04: Hiring a GTM Engineer? Don't jump into the ride before you have this figured out

As an GTM Operator and Clay Community Lead - India, I am seeing a surge of GTM roles across the world. And the wave is coming to India slowly.

Here’s what to expect in this edition:

→ When should you consider hiring a GTM Specialist?→ Who owns GTM – sales, marketing, or product?→ What KPIs should you be tracking for this role?

Let’s dive in!Good read for all the decision makers or team leaders who’re (thinking) to expand their SaaS teams!

01. The right time to onboard a GTM Specialist

The Clay wave is making a huge impact on how companies structure their GTM strategies, and a lot of them are realizing they need a dedicated GTM specialist earlier than expected. Some make that call based on facts. Others? Well, they do it because a LinkedIn guru told them to.

Before you even think about hiring a GTM specialist, make sure you have these two things:

1. A validated message-market fit – If you’re still figuring out whether your message actually resonates with your audience, hiring a GTM specialist won’t fix that.

2. A dedicated AE or sales rep to own outbound – Outbound needs structure. If no one is responsible for it, leads will slip through the cracks. A GTM Engineer can also own outbound but they will need your team to build it from scratch.

Without these, you’re setting yourself up for frustration. If you’re still experimenting with your offer, be upfront about it in the job description. Candidates need to know if they’re walking into a well-oiled machine or a work in progress.

Why this matters

Once you have a solid offer, you should be able to predict the number of MQLs (not just positive replies) from your outbound motion. And here’s where most companies go wrong - they treat outbound-generated leads the same as inbound leads.

Big mistake.

Cold leads need a completely different nurturing process. If you don’t have someone dedicated to converting them, you’ll end up with a bunch of positive replies but zero actual deals closed.

02. Who owns GTM? Sales, marketing, or product?

Ask 10 different companies who owns GTM, and you’ll probably get 10 different answers. Some say it’s a sales function, since they’re the ones closing deals. Others argue it sits with marketing, because they generate demand. And then there’s product, which drives retention and expansion.

So, who’s right?

Well, none of them own GTM alone. And that’s where a lot of companies go wrong.

GTM is a shared responsibility. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Marketing drives awareness, demand, and inbound leads. Their job is to make sure the right people know about the product and are interested enough to take action.

• Sales turns that interest into revenue. They work the pipeline, handle objections, and close deals.

• Product ensures the experience delivers on the promise. A strong product team drives activation, retention, and expansion.

If any of these teams work in isolation, your GTM strategy will fail. Sales will struggle without strong demand. Marketing will bring in leads that don’t convert. And product will build features no one asked for.

So, who should own GTM?

The best companies don’t waste time debating ownership. Instead, they make sure sales, marketing, and product work together toward a single goal: growth.

If you're hiring a GTM engineer, don’t box them into just one department. What matters most is ownership and accountability. They can report to marketing, but they should work closely with sales to ensure alignment. If you have a RevOps team, that’s another solid reporting structure, or they can even report directly to senior leadership for a more strategic impact.

The key is cross-functional collaboration. No silos. Just one unified GTM motion that drives results.

03. What KPIs should I be tracking?

One mistake companies make when tracking GTM performance is judging it based on booked meetings. While a GTM engineer plays a critical role in driving outbound success, they aren’t responsible for converting responses into leads. That’s the SDR’s job.

Instead, focus on how well the GTM motion is running by tracking these KPIs:

• Campaign metrics – How well are outbound sequences performing? Look at open, reply, click, and conversion rates.

• Lead enrichment & routing accuracy – Are leads being properly categorized and assigned?

• Pipeline contribution – How many SQLs are generated as a direct result of GTM efforts? Try mapping this every quarter according to your sales cycle.

• Lead-to-close rate – Are GTM-generated leads actually converting into revenue? Quarterly check in

• CRM hygiene score – How accurate and well-maintained is your CRM data?

• Automation efficiency – How much time is saved through process automation and workflow optimization?

SDRs should handle inbox management and turning positive replies into meetings. Adding a GTM engineer ensures the system is optimized, data-driven, and scalable. Plus, do note that GTM Engineer goes beyond outbound (they should know JSON, APIs, data structures, etc but since the role is ever evolving, it really depends on the scope of work. Example - “growth marketers” - most VPs agree it’s sham yet these titles exist and own one or more channels).

Bringing in a GTM specialist won’t magically fix broken processes or misalignment. You need the right foundation, a solid strategy, and teams that actually talk to each other. Otherwise, it’s just another hire with no real impact.

If you’re expanding your SaaS GTM team, focus less on job titles and more on what really moves the needle.

That’s all folks! Hope you got some real value. Now 3 important updates:

1. I’m currently on a break from my full-time role and focused on Clay community in India/APAC. This March, we are hosting 100+ GTM folks across:

   1. Delhi - 28th March (tentative)

   2. Bangalore - 28th March (finalised)

   3. Mumbai - 22nd March (finalised)Hit me up if you want entry to any of these! No entry fee + 🍕 on us ;)

2. I’ll will be more consistent here 💙. That said, in Q2 - I’ll be picking a full time role either in Community, Content, or GTM Outbound. If you’re planning to start a community (and you’re a content-led B2B SaaS company), I might have something interesting for you. Will share more updates in the next edition but feel free to reach out on LinkedIn here 

3. Lastly, if you’re planning to run outbound or outbound isn’t currently working for you, feel free to reach out on LinkedIn. Doing 2 completely free audits in March. I’ll share clear action steps and 1-3 month plan on what needs to be fixed and how to run the channel smoothly.

thank you for reading! see you soon

LinkedIn - Siya Verma

Email - [email protected]

Clay Club India - Join us on WhatsApp