how AI can be integrated effectively. This was central to every conversation and session at the conference.

While use cases and knowledge around adoption skewed heavily, two points of consensus are clear:

Use cases today are fairly simplistic. As Hayes Davis (Co-Founder & CEO of Gradient Works) emphasizes, the next wave of smarter software will be able to synthesize data more effectively, offering deeper insights by combining different pieces of information to infer context. For example, tools can now determine whether something on a website is central to a company’s offering or just a passing mention by analyzing patterns and language.
AI is not about replacing human interaction but enhancing it. By handling repetitive tasks and synthesizing vast amounts of data, AI allows people to focus on the human aspects of work. The future lies in this partnership, where automation complements, rather than replaces, meaningful human-to-human interaction.

Examples of Custom GPTs for specific scenarios:

Andy Jolls (AI & GTM Advisor and Consultant) shared a Pavilion GTM Summit Calendar GPT, making it easy to quickly check when key topics and sessions are happening. Link to GPT.
Jonathan Moss (EVP at Experity) showcased an Account Plan GPT that streamlines sales and marketing account research for outbound efforts. Link to GPT.

Examples of automating workflows to solve ongoing challenges:

Everyone shared use cases they’re trying for sales account research and lead generation workflows.
Josh Carter (Director of Demand Generation at Pavilion) took everyone through a Zapier OpenAI integration to auto-generate enablement assets for Chapter Heads when recruiting new members, offering a scalable solution for content creation.

“First Team” alignment determines growth trajectory

First team alignment is all about making sure the executive leadership team is on the same page when it comes to priorities, strategies, and actions. It’s based on the idea that leaders should see their fellow executives as their main team - their “first team” - not just focus on their own departments. This approach helps foster unity and shared goals at the top level, ensuring the entire company is moving in the same direction.

“Team is your collective across other functions, not your personal team” - Kirsten (Knipp) Newbold-Knipp (CEO of AskNicely)

This is what fosters alignment.

“It’s better to be aligned than to be right” - Sydney Sloan (CMO of G2)

Sports analogies always make an appearance around alignment, and this is no exception. The front of your jersey has your team logo, the back has your personal number and name. Play for the logo on the front of your jersey, not the back.

As Kim Peretti (former Chief Customer Officer at Klaviyo) noted, the health of the environment in which the first team works is what determines company growth trajectory. It is built on trust, communication, and KPIs.

While establishing alignment is critical, it also requires continuous iteration. Vaibhavi Nesarikar (Principal at GTMfund) notes that a core takeaway is around how ROI is maximized when companies regularly revisit and refine their strategy based on feedback and performance metrics.

Where there are department handoffs are key areas for creating alignment - for example, around sales to customer success:

Customer success can be introduced to the account prior to the post-sale stage - noted by David Gunn (VP of Customer Success at SundaySky).
Sales reps staying on the account post-sale till first point of value - noted by Sydney Sloan (CMO of G2).

Examples of first team alignment:

Sydney Sloan (CMO of G2) broke it down in a presentation on alignment go-to-market strategies with account-based execution. Link to slides.
Andy Jolls (AI & GTM Advisor and Consultant) broke it down in a marketing session, we did a deep dive into “First Team” (not your department) and broke the 1-to-many mold of presentation by giving everyone a chance to grab the mic and share challenges, experiences, and wins. Net net, we landed on the need for process and structure and timing that to empathy and being human in the First Team.

Network and partnership will only becoming more critical

The importance of networks and partnerships is more critical than ever.

“Your network and how you use it is hands down your most valuable asset and strategy” - Peter Turim (GM; Strategic Partnerships at Hunt Club).

However, despite widespread recognition of their strategic importance, many teams still struggle with unlocking the operational side of networks and partnerships. While leaders understand the value of aligning with other organizations to drive growth, the execution - the operational framework - remains a challenge for many.

Examples shared around how to best execute:

Scott Leese (CEO & Founder and Advisor) shared a ‘Go-To-Network Template’ - a comprehensive framework for leveraging your network to drive sales. By following the outlined steps, you'll be able to build and manage an effective affiliate program, streamline introductions, and maximize revenue opportunities. Whether you're looking to expand your reach or deepen your engagement with potential clients, this asset serves as your go-to blueprint for success.
Antonio Caridad (Head of Global Partner Operations at Tricentis) shared on the role of partnerships in GTM and presented frameworks around the stages of ops.

👂 More for your eardrums

The GTM Podcast - subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

GTM 117: From 0 to Acquisition in 3.5 Years Through Community-Led Growth with Cliff Simon

Cliff Simon is the CRO of Carabiner Group, a part of SBI Growth, an advisor, and fractional executive for several high-growth start-ups, where he utilizes his expertise in all things GTM and RevOps. He is an active leader in multiple GTM communities. With almost two decades of broad technology experience, he has anchored GTM teams in SaaS & Service industries including consulting, network & communications, software, e-commerce, and supply chain. Having worked in both Fortune 20 and High-Growth Startups, Cliff prefers the fast pace and the ability to deliver significant impact that comes with working in the startup space. Cliff is a recipient of the 2024 Modern Sales Leader award from HubSpot and a 2024Top 50 CRO to Watch by Pavilion.

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🚀 Startups to watch

Kick - announced their $9M funding (two rounds), launched on Product Hunt, and came out of stealth. Kick is an applied AI company building a self-driving bookkeeping experience by bringing together machine and tax code to automate the finances for millions of business owners. The system has the ability to organize personal expenses, properly identifying business-related expenses such as software and subscriptions, meals, travel, and home office costs. Kick runs in the background to handle the work users don’t want to do, all while keeping them in full control.

Indigo - received the Inman’s prestigious AI startup of the year award. Indigo is the market’s first AI-powered home transaction platform. As an independent platform, Indigo unifies the buying and selling experience to bring unparalleled transparency, insights and accessibility to real estate agents, buyers and sellers.

🔥 Hottest GTM jobs of the week

Customer Success Manager - Enterprise at Vanta (Remote - US)
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See more top GTM jobs on the GTMfund Job Board.

🗓️ GTM industry events

Upcoming go-to-market events you won’t want to miss:

GTMfund Dinner: October 30 (San Francisco)

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