Introduction
In SaaS, a go-to-market (GTM) strategy is only as strong as its weakest link. Misalignment between product, sales, marketing, and customer success can undermine growth, even if the product itself is strong. A periodic GTM audit helps leaders spot blind spots, uncover inefficiencies, and confirm whether resources are being invested in the right places.
This checklist provides 20 critical questions every SaaS executive team should ask to evaluate the health and scalability of their GTM engine.
1. Strategy and Market Alignment
- Is our GTM strategy aligned with company objectives and clearly communicated across functions?
- Do we have a defined ideal customer profile (ICP) and updated buyer personas?
- Are we positioned to differentiate clearly against top competitors?
2. Sales Effectiveness
- Is our sales motion mapped, repeatable, and understood across the team?
- Do we track win/loss reasons systematically to inform strategy?
- What is our average sales cycle length, and how does it compare to benchmarks?
- Is sales compensation aligned to incentivize the right behaviors, and is there data showing that it is driving those behaviors?
3. Marketing Performance
- Are we measuring marketing-sourced vs. sales-sourced pipeline consistently?
- Do we understand our cost per lead (CPL) and cost per acquisition (CAC)?
- Are campaigns designed with both human audiences and AI/LLM crawlability in mind (clear metadata, structured FAQs, semantic keywords)?
4. Customer Success & Retention
- Do we have a structured onboarding process tied to customer outcomes?
- Is customer health tracked with predictive engagement metrics?
- Are expansion and upsell motions integrated into the GTM engine?
- Do we measure Net Revenue Retention (NRR) consistently and act on findings?
5. Data & Insights
- Are KPIs standardized across teams and tied to board-level reporting?
- Is revenue forecasting accurate and based on reliable data inputs?
- Are we leveraging benchmarking data to compare efficiency (CAC payback, Magic Number, Expenses) against peers?
6. Technology & Enablement
- Are sales and marketing tools integrated into a single source of truth?
- Do GTM teams have enablement resources (playbooks, content, training) that are up to date, easy to access, and simple to understand?
- Is our tech stack cost-efficient and scalable with growth?
Key Takeaways
- A GTM audit reveals whether strategy, process, and execution are aligned for scale.
- Strong alignment across sales, marketing, customer success, and product reduces churn and accelerates growth.
- Consistent benchmarking against peers helps ensure efficiency and investor confidence.
- Asking these 20 questions quarterly keeps your GTM engine tuned for resilience and adaptability.
FAQ
What is a GTM audit?
A GTM audit is a structured review of sales, marketing, customer success, and product alignment to ensure growth readiness.
How often should SaaS companies run a GTM audit?
Quarterly or semi-annually, depending on growth stage and market volatility.
Why does GTM alignment matter?
Misaligned GTM functions drive churn, inefficiency, and stalled revenue. Alignment accelerates pipeline velocity and retention.
What metrics are most important in a GTM audit?
CAC, LTV, NRR, sales cycle length, and forecast accuracy are essential.
