Service · GTM Strategy for Applied AI Companies

GTM strategy for applied-AI and AI-infrastructure companies with brilliant technology and no clear path to market.

The hardest problem for most AI companies is not the model, it is that engineering built something remarkable and no one has defined who buys it, why they switch from the hyperscaler, what it costs, and which motion actually sells it. We build the go-to-market foundation, sharp positioning against the real alternative, a specific ICP and buying committee, pricing and packaging that fits infrastructure, and a sequenced channel plan, so spend has somewhere to land. It is the work that turns a great product into tracked pipeline, backed by 9+ years and $30M+ in CRM-tracked, marketing-led revenue across 60+ B2B tech companies.

B2B tech companies worked with
60+
Years marketing to technical & executive buyers
9+
CRM-tracked marketing-led revenue
$30M+
AI Search recommendation success rate
80%
  1. Positioning and messaging: a sharp statement of what you do, for whom, and why it beats the buyer's real alternative (hyperscaler or open source), that a technical committee and an economic buyer both believe.
  2. ICP and buying-committee definition: the specific accounts and roles worth selling to, the committee that decides (platform/ML engineer, security, economic buyer), and what each one needs to say yes.
  3. Pricing and packaging review: a model that fits infrastructure economics and converts, usage, tiers, and enterprise terms that capture value without stalling in procurement.
  4. Category and competitive framing: how you position against the hyperscaler default, open source, and near-competitors, so the buyer understands why a specialized product is worth the switch.
  5. Motion selection: product-led, sales-led, or the hybrid most infra companies need, with the funnel and qualification logic that fits it.
  6. Sequenced channel plan: which channels to run in what order (SEO, AI Search, paid, ABM, founder-led), tied to stage and budget, ready to execute rather than theorize.
  7. Messaging and proof architecture: the technical-proof, benchmark, and governance assets the buyer gates on, mapped to each stage of the funnel.
  8. CRM and measurement setup: the pipeline stages, attribution, and reporting that judge the GTM on sourced revenue from day one.
How the system works

How the system works

  1. Diagnose the market

    We pressure-test your current positioning, ICP, pricing, and motion against how AI-infra buyers actually decide and what they compare you to, using your sales calls and pipeline data to find where the go-to-market is leaking, not what a template says it should be.

  2. Compare against known B2B tech patterns

    We benchmark your situation against the AI, data, and infrastructure companies among our 60+ B2B tech clients: which positioning angles land, which ICPs focus a sales team, which pricing models convert, and which motion fits a considered technical sale, so the strategy starts from evidence.

  3. Choose the right growth path

    We make the calls: the positioning, the ICP, the pricing and packaging, the motion, and the sequenced channel plan, prioritized by what will move pipeline fastest given your stage, budget, and competitive set. You get decisions you can act on, not a menu of options.

  4. Build the GTM system

    We turn the strategy into the assets and plan to run it, messaging, proof architecture, funnel and qualification logic, and the channel sequence, and we can operate it through the rest of the growth stack so it does not die as a slide deck on your drive.

  5. Optimize against CRM + sales feedback

    As the motion runs, we read the CRM and the sales floor, which segments convert, which objections stall deals, what pricing survives procurement, and refine the positioning, ICP, and channel mix. GTM becomes a living operating model tied to revenue, not a one-time project.

The XQL difference

Why XQL builds GTM for AI companies differently

  • 01

    Market memory

    We have built go-to-market for 60+ B2B tech companies, including AI, data, and infrastructure teams. We know the patterns that separate a positioning that lands from one that describes the tech, an ICP that focuses sales from one that scatters it, and a pricing model that converts from one that stalls in procurement. You are not funding our education on how AI gets bought; we start from evidence.

  • 02

    Faster diagnosis

    We do not disappear into a six-month strategy engagement. In the first weeks we pressure-test your positioning against the real alternative, sharpen the ICP and buying committee, and find where the current motion leaks, so you get a clear, actionable GTM foundation fast enough to put spend behind it this quarter, not a deck that ages before it ships.

