First things first.

What did the session entail?

We hope you didn't miss this session because this was not your typical fireside chat.

It was much more.

Through these 90 minutes, Sairam, Vikram and Udayan went deep into preparing to launch in the US and what really goes into it. It was a value-bomb for for folks looking to nail US GTM with solid cases from Atomicwork, Freshworks and Crunch.

We had 4 solid outcomes from the session:

1. Assessing internal readiness for entering the US Market
2. Building and targeting ICPs with the right positioning and messaging
3. Channel Selection frameworks and process
4. Building bar-raiser teams to nail US GTM.

A sneak peak into the session 👇🏽

A deep-dive into the conversation

We will cover the above mentioned topics as we go through this doc. Grab a pen and paper, I’m sure you’d want to take notes.

#1: Assessing readiness for the US Market

In the first ~20 minutes, Sairam and Vikram walked us through how you can figure if your product is ready for the US market, thought process when you're a venture backed company, core differences between the US and Indian Market and a checklist you need to have, from a marketer's POV. To top it off, they went deep into how positioning plays an important role through the process.

Vikram's take on entering the US market, being VC backed and positioning:

Sairam's take from a marketer's POV:

Key Nuggets 💎

• Vikram and Sairam stressed on the importance of a solid product experience while entering the US Market. The US Market differs highly from the Indian context and so the number of shots you get in the US are fewer, high bar product experience is the key to nail these shots.
• From Sairam's POV, it's crucial to nail positioning by deeply answering the question of what you are and who you're for. It helps you get extreme clarity of who you're selling to, something that is crucial when entering a new market.
• Vikram on the other hand stressed more on the importance of really understanding the user inside out. While you can have an idea of your ICP laid out, you need to talk to as many folks as you can to really nail your ICP and positioning thereof. Founders play a key role at this stage and should ideally be involved through and through.
• The US Market and Indian Market is fundamentally different in terms of how you approach people, the chances you get, relations you build and what you can charge from users. Make sure you take these into account before making the move to nail your US GTM.

#2: Building and Targeting ICPs in the US Market

For the first ~20 minutes here, we went deep into the process of building ICPs in a new market, which is US in this case. The conversation delved into finding regional hotspots, building and testing a hypothesis to see what really works and doesn't and how to go about market research for a new region to build, prioritise and target ICPs for your product.

For the next section, we dived into how you can find connects in the mid-market and enterprise segments with cases from Crunch and Atomicwork. The panelists also shared insight into how tweaking positioning and packaging helped them either convert a large customer or unlock a new segment.

Atomicwork:

Crunch:

#3: Channel Selection for Building a Brand Presence

Then, the panelists discussed the framework for channel selection and the approaches they took in terms of cold and warm reach-outs. They also shared a pro-tip on dressing for the occasion and what is considered appropriate from a US POV.

Next, we looked at the funnel from a Marketing and Business POV and how Atomicwork and Crunch solved for building in the US market with the right channels.

#4: Building bar-raiser teams

For the final section of the 90 minute chat, we delved into building bar-raiser teams for the 0 to 1 and 1 to 10 journey of a brand. Vikram and Sairam shared nuggets on what roles they'd hire for and what would they look for in the people they hire

The 0-1 Journey

The 1-10 Journey

100+ members joined in, across 3 to 10+ years of experience, here’s what they had to say about the session!

Very insightful. It was really interesting to see the difference between the demographics of two countries. Animisha Dalal

So real. Great nuance into behavioral and cultural aspects of doing business cross border
Sandeep Nayanipatti

Seamless, Informative and exciting session. Learnt a lot.
Yogesh Jagaraj

We hope you found value. See you in the next one :)