How to align your startup's sales and marketing to enter new markets

Breaking into a new market is one of the toughest things you’ll do as a founder. It’s getting it in front of the right people at the right time and standing out in a sea of competitors.

There are two big challenges you’ll face.

First, you’ll need to shift who you’re talking to. Your early customers might’ve loved trying new things, but now you’re aiming for people who want something simple, proven, and practical.

Second, as the market grows, so does the competition. Bigger players start to dominate, and if you’re not ready, you'll be pushed out.

But these challenges are solvable. Here's how to do it.

The two challenges for startups entering new market

Challenge 1: Shifting from early market to early majority

When you first launch your product, your customers are often early adopters. These are the people who love trying out new things. They care about features and innovation. You win them over by showing them how exciting your product is.

But most people aren’t like that.

Most customers are part of what’s called the early majority. These people don’t want the newest thing. They want something reliable, proven, and easy to use. They care about price, service, and who the market leader is.

This switch is called “crossing the chasm”, and it’s where a lot of startups get stuck. You need a different message, different marketing, and a more complete product to reach this group.

If you don’t adjust, you’ll stay stuck selling to a small group of early adopters and never grow beyond that.

Challenge 2: Market consolidation

Over time, a new market becomes more competitive. Many small companies start out. But eventually, some get bought, some merge, and others shut down.

One big company usually ends up on top. That’s the category king.

Take Uber for example. When ridesharing first started, there were lots of small apps. But Uber grew quickly, spent big on marketing, and became the biggest player. Now it’s tough for smaller companies to compete with Uber unless they focus on special markets or unique services.

Being a category king comes with big advantages. You get more customers, can charge higher prices, and attract better staff.

If you can’t be the king (yet), try to be a beachhead queen. That means owning a smaller space, like a niche market, really well. Then you can either grow from there, or sell to a bigger company later.

How to tackle market challenges

Step 1: Find your starting point

Find a small market or niche where you can win. This might not be the biggest market, but it should be one where customers have a real problem that you can solve.

If the problem is painful enough, customers will forgive small flaws in your product, especially early on.

This is where you start building your reputation and become the “go-to” company in that space.

Step 2: Build a complete solution

Once you’ve found your niche, build what’s called a “whole product.” That means more than your basic version. It’s the full solution that your customers actually want, easy to use, supported, and reliable.

You need to consider, if you were the customer, what would you expect this product to include?

Early fans may put up with bugs or rough edges. But the majority won’t. They want something that works from the start.

Look for what's missing in your current product. Then either build those features yourself or partner with someone who can help.

Step 3: Expand your market

Once you’ve nailed one niche, you can start expanding into nearby markets. Maybe you simplify your product to make a cheaper version, or adapt it for a new audience.

Use the work you’ve already done to reach new people without starting from scratch.

Using your go-to-market strategy

Your sales, marketing, pricing, product, and go-to-market strategy should all match the stage your startup is in. You can see what that looks like here:

Here’s how to think about it:

At the product–market fit stage, your focus is on your product and your early customers. You're still testing and learning—trying to prove your idea works and solve a real problem.

At the go-to-market fit stage, your focus shifts to your niche and building a complete solution for that group. It’s about refining your offer and reaching more of the right people.

A simple way to think about it is this:

A sales-driven plan focuses on individual customers. A strategy-driven plan focuses on serving a specific group or segment really well.

Early on, it’s okay to say “any sale is a good sale.” But as you grow, that thinking can hold you back. You need focus and alignment to scale properly.

Getting this right sets you up for stronger, more sustainable growth.

Josephine Too

Josephine Too is a seasoned strategist and certified agile growth coach with over 25 years of experience in strategy consulting, executive management and scaling tech driven (NASDAQ) companies across APAC & Europe.

She brings clarity and confidence to growth-oriented CEOs and their Leadership team to design and achieve Category Leadership.

Josephine is passionate about building and scaling healthy companies, sustainably; inspiring and empowering leaders, and identifying new sustainable ways to solve problems for a better enriched future.

She is the Resident Strategy Coach for many Investor’s Portfolio Companies.