GTM Live – The 5 Stages of Revenue Transformation

Episode: Stage 4 – Architecting Transformation

Host: Passetto
Date: January 16, 2026

Overview

In this practical and insightful episode, Passetto walks through Stage 4 ("Architecting Transformation") of the 5-stage journey to genuine revenue transformation in B2B SaaS go-to-market (GTM) strategy. The host breaks down what it means to move from recognizing GTM is broken (Stage 3, “Model Collapse”) to actively designing a new, modern system. The core message: Stage 4 is about shifting from tactical, siloed thinking to systems-level, first-principles thinking. It’s where you design the new data model and operating system that will enable long-term growth, efficiency, and better unit economics—not just quick fixes.

Key Themes:

• The psychological and practical triggers that push leaders into true systems thinking
• Core elements of a modern GTM measurement and analytics model
• Getting leadership buy-in and the business case for change
• Avoiding common mistakes that stall or kill transformation
• What it really feels like to step into Stage 4 as an architect of transformation

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Triggers the Shift to Systems-Level Thinking?

Timestamp: 09:15 – 17:00

• Recognizing the status quo is unsustainable: Leaders reach a personal and organizational breaking point where they realize “no amount of tweaking the old system will fix it.”
• Cost of inaction becomes clear: “If I stay in this system, I will fail – or the business will fail. There’s no third option.” (11:30)
• Belief in what's possible: Seeing others succeed with new models is the catalyst—“It comes from seeing other leaders who’ve rebuilt their data foundation and now can answer questions you can’t.” (12:45)
• Moving from frustration to readiness: This shift doesn’t happen overnight. “There's a threshold—a moment of readiness—where you move from frustrated to actually ready to take action." (13:30)

2. The Core Elements of a New GTM Data Model

Timestamp: 17:00 – 41:00

1. Remove Department Silos

• The old way: Marketing and sales measure pipeline separately, leading to “teams defending their own function instead of actually collaborating.” (17:58)
• The new way: Replace department attribution with journey analytics—understand the interplay of signals and actions across the funnel. “It's more about journey analytics. Instead of asking, ‘Did marketing generate this?’ you ask, ‘What did the journey look like?’” (19:52)

2. Multidimensional Data Tracking

• Old model: Tracks one-dimensional outcomes, ignores the true customer journey.
• New model: Measures sales and marketing’s contributions in parallel, at every stage, including during active sales cycles.
• Quote: “The fact is many organizations have hundreds of thousands of different patterns or journeys a prospect takes. It’s about identifying which ones are high-leverage and which ones just cost time and money.” (24:32 – 25:10)

3. Different Funnel Stages

• Legacy demand waterfall is overly rigid and misses nuance; old stages: target → lead → MQL → SQL → opp → closed won.
• New model:
  1. Engagement: Building awareness, capturing demand.
  2. Prospecting: The “messy middle”—active sales touches and qualification.
  3. Closing: Working qualified deals to close.
• “Within each stage, you’re measuring dozens of signals… the three stages are the framework, but the analytics become much richer underneath.” (29:45)

4. Unified Metrics, Separate Accountability

• Marketing & sales own KPIs at each stage, but all roll up into unified, journey-based reporting.
• “You’re not guessing or defending anymore. You’re diagnosing, optimizing, and running GTM like a science—not an art.” (33:10)

3. The Relay Race Metaphor & New KPI Examples

Timestamp: 41:10 – 51:00

• Shift from siloed metrics to collaborative goals: “The new model is all about pipeline and revenue creation, almost like a relay. You see where marketing has leverage, where sales has leverage, and where the baton needs to be passed.” (41:15)
• Examples of modern KPIs:
  • % of pipeline with marketing influence at each stage
  • Prospecting conversion efficiency (e.g., "How many SDR calls to create a meeting?")
  • Velocity and conversion rates by stage—enabling improvement on bottlenecks, not just aggregate goals.
• “Marketing and sales are both looking at the same funnel, the same journey, the same goals. And when one team sees where they're strong—or weak—they can collaborate to fix it. That’s the relay race.” (49:12)