  • 03

    Smarter channel selection

    GTM strategy is worthless if it stays a document, so ours ends in a sequenced channel plan we can actually run. Because we operate the full B2B tech growth stack, SEO, AI Search, paid, ABM, founder-led, we choose the motion and channels that fit your buyer and stage and sequence them, instead of handing you a strategy and leaving execution as your problem.

  • 04

    Sales feedback loop

    Strategy that ignores the sales floor is fiction. We ground positioning, ICP, and pricing in what actually happens on calls, which buyers convert, which objections stall deals, where you win against the hyperscaler, what pricing survives procurement, and we keep refining the GTM as those signals come in, rather than setting it once and hoping.

  • 05

    CRM attribution

    We wire the GTM to your CRM from the start, so positioning, ICP, and channel decisions are judged on sourced pipeline and revenue, not opinion. That is how strategy stays honest and how the downstream spend it directs gets defended, the discipline behind $30M+ in CRM-tracked, marketing-led revenue across our clients.

Why XQL vs alternatives

Why XQL vs the alternatives

DimensionTypical approachThe XQL way
Management consultancyDelivers a polished strategy deck and a large invoice, then leaves execution, the part that actually produces pipeline, entirely to you.Builds a GTM foundation and the sequenced plan to run it, and can operate it through the full growth stack, so strategy becomes revenue.
Generalist marketing agencyJumps to tactics without fixing positioning, ICP, or pricing, so it scales a leaky funnel and blames the channels when revenue stays flat.Sets the strategy first, positioning, ICP, pricing, motion, then sequences channels against it, so spend lands on a foundation that works.
Fractional exec / advisorBrings senior thinking a few hours a week but cannot also build the assets, run the channels, and wire the CRM attribution.Combines senior GTM strategy with the team to execute and measure it, so decisions turn into a running, attributed engine.
In-house teamKnows the product deeply but lacks cross-company benchmarks on what positioning and pricing actually convert in AI, and is too close to see the gaps.Adds pattern recognition from 60+ B2B tech GTMs and an outside read, giving the in-house team a foundation and leverage instead of more debate.
DIY / founder-ledGuesses at positioning and pricing between shipping features, and scales spend on a strategy that was never tested against how buyers decide.Replaces the guesswork with an evidence-based GTM tied to the CRM, so the founder's time goes to the product, not to relearning marketing.
Commercial outcomes

Proof from the same playbook.

Strategy first, channels second, sales feedback always. We measure by the qualified demand and revenue we can trace back inside the CRM.

Selected results
  • $10Minbound pipeline per year

    Relevant Software

    Software development company · 3 years
    • $1M revenue/year
    • Cost per MQL & SQL halved

    Our founder led their marketing as Head of Marketing, running a 7-person team across SEO, demand gen, and paid — $1M/year in marketing revenue. Re-engaged in 2026 and halved cost per MQL and SQL.

    ServicesFractional CMO · SEO · Demand Generation · Paid Ads

  • Senior operators on every account. Never a junior pod.
  • $5.5Mpipeline per year

    Confidential client

    Software development company · 3.5 years
    • 140 SQLs/year
    • $600K SEO revenue

    Ran the full marketing function for 3.5 years — 140 SQLs and ~$600K in revenue per year from SEO alone, plus 10 MQLs/month from LLM recommendations.

    ServicesFractional CMO · SEO · Appointment Funnels

    Their focus on results and true interest in making things work set them apart.

    — Content Manager
  • $1.8Minbound pipeline, built from zero

    WeSoftYou

    Software development company · 3 years
    • 100% YoY SQL growth
    • 207% traffic increase

    Rebuilt inbound from scratch — 100% YoY SQL growth, 207% more traffic, domain rating from 12 to 45, and 141 articles shipped.

    ServicesFractional CMO · SEO · Demand Generation

    We've seen a 207% increase in web traffic and our domain rating improved from 12 to 45.

    — Maksym Petruk, CEO & Founder, WeSoftYou
  • 28.88×return on ad spend

    Intelvision

    Staff augmentation company
    • $240K revenue from Meta
    • 5 deals in 12 months

    Took a referral-only firm to a real new-business engine — 5 deals and $240K revenue from Meta in a year, plus 2–4 SQLs/month from ChatGPT.

