Why Go-to-Customer
Grow your biggest customer accounts—faster and smarter.
Traditional go-to-market strategies have always centered around sales quotas and territories. It’s been the same playbook for decades.
But go-to-customer? That’s a whole new critical commercial methodology, and it’s quickly becoming essential.
What’s the difference between “Go-to-Customer” and “Go-to-Market”?
Go-to-Customer is all about driving deeper, broader growth inside large enterprise accounts. These accounts spend more than any other type of business, but they’re also complex, layered, and tough to navigate.
Instead of pushing products, Go-to-Customer starts by working backwards from real stakeholder needs across departments, regions, subsidiaries, and even partner networks. The goal? Solve big problems and unlock high-impact revenue opportunities.
Doing this right means rethinking how you research, plan, and engage with key accounts. It requires new skills, better tools, and a fresh focus on aligning your capabilities with the outcomes your customers care about.
It’s not about more meetings. It’s about smarter moves.
65.8% of respondents said that their organizations needed improvement or major redesign in the way that they capture new business.
Shift your focus and reach customer where it counts.
It’s time to stop reacting and start co-creating. Executive buyers don’t need a salesperson to buy something. They’ve already done their homework. What they do need? Someone who shows up before they start building a solution on their own. Someone who helps them tackle problems early, not just pitch a product later.
When a key account hits a roadblock, they’re looking for sharp, timely insights—the kind that makes the path forward obvious and the outcome successful. That’s your moment. Not just to sell, but to partner. To co-create what comes next.
This is where real growth happens. Not by waiting for demand, but by helping shape it.
Show up early. Solve real problems. Build trust that lasts.
83% of sales leaders lack confidence in their seller’s ability to adapt to changing customer needs and expectations.
Outcome-driven, not product-obsessed.
Stop putting products at the center. Build flexible models that focus on what your customers actually want to achieve. That’s how you create a healthier, more sustainable business.
Your Real Market? The Customers Who Sign the Checks.
Most B2B companies focus on and invest in acquiring low-growth customers. Yet 80% of B2B spending comes from just 0.5% of companies—those with over $100M in revenue. These giants are markets in themselves. Unlocking their potential means new skills, smarter methods, and AI-enabled workflows that deliver the insights and experiences today’s buyers demand.
It’s Not Your Salespeople. It’s the System That’s Broken.
Account teams are stuck with outdated strategies that don’t reach the real decision-makers. Executives are tired of meetings that miss the mark. The problem isn’t your team. It’s the lack of a system designed to support modern enterprise account expansion and growth. Equip your teams to truly understand customer challenges and paint a vision for what’s possible together.
70% of GTM strategies are mis-aligned with buyer behavior and its costing companies millions in lost revenue.
Ditch the pitch: lead with insight.
B2B buyers want partners, not pushy sellers. Discover eight game-changing moves to turn sales into strategic growth by anticipating needs and putting value first.
Make every interaction count.
Think Outside-In
Start by seeing the world through your customers’ eyes. Dive deep into their buying centers, key players, internal networks, and associated needs and challenges that change and evolve every day. Build solutions and experiences tailored to each executive level and the unique rhythm of your relationship. Feed these insights back into your business to keep improving.
Our proven approach guides you through every step of this transformation and makes every interaction count.
Beware of “Productitis”
Are you suffering from Productitis? Most companies are. It leads to confusion, wasted effort, and costs that outpace your growth. If your sales and marketing spend is rising but revenue isn’t, it’s time for a change.
Measure What Matters: Your Commercial Ratio
How healthy is your commercial system? The Commercial Ratio tells you: by dividing revenue growth by your total sales and marketing costs. It’s the ultimate reality check.
How Polaris I/O brings Go-to-Customer to life
Polaris I/O wasn’t built to support Go-to-Market. It was designed to help enterprise teams see what’s changing inside their customers—and act on it with clarity and momentum.
Here’s how Go-to-Customer becomes real in the platform:
- AI-enabled research tools track shifts across the market, the org, and the noise
- Insight workflows surface patterns, risks, and emerging priorities worth pursuing
- Planning tools align teams around outcomes and stakeholder goals, not just internal pipeline metrics
- Execution frameworks give every pursuit structure, timing, and strategic traction
And when Commercial Insight Strategists (CISs) are part of the motion, the impact scales faster. They sharpen the signals, connect the dots, and help the team show up with something more valuable than a solution: relevance.
Whether you’re reviving a stalled pursuit or building momentum inside a complex account, Polaris I/O makes Go-to-Customer practical, repeatable, and real.
We were able to get in front of key individuals as a result of Polaris I/O's recommendations.
Amanda McBride, Vice President, Global Revenue Office
Explore our solutions
Account Research
We simplify the process of recognizing actual needs. Spot growth signals, turn them into real opportunities, and connect your solution to what your customers actually want.
Account Planning + Execution
Grow contracts, reach new buyers, and keep your best customers loyal—all by focusing on what matters: real relationships and real value.
Account Experience
Your top customers deserve standout experiences—every time. We enable you to deliver seamless digital touchpoints that make it easy to connect, engage, and maintain loyalty.
It's time to shift the lens
Markets don’t buy. Customers do. And when your customers are changing fast, the old Go-to-Market playbook starts to crack. When the stakes are high, Go-to-Customer is how your team leads with relevance, and moves when it matters.