US GTM From India - What to do and not do

How NOT to do US GTM as a successful Indian SaaS company:

-- Hire a scattered, remote team in the US.

-- Hire a US VP of Sales to manage them.

-- Use the same sales playbooks and collaterals that worked in India.

-- Target the same ICP segments you've been selling to in India for years.

-- Require all spend approvals and business processes to be managed from India.

-- Complain that the US team is unmotivated and only gives excuses, not results.

-- Arrange random trips to the US for different leaders to 'motivate' the US team.

-- Fire the VP of Sales every 9 months (if they haven’t quit yet), and fire non-performing AEs every 6 months.

-- Announce every 12 months that the next 12 months will be better because "now we have the right people on board."

How to do US GTM as a successful Indian SaaS company:

-- Assume the US will need a different GTM strategy than what worked elsewhere.

-- Understand that your success in India may carry little value to US buyers.

-- Be very very open to the fact that your product may need changes for the US market.

-- Recognize that a quality product with minimal customer servicing might be more appealing than promises of high-touch service.

-- Create a focused strategy: start with a much narrower ICP than you're used to. One segment, one customer size. Everyone should be obsessed with winning that segment and getting reference customers.

-- Hire a US team in one location, with an in-person work expectation. The team should be hired based on the ICP segment you've chosen, rather than experience in your product category.

-- Open an office, a few WeWork desks are fine.

-- A founder or senior leader should move to the US to act as VP of Sales until the team is established—both financially with customers and revenue, and culturally.

-- Build a strong culture within the local team. It's more important for them to bond and enjoy working together than to feel connected to HQ in India.

-- Celebrate small wins. It can be demotivating for a new US team to see their results compared to established territories that deliver 10x-50x the revenue. If you're telling them their region is critical, they need to feel proud of their wins—just like when the company first started.