    ServicesMeta Ads · Fractional CMO · AI Search

    Their expertise and proactiveness have impressed our team.

    — Yurii Kotula, CEO, Intelvision
  • $2Min deals sourced from ChatGPT

    Computools

    Software development company
    • 2 enterprise deals from LLMs
    • 3-month engagement

    Positioned them as the recommended Salesforce partner inside the major LLMs — two $1M enterprise deals closed from ChatGPT in a 3-month engagement.

    ServicesAI Search · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads

    They operated with the discipline and initiative of an internal senior marketer.

    — COO, Computools
  • +1,413%organic traffic growth

    DBB Software

    Software development company · 3 years
    • 28 SQLs from zero
    • 3 deals won

    Built the marketing function from zero — website, SEO, paid, AI search — from 166 to 2,513 monthly clicks and 3 enterprise deals won.

    ServicesFractional CMO · SEO · AI Search · Meta Ads

    They defined a clear marketing strategy and established our unique value proposition.

    — Volodymyr H., COO, DBB Software
  • +500%more SQLs from organic

    Synebo

    Salesforce consulting company
    • 2.73× organic traffic
    • MQL→SQL 17% → 29%

    Turned Salesforce-niche SEO into a deal channel — 2.73× traffic and MQL-to-SQL conversion up from 17% to 29%.

    ServicesSEO · Content Marketing

    We have started receiving our first inbound requests.

    — Anna Senchenko, Marketing Lead, Synebo
  • more clients in 2024 vs 2023

    Cieden

    Product design agency · 9 months
    • 133% more SQLs/month
    • 2.4× organic traffic

    Restructured the marketing team and shifted to lead-driving SEO — doubling client count and growing SQLs 133% in nine months.

    ServicesSEO · Fractional CMO

  • 80%of service pages in Google's top 5

    Noltic

    Salesforce consulting company · 9 months
    • 20/25 pages top 5
    • First SEO deals closed

    Switched them from brand-awareness content to lead-driving SEO — 20 of 25 service pages ranked top 5 and the first deals closed from organic.

    ServicesSEO · Fractional CMO · Content Marketing

    XQL Group's marketing expertise is a hallmark of the engagement.

    — Anna Riabushenko, Head of Marketing, Noltic
  • 2,000monthly organic visitors, from zero

    Artkai

    Software development company · 9 months
    • DR 27 → 44
    • 50+ leads generated

    Stood up SEO as a new acquisition channel — domain rating 27 to 44, 50+ leads, and 88 articles in nine months.

    ServicesSEO

    Their subject matter expertise is highly impressive.

    — Kos Chekanov, CEO & Founder, Artkai
  • 15×AI-assistant traffic growth

    Gapsy Studio

    Design agency · 3 months
    • +70% Google clicks
    • First SQLs from SEO

    After six months of zero results from another agency, we delivered +70% Google clicks and grew AI-assistant traffic from 10 to 154/month in three months — and the first SQLs from SEO.

    ServicesSEO · AI Search

  • 104appointments from paid

    Kitrum

    Software development company
    • 466 leads
    • $25.79 cost per lead

    Meta appointment funnels at scale — 466 leads and over 100 booked sales conversations from a single paid channel.

    ServicesAppointment Funnels · Meta Ads

    They've brought structure, strong execution, and constant initiative.

    — Lead of Marketing, Kitrum
  • $840customer acquisition cost

    Split Development

    Shopify development agency
    • 66 leads at $38 CPL
    • 3 deals in 4 months

    Built paid funnels from scratch — $2,522 in ad spend returned 3 signed clients and 66 leads at $38 CPL in under 4 months.

    ServicesMeta Ads · Fractional CMO

  • 4 clientswon in the first 3 months

    Hoverla Soft

    Software development company · 3 months
    • Marketing built from zero
    • ABM + social selling

    Set up marketing from zero — positioning, website, LinkedIn social selling, and an ABM campaign that landed four new clients fast.

    ServicesFractional CMO · ABM · LinkedIn

    Their ability to combine strategic vision with hands-on execution was particularly valuable.

