From recording many episodes of An Operator’s Blog on US-India GTM, one clear pattern is emerging from the experiences of many founders:
“If you are new to the US, don’t have a strong brand and/or connections to existing cliques (eg. haven’t done your Masters here, haven’t worked a Big Tech job, haven’t done YC etc.), cold outbound is likely to have a low success rate, especially in the initial phases of US GTM.”
Cold outbound tends to work better when done on the back of adequate customer validation, social proofing & ecosystem reputation, all of which take time to build.
Rather than depending too much on cold outbound, a better use of time when on the ground in the US is to:
1/ Build 1:1 ecosystem-level relationships with influential/ connected founders, operators, and investors.
2/ As you meet each person, try and get some warm intros. That’s your best shot at getting a relevant 30-minute meeting where the other side is leaning in.
Meet → Ask for one intro → Meet this new person → Again ask for another intro → Rinse & repeat…
3/ In parallel, execute an ongoing track of building your early reputation in the US (Bay Area?) ecosystem via social media content, engaging in relevant communities, regularly showing up in VC mixers & meetups, and generating value for the people you are meeting.
The main objective of the first 6 months of US GTM is to put the foundational elements of a future GTM engine in place. At the heart of it is:
(1) unique value + (2) reputation + (3) relationships = (4) brand.