Growth rarely fails because teams are not working hard enough. It fails when teams are working hard in different directions. Marketing generates demand, sales pursues opportunities, and product builds solutions. But without a shared go-to-market (GTM) strategy, those efforts can become disconnected. Teams optimize their own priorities while losing sight of the customer problems they are collectively trying to solve. Marta Penda, a GTM leader in hospitality technology, believes the companies that scale successfully are the ones that stop treating sales, marketing, and product as separate functions and start operating them as one commercial engine.
Moving From Department Goals to Commercial Alignment
True GTM alignment begins when every team understands its role in creating customer value. Marketing’s role, for example, is not simply generating leads, but also creating demand in the segments where the company can win. Similarly, sales should not be chasing every possible opportunity, but focusing on the right customers with the right use cases.
The value of alignment becomes clear in the outcomes it creates. When teams are working from the same understanding of the market, the customer journey becomes more predictable and commercial decisions become more focused. As Penda explains, “When everyone knows who we are targeting, where we win, where we lose, what objections we hear, what product gap matters, the result is sales has a better pipeline quality, therefore stronger win rates and better customer retention later on.”
The First Step Is Creating One Version of the Truth
For leaders looking to improve alignment, the first step is not changing processes or launching new initiatives. It is creating a shared understanding of the market. Before teams decide what campaigns to run, what products to build, or how to measure success, they need clarity around fundamental questions. Who are we trying to win? Why do customers buy? Why do they choose competitors? Where are we winning today? Where are we losing?
Penda believes those decisions should be grounded in data, not assumptions. “I would bring everyone together around real data,” she says, pointing to win analysis, loss analysis, pipeline quality, conversion rates, sales cycle length, churn reasons, expansion patterns, customer interviews, and competitive feedback.
This visibility allows teams to make decisions from the same information rather than separate interpretations of reality. But data alone does not create alignment. “You need a leadership team that’s capable of selling the vision and adapting that vision to the way the different departments think,” Penda emphasizes.
Global Consistency Requires Local Intelligence
As companies expand across markets, maintaining alignment becomes more complex. A global strategy can create consistency, but a rigid approach can prevent teams from responding to local realities. Penda advocates for a balance between centralized direction and regional expertise. “We regionalize teams and decisions,” she says. The foundation should remain consistent globally, including the ideal customer profile, positioning, product narrative, packaging, pricing, and success metrics. “But then the regions need some room to adapt all of that to their local market realities,” Penda adds. This creates what she describes as a global GTM framework supported by regional intelligence.
The same balance applies as AI becomes more embedded across commercial teams. AI can improve efficiency, but it cannot replace strategic thinking or human judgment. “We’re using AI for everything, for marketing, for content, for prospecting, for insights,” Penda says. “But if you don’t have a clear strategy, it just creates a lot of noise.” For Penda, the future of GTM is not about replacing human interaction with automation. It is about using technology to improve how teams understand buyers and deliver more relevant experiences.
The companies that win will not be the ones with the most tools or the most activity. They will be the ones where every team understands the customer, shares the same direction, and knows exactly how their role contributes to growth. For more insights on GTM strategy, commercial alignment, and building high-performing teams, connect with Marta Penda on LinkedIn.
