GTM Playbook 2025
Learnings from 10+ roundtables with global GTM leaders
Executive Summary
The go to market motion for hiring technology vendors has entered a more demanding phase. The conditions that shaped the last decade of HR & TA Tech growth no longer hold. Buyers are more cautious, decision‑making is more distributed, and trust has become a core commercial variable.
Long sales cycles, feature‑heavy positioning, and volume‑led outbound motions are increasingly ineffective. What replaces them is not a single new playbook, but a set of operating principles grounded in clarity, credibility, and alignment.
10+
Roundtables with GTM Leaders
4
Core Patterns Identified
"Trust now shapes pipeline as much as reach"
— Consistent finding across multiple GTM leader roundtables
Four Patterns That Emerged
Buying Has Slowed, Not Stopped
Demand hasn't disappeared, but scrutiny has increased. TA leaders remain the owners of hiring outcomes and the primary evaluators of technology, but they now operate within more complex decision environments involving Legal, IT, Procurement, and HR leadership.
Trust Shapes Pipeline
Data quality, AI governance, transparency, and compliance are no longer downstream considerations. They influence deal momentum early, often before product capability is fully explored. Vendors who reduce perceived risk outperform those who simply increase activity.
Distribution Has Shifted
Ecosystems, partnerships, marketplaces, and communities are replacing linear outboundas the primary routes to market. These channels reward patience, execution discipline, and shared customer value. Performative partnerships and logo‑led strategies rarely convert to revenue.
Commercial Models Are Evolving
Transactional, usage‑based, and agentic approaches are gaining traction as buyers resist long‑term SaaS commitments. This shift demands faster proof, clearer ROI narratives, and tighter GTM feedback loops.
The GTM Reality We're Operating In (2026)
GTM has not become harder because teams are less capable. It has become harder because the environment has changed. Buyers are fatigued, overexposed to tools, and under pressure internally...
This has shifted where deals stall. Friction now appears earlier in the journey, before pricing or procurement. Buyers want confidence that they can explain, defend, and live with a decision...