We recently acquired a company with a product that significantly overlaps our core solution. Based on the projected growth and typical customer profile, our board has asked that we identify a single platform product and sunset the other offering. However, we need to make a recommendation in 30 days, and we must keep churn at or below 10% through the entire process.

In most technology companies, "go-to-market" is a throw away phrase; everyone from sales to finance uses it when it’s convenient. It is a catch-all phrase and often used as a placeholder for things related to target customers, product direction, marketing strategy, sales enablement, pricing and launch efforts.

When I talk to our clients about how they execute on their Go-to-Market strategy, I usually get a blank look. Other times the reaction is emotional, and I won’t repeat some of the words I have heard to describe it. The challenge for these companies reminds me of the business fable of “The Chicken and the Pig”. For those who are not familiar with the story, the point of the fable is commitment to a project or cause. When producing a dish made of bacon and eggs, the pig is completely committed.

Based on our experience with market discovery and the feedback we hear from our clients, it’s best to file away initial input and refer to it later in the process. It may be compelling, especially if it comes from a group of very impressive non-customers that your sales team is itching to win over. Generally speaking, this early input will not be enough to formulate a compelling problem statement.