How to run B2B GTM when your buyer asks ChatGPT first

AI has transformed how software companies build products, create content and reach customers. New competitors can launch faster than ever, buyers have access to an endless stream of information, and enterprise marketers have more channels at their disposal than any previous generation.

Yet, according to SpotDraft's Chief Marketing Officer Alon Waks, none of that changes the fundamentals of building a successful B2B business. The biggest challenge today is not finding the next growth hack. It is cutting through the noise.

SpotDraft, an AI-powered contract lifecycle management platform, has raised close to $100 million from Vertex, Qualcomm, Prosus, and P&G Invest, and serves 450+ customers across the US, UK, and APAC.

Speaking on the Prime Venture Partners Podcast, Waks shares his approach to building enterprise go-to-market (GTM) strategies, drawing on years of experience across mid-market and enterprise SaaS. Throughout the conversation, one theme surfaced repeatedly. Companies that scale are rarely the ones trying to do everything. They are the ones that know exactly who they are selling to, understand what those buyers care about, and consistently deliver value.

"There is no real killer campaign in proper B2B," says Waks. "Founders think they can sell to anybody and everybody wants the tool. But that's not how you scale a company."

Persona first, segment second

One of the first distinctions Waks makes is between customer segments and buyer personas, two concepts that are often confused but play very different roles in enterprise marketing.

He defines a segment as a repeatable group of companies that share common characteristics, whether that is industry, geography, company size, or a similar business problem.

"Segment means vertical, cohort, displacement, region, anything that can put them into a repeatable use case value driver cohort that can be similar across these companies," he explains.

However, identifying the right companies is only the starting point.

"You usually should start with 'persona', not segment because personas even across verticals sometimes are looking for the same thing."

That philosophy has shaped much of his marketing approach.

"I'm a massive believer in persona-based marketing because we're too much stuck on account level stuff," he says.

Rather than treating every account as a single buyer, Waks recommends understanding the different stakeholders involved in every purchase. The user who works with the product every day. The decision maker responsible for evaluating solutions. And the economic buyer who ultimately measures business outcomes.

"The user persona is the one that's actually in the tool, the decision maker is usually the group lead. The economic buyer is probably never in the tool but is the one showing the value driver KPI to the company and to the board."

Each of these personas has different priorities. A user may care about productivity. An executive may be evaluating revenue growth, operational efficiency, or risk reduction. Marketing, therefore, cannot rely on generic messaging.

"The more you understand the persona and become the destination for the persona, the better you are at showing them value and the higher they are willing to accept meeting with you."

Growth starts with saying no

If understanding personas is the foundation of a GTM strategy, focus is what allows that strategy to scale.

According to Waks, one of the biggest mistakes founders make is assuming everyone is a potential customer.

"The job of the go-to-market leader is about noise reduction because founders think they can sell to anybody and everybody wants the tool. But that's not how you scale a company. You scale a company by defining a clear ICP (ideal customer profile) and a clear SAM (serviceable available market)."

He believes founders should challenge themselves to generate their first $5 million to $10 million from a clearly defined Tier I ICP before expanding into adjacent markets.

"If you go way too broad, you could maybe throw a net and catch a lot of sardines. But how many of them are actually going to translate to good SaaS unit economics? And how many of them can actually be serviced and see value in your solution?"

Instead, he recommends focusing on a small number of repeatable segments, understanding where those personas spend time, and only broadening the market once that motion consistently works.

Becoming the destination instead of chasing buyers

For many B2B companies, marketing revolves around campaigns, lead generation, and outbound activity. Waks believes the long-term objective should be very different.

"The tipping point is about I become the destination. I am the place where this persona goes to learn, get information from people. I want to be one up. The people that have done this before. This is where I also understand with my peers what good looks like."

That destination is built through consistent education rather than promotional messaging.

At SpotDraft, Waks soeaks about creating benchmark reports, executive podcasts, research and events that combine customer insights, proprietary data and market perspectives.

"What we're doing actually takes the voice of our customer and the voice of the market and the voice of our data all together and it's authentic."

He also cautions against trying to build communities too early.

"Do not attempt to build a community with not even 1 million ARR. That doesn't work."

Instead, companies should first go where their personas already gather and earn credibility before expecting customers to come to them.

There is no such thing as a killer campaign

One of Waks' strongest opinions is that enterprise growth rarely comes from one exceptional campaign or one marketing channel.

"I don't like talking about channels because there's no killer campaign or one channel."

He recalls conversations with board members and advisors asking for the company's "killer campaign", only to reject the premise entirely.

"There is no real killer campaign in proper B2B."

Instead of chasing the next viral idea, Waks argues marketers should focus on delivering value consistently across every interaction.

"The things that work very well are when you really understand your persona. Our content is very strong because what we're doing actually takes the voice of our customer and the voice of the market and the voice of our data all together."

AI has changed distribution, but not trust

The rise of AI has dramatically altered search, content discovery, and digital marketing. But Waks believes enterprise buying behaviour itself has remained remarkably stable.

"The battle is the same. The channels have changed."

Search has evolved. Paid advertising has become increasingly competitive. Buyers can now receive AI-generated summaries without visiting websites. Yet people still seek reassurance before making enterprise purchasing decisions.

"Validation, human to human, is at its peak of all time because there's so much noise."

That is why Waks places significant emphasis on customer advocacy and B2B influencer marketing.

"I love influencer marketing in B2B."

His version of influencer marketing is not about celebrity creators. It is about elevating respected practitioners within a specific profession, giving them a platform to share their experiences and building credibility through authentic voices.

"It has to be about them. Nothing to do with your product. Unfortunately a lot of companies always make it about them, not about the Persona."

Enterprise buyers pay for outcomes, not features

As AI makes it easier to build software products, differentiation becomes increasingly difficult.

"Online it's hard to differentiate. Everybody can say I'm AI, I'm workflows, I'm productivity."

Instead of competing on feature lists, Waks believes companies should lead with measurable business outcomes.

"Your differentiation should be about outcomes and you've got to lead with outcomes."

That philosophy extends directly into pricing conversations.

"Should never lose on price," he said. "If we lose on price then we haven't shown enough value."

For enterprise companies, willingness to pay is ultimately tied to the value customers believe they will receive, not simply the functionality being offered.

Marketing's real job is reducing noise

Despite the rapid pace of AI innovation, Waks believes the marketer's responsibility remains remarkably consistent.

Marketing is not simply about generating leads or launching campaigns. It is about helping the business focus on the customers that matter most, understanding their problems and creating enough trust that sales conversations begin from a position of credibility.

As he sums it up towards the end of the discussion, "Focus is critical." He adds that "noise reduction is your job", urging marketers to align every activity with business outcomes rather than vanity metrics.

In an era where almost every company can build products faster and publish more content, that focus may prove to be the most durable competitive advantage of all.