The Baader-Meinhof effect is well amplified by social media as you interact with specific topics. LinkedIn, now being a full-blown social media platform is doing exactly the same and actually, it can be useful. Case in point, I’ve been seeing the words “GTM Engineer” in every 3rd post I (doom) scroll through.
Just like with RevOps, it looks like the proliferation of AI is leading to the quick rise of the GTM Engineer role. Experts generally recognize that at least for the foreseeable future, AI will still enhance rather than completely replace humans in commercial roles. An example is the SDR role, which robotic AI messaging is far from completely replacing.
However, what companies are being forced to do is become efficient faster than ever. Leveraging tools to scale repetitive processes and reduce headcount is the way ahead and GTM Engineers will play a pivotal role in spearheading this shift.
So, I got curious and decided to dig deeper to understand a few things.
- What exactly is a “GTM Engineer”?
- What does the role of a GTM Engineer look like (with examples)
- Is the GTM Engineer merely a rebranding of an existing role?
- What is the overlap between RevOps and GTM Engineers?
And so, in the spirit of keeping things simple, let’s get to it!
What exactly is a “GTM Engineer”?
A GTM or “Go To Market” Engineer is someone who can leverage technology and AI to support sales teams and GTM motions at scale. They are constantly finding ways to optimize both inbound and outbound processes with a heavy focus on operations and efficiency.
When executed well, the role can help quickly multiply the pipeline while reducing dependency on headcount (specifically SDRs, AEs). This is because the GTM Engineer is up to date with all new AI and SaaS tools and is constantly integrating them to enhance the revenue generation engine. The more tools that are seamlessly integrated, the more they chip away at manual work. The lesser the manual and repetitive work that remains, the lesser the sales headcount a company needs.
What does the role of a GTM Engineer look like (with examples)
I really enjoy hiking and climbing and consequently, standing on the shoulders of giants. So in this case, 2 really solid LinkedIn posts with highly informative comments sections can help answer our question.
The first one is by Guido Sanchez, where he makes the bold claim that “In 6+ months the GTM Engineer will replace most of your 10+ SDR team.” Companies in Europe are a few steps behind so while the 6 month timeline seems ambitious, it’s hard to argue against Guido’s point. He makes the case that companies will soon be so overwhelmed with the number of AI tools and automations, that someone is going to have to engineer, integrate and manage them. A few examples of tasks a GTM Engineer would do from this post are:
- Master outbound sales by doing in-depth account research and qualification at scale using AI and other tooling
- Really understand email, phone and LinkedIn, leveraging AI and automations where possible
- Scrape data from niche industry websites to identify new potential accounts, leveraging AI and SaaS tools
- Helps the SDRs with any required data they need to drive deals forward using tools and process efficiencies
- Implements Sales Triggers to improve the timing of the outreach, resulting in increased conversion rates. Again, there are a ton of AI driven tools already available for this
- Helps marketers with automated lead qualification for inbound leads… very easily automated
Another really relevant no BS post is Felix Frank’s post about “How to do Outbound in 2024”. He does a great job giving a practical example with the tools that said GTM Engineer and SDR can employ to achieve efficiencies like never before. The ramifications predicted are significantly reduced SDR headcounts and the staggering rise of the GTM Engineer in parallel. Just click through to give it a quick read and scroll through the comments section. Fellow experts seem to be loving it!
Is the GTM Engineer merely a rebranding of an existing role?
With every passing day it seems like companies are continuing to invent new roles and job titles. Especially within commercial departments, the lines between different roles can get quite blurry. For example, how is the GTM Engineer different from the VP of Sales or Director of Sales Ops role? Is there any overlap between RevOps and the GTM Engineer role?
Well of course there is overlap and there always will be. Nearly every process in commercial organisations touches multiple points and it’s impossible to make the distinctions completely black and white. On a high level, the answer is yes, there is a difference and the GTM Engineer role is unique. VP of sales roles would focus more on sales tactics, sales strategies, managing teams and planning. The Sales Ops role as the name suggests focuses much more on operations, analysis and reporting.
What is the overlap between RevOps and GTM Engineers?
RevOps I would say has more of a synergistic relationship with the GTM Engineer role. The key difference is the GTM Engineer’s relentless focus on tech and efficiency, focused on GTM rather than the holistic view that RevOps takes. The way I see it, the GTM Engineer would be an integral part of RevOps. Think of RevOps like the strategic consultant who also taking on stakeholder management across the organization, while the GTM Engineer focuses on GTM functions, and doubles down on leveraging tech to increase efficiencies, ensure data accuracy, and always stay one step ahead.
Wrapping Up
The GTM Engineer role is a fascinating one and is clearly still evolving. It’s definitely going to have its moment and you can be rest assured that anyone who can execute this role well will be very handsomely rewarded.
How the role fits into the wider commercial organization and the overlap between other senior roles is tricky. Managing this well with clear role definitions while giving the GTM Engineer enough autonomy is probably the biggest predictor of success. I also think that just like with RevOps, the GTM Engineer will have to constantly sell stakeholders on the added value. It is what it is so if it’s a role you want to take on, find ways to measure the efficiency and cost savings you’re able to add, to get the recognition you deserve.
