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How to Build a Go-To-Market Strategy Backed by Data, Not Assumptions | John Rankins & Juanma Varo
Let’s be real for a second...
Most companies don’t have a go-to-market strategy.
They have a wishlist, a bunch of “best practices,” and a calendar full of marketing activity that leads nowhere.
In this episode of The Sales Machine, I sat down with Juanma Varo—one of Forbes’ Top 100 Most Creative in Business, Head of Growth at Product Hackers, and a growth leader who’s helped scale four startups 10x—to break down what it actually takes to build a go-to-market strategy that performs.
From aligning sales and marketing, to building experimentation frameworks, to using AI and data to drive retention, Juanma delivers pure signal. No fluff. No theory. Just the hard-earned lessons of someone who’s been in the trenches.
What You’ll Learn:- Why your go-to-market plan needs data, not opinions
- How to align sales and marketing around real buyer signals
- What to do when you’re chasing too many ideas at once
- Why retention, not just acquisition, should be your growth engine
- How to profile the right client and ignore the wrong ones
- Why distribution > product if you want to scale
- How to use AI to run faster, leaner, and smarter GTM plays
If you’re tired of guessing, winging it, or burning budget on tactics that don’t move the needle, this is the episode that shows you what real GTM execution looks like.
Episode Highlights"Distribution is just as important as the product itself." - Juanma Varo
"Most people think the problem is sales—but it's often clarity." - John Rankins
"If you're not building your go-to-market plan on data, you're building it on sand."
"We don’t guess. We test, we learn, we scale." - John Rankins
"Data is cheaper than opinions." - Juanma Varo
"You can’t scale chaos. You have to build systems first." - John Rankins
"Retention is key. If you’re churning, you’re not growing." - Juanma Varo
(01:04) - The Importance of Distribution
(05:06) - End-to-End Growth Strategy
(09:58) - Personalized Go-to-Market Strategies
(14:51) - Teamwork in Growth
(20:01) - Data-Driven Decision Making
(21:42) - Chasing Shiny Objects: The Death Loop Cycle
(24:51) - The Importance of Team Morale and Process
(27:54) - Data-Driven Culture: Overcoming Resistance
(30:01) - Product-Led Growth: Assessing Readiness
(31:28) - Identifying the Ideal Client Profile
(35:13) - Learning from Failure: The Importance of Positioning
(39:03) - Root Cause Analysis: Beyond Go-To-Market Strategies
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/growth-marketing-juanma-varo
X: https://x.com/anticomodo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anticomodo/
Website: https://thesalesmachine.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficial
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial
View all episodes
By John RankinsLet’s be real for a second...
Most companies don’t have a go-to-market strategy.
They have a wishlist, a bunch of “best practices,” and a calendar full of marketing activity that leads nowhere.
In this episode of The Sales Machine, I sat down with Juanma Varo—one of Forbes’ Top 100 Most Creative in Business, Head of Growth at Product Hackers, and a growth leader who’s helped scale four startups 10x—to break down what it actually takes to build a go-to-market strategy that performs.
From aligning sales and marketing, to building experimentation frameworks, to using AI and data to drive retention, Juanma delivers pure signal. No fluff. No theory. Just the hard-earned lessons of someone who’s been in the trenches.
What You’ll Learn:- Why your go-to-market plan needs data, not opinions
- How to align sales and marketing around real buyer signals
- What to do when you’re chasing too many ideas at once
- Why retention, not just acquisition, should be your growth engine
- How to profile the right client and ignore the wrong ones
- Why distribution > product if you want to scale
- How to use AI to run faster, leaner, and smarter GTM plays
If you’re tired of guessing, winging it, or burning budget on tactics that don’t move the needle, this is the episode that shows you what real GTM execution looks like.
Episode Highlights"Distribution is just as important as the product itself." - Juanma Varo
"Most people think the problem is sales—but it's often clarity." - John Rankins
"If you're not building your go-to-market plan on data, you're building it on sand."
"We don’t guess. We test, we learn, we scale." - John Rankins
"Data is cheaper than opinions." - Juanma Varo
"You can’t scale chaos. You have to build systems first." - John Rankins
"Retention is key. If you’re churning, you’re not growing." - Juanma Varo
(01:04) - The Importance of Distribution
(05:06) - End-to-End Growth Strategy
(09:58) - Personalized Go-to-Market Strategies
(14:51) - Teamwork in Growth
(20:01) - Data-Driven Decision Making
(21:42) - Chasing Shiny Objects: The Death Loop Cycle
(24:51) - The Importance of Team Morale and Process
(27:54) - Data-Driven Culture: Overcoming Resistance
(30:01) - Product-Led Growth: Assessing Readiness
(31:28) - Identifying the Ideal Client Profile
(35:13) - Learning from Failure: The Importance of Positioning
(39:03) - Root Cause Analysis: Beyond Go-To-Market Strategies
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/growth-marketing-juanma-varo
X: https://x.com/anticomodo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anticomodo/
Website: https://thesalesmachine.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSalesMachineOfficial
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesalesmachine_official/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesalesmachineofficial/
YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@JohnRankinsOfficial