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Today, go-to-market (GTM) teams are facing unprecedented complexity as they strive to transform and achieve their ambitious business objectives. It goes without saying that collaboration is essential to successfully orchestrate these go-to-market motions. However, according to our latest research, while 91% of GTM professionals say collaboration is critical to success, many teams struggle with misalignment and inefficient communication.
“The GTM Alignment Gap: Why Teams Fall Out of Sync and What to Do About It,” exposed a prevalent gap preventing GTM teams from unlocking speed, efficiency, and strong business outcomes. Teams clamor for more data and documentation, but struggle now more than ever with clarity and smooth execution.
In our digital-first environment, where customer expectations and market conditions evolve rapidly, 80% of teams report challenges keeping strategies and execution in sync. The ability to work collaboratively, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems creatively—while maintaining laser focus on the customer—has never been more essential, or more difficult.
So, how can evolving your team’s approach to collaboration, particularly by infusing more visual and multi-modal methods, help see the bigger picture and transform your GTM advantage? Let’s take a look.
Why understanding GTM learning styles matters
While it’s common to hear about “learning styles,” there’s little or no scientific evidence that information tailored to a single, preferred method for each person leads to better outcomes. Evidence suggests the secret to better team performance lies in an inclusive approach leveraging all paths: auditory, kinesthetic, written and visual. Consider your own experiences. You might claim to have a preference for learning by listening (auditory), yet you contribute just as effectively in a brainstorming session that uses sticky notes, drawing, or whiteboarding. You might prefer written directions, but having a map in hand improves your ability to make the journey on time.
“If you want deep learning that sticks and transfers, you need to represent ideas in different ways, using language, visuals, actions, and multiple examples.” - Dr. Bror Saxberg
At work, however, we tend to over-index on written and spoken communication. We’ve all heard the jokes, “This meeting could have been an email,” or “This email should have been a phone call.” But there’s another question GTM teams should be asking themselves, “Could this challenge have been solved with the help of a visual?”
As studies show, actual performance improves for all when information is accessible in multiple modalities, not just the “preferred” one. Preferences are real and valid, but giving everyone access to multiple ways of engaging with content leads to more equal and improved performance for all, proving that preference does not equal performance.
GTM challenges are complex, stakeholders diverse
Successful GTM teams know it is crucial to achieve broad alignment before going “heads-down” on execution. Product launches, for example, are notoriously difficult. Why? Not only must the product be worthy of the customer’s attention, but every team must pull together to create a seamless experience. If one area falls down, the whole launch can stumble.
To succeed, modern GTM teams must coordinate work across several departments. These include marketing, sales, product/R&D, and several customer-facing roles. While each department is eager to contribute their unique perspectives and skills, they must also empathize and understand the needs of other departments.
According to our research:
- Marketing and sales are the key GTM players responsible for both planning and executing go-to-market strategies. However, the ability for GTM teams to align with the broader organization determines the overall success of the strategy.
- Customer Acquisition Cost and Customer Lifetime Value are the most tracked and valued metrics across functions. This data is used to drive budget allocation, product and service pricing, even acquisition vs. retention strategy. Yet, metrics like these require broad understanding and collaboration that spans the organization. Because of this, they are often a challenge to map accurately.
Running faster only matters when you know where you’re going
When it comes to collaboration, GTM teams that rely too heavily on written and spoken communication often introduce blind spots. These blind spots can obscure critical connections, hinder shared understanding, and make it difficult to truly align or innovate.
Our research found that misalignment often stems from unclear communication and the complexity of coordination, with many decision-makers citing a lack of clear goals and strategy. 91% of respondents rated collaboration as critical to GTM success, yet non-decision-makers felt less confident in their teams’ ability to collaborate productively.
“Seeing [the current state of our customer and partner journeys] visually has enabled us to iterate and brainstorm what our desired future state might look like with innovation, business growth, and customer delight at the forefront.” - Sulekha Kuthiala, Head of Innovation & Outreach, HPE
One example of a successful shift in team coordination and collaboration occurred at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). Sulekha Kuthiala, Head of Innovation & Outreach, was asked to course-correct a series of GTM mis-steps. According to Sulekha, by introducing cross-department teams to a few, guided visual methods in their regular meeting cadences, these visual methods “shifted how we come together and iterate. We went from debating and arguing to co-creating and collaborating.”