4. How to Get Buy-In from Leadership

Timestamp: 51:10 – 57:30

• Don’t propose eliminating legacy tracking overnight.
• Frame the pitch around outcomes: Improving results, controlling CAC, reducing wasted spend, and—critically—expanding visibility into blind spots.
• Use a simple 2-bucket comparison:
  1. Bucket 1: High intent (“hand raisers”) opportunities—trackable demo requests, etc.
  2. Bucket 2: Everything else—outbound, partner, etc.
• Measure pipeline performance of each, model the impact of potential improvements, and quantify the revenue gap as the business case.
• Quote: “Once you can quantify that in dollars and cents, the story becomes just so much cleaner. You’re not asking for something nice to have; you’re saying, ‘We’re leaving $30 million on the table because we don’t have visibility.’” (56:57)

5. Building & Implementation: Fast-Tracking vs. Time Tax

Timestamp: 58:00 – 1:06:30

• The choice isn't just build in-house vs. bring in a partner—it's whether you want to pay the “time tax.”
• Lost time = missing key data, missed pipeline, delayed revenue, wasted resources.
• Most internal RevOps teams take a year or more to get there; proven frameworks and external partners cut time by 4–5x.
• Quote: “A strong team moves faster when it has the right frameworks… Frameworks work near 100% of the time; the time tax is real, and in my experience, I made this mistake.” (1:03:25)

6. Implementation Best Practices & Fatal Mistakes

Timestamp: 1:06:35 – 1:12:30

• Introduce change incrementally: Layer in one new metric at a time, educate why, and celebrate early wins. “Don’t throw a net-new data model at your team and expect instant buy-in.”
• Mistakes to avoid:
  1. Going it alone: “The best teams bring in 1–2 key stakeholders from day one… If only one person sees the vision, there’s a greater risk it falls flat.” (1:09:25)
  2. Not involving the right stakeholders early: Find a senior marketing leader, RevOps, and ensure the CRO/CEO are aware.
  3. Trying to do it without a facilitator or partner: “Elite teams bring in help.” (1:11:55)

7. What It Feels Like to Enter Stage 4

Timestamp: 1:12:30 – 1:16:00

• You’ll feel a mix of excitement (for new potential), frustration (not everyone sees the vision), and fear (transparency may expose hidden performance issues).
• Quote: “It can actually be scary—the realization is your current data model has been hiding suboptimal performance. No one likes to face maybe they haven’t been doing a good job, but it’s better for the org. You’re one step closer to fixing it.” (1:14:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the shift to system thinking:
  • “Stage four is not about tactics or execution. It’s a fundamental shift in your thinking. No amount of tweaking the old system will fix it. You need to rebuild from first principles.” (04:25)
• Describing the old model's pitfalls:
  • “Measuring what creates pipeline and revenue by department just doesn’t work. When you isolate a single department’s contribution, you immediately lose the full picture.” (18:27)
• Quick wins and early adoption:
  • “Start small, prove the concept, show early wins, and then scale. Don’t rip and replace—layer in new metrics sequentially.” (1:08:05)

Key Timestamps

| Time | Segment / Takeaway | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 09:15 | The critical moment: Cost of inaction, belief in new models | | 17:00 | The 4 foundational elements of a new data model | | 24:00 | Multidimensional journey analytics, real-world patterns | | 29:45 | New 3-stage funnel explained | | 41:10 | Creating a “relay race” between marketing and sales | | 51:10 | Getting executive buy-in: framing, pitching, and business case| | 58:00 | The time tax of in-house vs. fast-tracking change | | 1:06:35 | Implementation: Layering change, avoiding burnout | | 1:12:30 | The real emotions of transformation |

Final Summary

Stage 4 is the inflection point where GTM leaders stop defending and start designing. They move from tweaking old, broken models to architecting new, modern data systems rooted in first-principles, cross-functional measurement, multidimensional tracking, and incremental implementation. To succeed, leaders must get buy-in with business-focused, outcome-driven cases, avoid going it alone, and be ready for the discomfort that transparency brings. The reward: true visibility, synergy, and long-term growth potential.

Get ready for Stage 5: Where the new model is switched on—and the truth is revealed.

[Connect with Passetto on LinkedIn for questions or feedback.]