Go-to-Market Foundations: A Sales Traction Playbook for New Ventures

Having worked with over 330 innovation leaders, we’ve seen first-hand how difficult it can be to validate market demand, build sales traction, and attract investment, especially without a clear, repeatable strategy in place.

Many spinouts and startups find themselves stuck in a cycle of uncertainty, struggling to connect with the right buyers, turn interest into revenue, and prove commercial viability to investors.

 

Why Founders Struggle to Generate Traction and Momentum

Most startups don’t fail because their idea is weak, they fail because they lack a structured go-to-market strategy. Without that structure, sales feel random, marketing feels reactive, and growth feels out of reach.

Does any of this sound familiar?

• You’re working hard, you've got the product, the ambition and the vision, but not seeing consistent sales.
• You’re facing resistance from potential customers and unsure how to turn interest into deals.
• You’re chasing too many markets and spreading your team thin.
• You’re not sure if your pricing, message, or target customer is right.
• Your marketing feels scattered and unfocused.
• Your sales process feels slow, unpredictable, or frustrating.
• Investors keep asking for “traction” you can’t yet prove.

You’re not alone! 

In fact, out of 143 past clients who provided feedback on their commercialisation journey, 45% rated generating sales traction as either “difficult” or “excruciating” before working with us — nearly one in two.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Whether you’re still looking for your first key customers or ready to scale your sales efforts, the right framework can help you build momentum, generate consistent revenue, and grow with confidence, even with limited resources. 

 

Introducing the Sales Traction Playbook

Based on our 7-Step Growth Blueprint — the same framework we’ve successfully applied with 150+ high-potential startups across the UK and Ireland — the Sales Traction Playbook gives you a clear, proven path to move from idea → paying customers → scalable growth.

You’ll learn how to:

• Set smart commercial goals that align your entire team.
• Pinpoint your ideal customer — your fastest route to traction.
• Validate product–market fit so customers consistently buy.
• Stand out from competitors with a clear, compelling value proposition.
• Price for profit and scale using the right revenue model.
• Build a repeatable marketing engine that attracts and converts.
• Turn traction into growth with systems, skills, and confidence.

Each section includes real startup case studies, fill-in templates, and practical exercises so you’re not just learning, you’re building your own evidence-based plan as you go.

 

What You’ll Get

The Results You Can Expect

 

What Founders Say 

Who Is It For

This Playbook is for you if you:

• Are a spinout or startup founder, entrepreneur, or innovation leader struggling to land customers.
• Need a structured, proven approach to generate sales traction and attract investors.
• Have a great product or service but aren’t sure how to position it effectively in the market.
• Want to scale efficiently without a large sales and marketing team.
• Know that getting sales or going to market is a priority in the next 6–12 months.

 

Meet the Team Behind the Playbook

The Sales Traction Playbook was created by Grand Scale Co-founders, Roisin Garland and Leanne Jennings, drawing on more than 50 years of combined experience supporting founders across the full business journey — from pre-start to scale-up and through to exit and IPO.

 

Our mission is to empower research and tech innovation ventures to commercialise, launch, accelerate growth, and secure finance to scale – ensuring world-changing ideas reach the markets and people that need them most.  

In the past five years, we’ve supported hundreds of spinout, startup, and scaleup leaders across the UK and Ireland to be bold and make a difference globally.

 

 

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Ready to Build Momentum?

Innovation is only the beginning, sales traction is what turns ideas into sustainable businesses. Get the Grand Scale Sales Traction Playbook today and start building your evidence of demand. Move from concept → customers → commercial growth — with clarity, confidence, and control.

Your step-by-step guide to turning an idea into paying customers, revenue, and sustainable growth — built on the same 7-step framework used by 150+ high-potential startups across the UK & Ireland.