Leslie’s Compass: A Framework for Go-To-Market Strategy
Author: First Round Review / Mark Leslie (Stanford GSB) URL: https://review.firstround.com/leslies-compass-a-framework-for-go-to-market-strategy/
Summary
A structured framework for determining whether your startup should be sales-led or marketing-led. Evaluates seven dimensions: price, market size, complexity, fit-and-finish, customer type, customer lifetime, and engagement level. Key insight: “If you’re marketing-intensive, the product is bought. If sales-intensive, the product is sold.” Misalignment across dimensions (like Nebula’s $275K product positioned as plug-and-play) leads to failure.
Key Claims
- Marketing and sales are counterbalances — as one strengthens, the other diminishes
- Seven dimensions determine where your product falls on the spectrum
- Organizational primacy must match: sales-led or marketing-led, not both equally
- Misalignment across dimensions is a common startup killer
- Startups with limited resources must choose one primary lever