The undeniable benefits of visual learning for GTM teams
Boosting retention and recall of key information
Scientific research indicates that using visuals alongside written and verbal methods improves cognition and memory. Studies (Pashler et al., 2008; American Psychological Association) highlight how dual coding—combining images and words—makes information stick.
“Visual collaboration leads to greater clarity; 81% of GTM professionals in our study believe visuals would ‘a lot’ or ‘a great deal’ improve their team’s efficiency, alignment, and problem-solving.”
Enhancing focus and engagement in dynamic environments
Visual tools like Mural keep teams engaged. Shared diagrams, mind maps, and workflows enable everyone to see the big picture, focus on priorities, and reduce distractions that often slow GTM work.
Reducing misinterpretations and errors
Visuals act as a universal language, whether it’s brainstorming on a digital whiteboard, mapping a customer journey, or visualizing sales funnels, clarity is increased and misunderstandings are minimized. This is even more relevant for GTM teams that coordinate across continents, cultures and time zones.
How visuals simplify complex GTM strategies
Mapping customer journeys with clarity
It’s easier to align on the ideal customer experience when the journey is illustrated step by step. Teams can spot gaps, handoffs, and opportunities together.
Visualizing sales funnel dynamics and bottlenecks
Graphs and flow charts highlight where prospects drop off and progress stalls, allowing agile adjustments—crucial for sales and marketing alignment.
Translating market research into actionable insights
Visual dashboards distill complex data into instantly understandable narratives that inspire coordinated team action.
Boosting GTM collaboration through visual tools
Facilitating real-time brainstorming sessions
With digital whiteboards like Mural, GTM teams brainstorm visually, build on ideas together and tap into group creativity sustainably. Read more about digital whiteboarding with Mural.
Streamlining cross-functional planning and handoffs
Visual project boards and templates standardize processes, making cross-functional planning and transitions seamless. Discover Mural’s collaboration templates.
Building shared ownership of GTM initiatives
When all teams can “see the plan,” commitment and accountability soar—everyone knows their role in GTM success. Discovery Mural’s account planning template.
Real-world visual learning strategies for GTM success
Leveraging dashboards for performance monitoring
Performance dashboards give real-time visibility into key metrics, empowering data-driven decisions. Explore Mural’s integration capabilities for dashboards.
Creating engaging infographics for internal communication
Infographics simplify updates, goals, and results—turning dry data into stories that stick.
Utilizing whiteboarding for problem-solving and ideation
Real-time visual collaboration tools make it easier for teams to innovate and solve problems together, regardless of location.
Fostering a culture of visual collaboration in your GTM team
Encouraging visual storytelling in presentations
Leaders can reinforce the value of the visual by modeling it—incorporating story-rich graphics into every meeting.
Providing access to collaborative visual platforms
Equipping teams with powerful platforms like Mural removes boundaries to engagement and creativity.
Leading by example: embrace visual communication
Championing a visually collaborative culture starts at the top and pays dividends in GTM speed, alignment, and morale.
Measuring the impact: visual learning and GTM performance
Tracking improvements in decision-making speed
Visuals clarify choices—leading to faster, higher-quality decisions.
Assessing enhanced team alignment and efficiency
Teams using Mural reported clearer alignment, fewer meetings, and reduction of project delays due to real-time visibility and collaboration.
Quantifying ROI from visual learning investments
According to both research and Mural customer stories, investment in visual collaboration platforms pays off through:
- Accelerated time to market
- Improved customer satisfaction & retention
- Greater market reach and penetration
95% of GTM professionals see centralizing visual collaboration as 'very impactful' to business outcomes.
GTM team alignment: the case for visual collaboration—a transformative advantage
The bottom line: Individuals on GTM Teams may have preferences for how they share information, but the best way to align everyone on the team is to employ multiple methods. Success comes from integrating the best of all worlds. Combining visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic methods enables clearer communication, rapid learning, and creative breakthroughs.
Mural is purpose-built for this new era of GTM collaboration:
Mural is a platform with best-in-class security, dynamic visuals, and proven teamwork practices that help you go to market faster and outperform the competition.
Ultimately, the organizations that will thrive in today's complex market are those willing to embrace new ways of working. Adopting a culture of visual collaboration isn't just about efficiency; it's about fundamentally transforming how your GTM teams operate, innovate, and connect. It's the strategic shift that unlocks the speed, alignment, and shared understanding necessary to achieve ambitious business outcomes and empower your customers. Don't just work faster; work smarter, together, and visually.
Ready to see what a visually empowered GTM team can achieve?