    — CEO, Hoverla Soft
  • 1 dealclosed in a single month

    SolarSpark

    Game development studio · 1 month
    • Recommended by LLMs
    • 2 commercial keywords

    Positioned a small studio in a niche AI-search category — recommended by LLMs for 2 commercial keywords, landing a big client in one month.

    ServicesAI Search · AEO/GEO · Website

    They knew how to approach AI search practically, not just in theory.

    — CEO, SolarSpark
  • 100%AI-search placement success

    Baytech Consulting

    Software development company
    • 3 keywords, all LLMs
    • Deal from paid funnels

    Recommended by every major AI assistant for 3 commercial keywords, plus a deal closed from Meta appointment funnels.

    ServicesAI Search · Appointment Funnels

    What impressed us most was their deep specialization with software development companies.

    — Partner, Baytech Consulting
  • #1AI recommendation in one month

    Opsworks

    DevOps company · 1 month
    • Recommended by major LLMs
    • 1 commercial keyword

    Positioned for an important commercial keyword and recommended by the major AI assistants within a single month.

    ServicesAI Search · AEO/GEO

  • 6 SQLsin year one, from scratch

    HBM

    B2B tech company · 1 year
    • 75 leads
    • 22 MQLs

    Took over marketing as their agency after an unsuccessful in-house run — GTM strategy, paid funnels, AI search, and LinkedIn delivered 75 leads and the first qualified pipeline.

    ServicesFractional CMO · GTM Strategy · Appointment Funnels · AI Search

  • 3 opportunitiesin two months from ABM

    Riseapps

    Healthcare software company · 2 months
    • 13 ICP calls
    • 2-month sprint

    A targeted ABM campaign booked 13 conversations with ICP accounts and opened three opportunities in two months.

    ServicesABM

  • $34per booked intro call

    Gointeger

    Shopify development agency
    • Positioning + website
    • Booked-call funnel

    Repositioned the agency, revamped the site, and built appointment funnels that booked qualified intro calls at just $34 each.

    ServicesAppointment Funnels · Positioning · Website

  • $123per qualified ICP call

    Omisoft

    Software development company
    • 76 leads
    • 34 appointments

    A custom AI-assistant paid funnel produced 76 leads and 34 booked appointments at $123 per call with an ICP.

    ServicesAppointment Funnels · Meta Ads

  • 2 dealsfrom $42 leads

    Rizz Group

    AI video production company
    • $42.34 CPL
    • $1,482 spend

    Meta appointment funnels delivered 35 leads at a $42 CPL and closed two deals on modest spend.

    ServicesAppointment Funnels · Meta Ads

  • Your case could be next.

    Browse the full set of SEO and paid outcomes we’ve engineered.

    See all case studies
Client signal

What B2B tech founders and CEOs say

Thanks to XQL Group's efforts, we've seen a 207% increase in web traffic and an improvement in domain rating from 12 to 45. The team has successfully optimized our SEO strategy and gained around 160 backlinks. Overall, they're responsive and thorough in their project management.
Maksym PetrukCEO & Founder, WeSoftYou
Since working with XQL Group, our domain rating has improved from 27 to 44. In addition, we've seen a 15% increase in monthly traffic within nine months. The team completes work on time and within the agreed budget. Moreover, their subject matter expertise is highly impressive.
Kos ChekanovCEO & Founder, Artkai
XQL Group's efforts have resulted in 44 leads from paid campaigns and improved web traffic from Germany by 5x. The team is responsive, quickly surfaces issues, and communicates regularly through chats and virtual meetings. Their expertise and proactiveness have impressed our team.
Yurii KotulaCEO, Intelvision
Organic traffic has increased by 10–15% each month, and we have started receiving our first inbound requests. XQL Group's optimization tips have also helped improve keyword rankings, and internal stakeholders are impressed with the team's collaborative approach.
Anna SenchenkoMarketing Lead, Synebo
XQL Group has successfully defined a clear marketing strategy and established our company's unique value proposition. The team has also helped hire critical specialists for our marketing team. They are communicative and organized, and their expertise in the tech industry is impressive.
Volodymyr H.COO, DBB Software
Thanks to XQL Group's efforts, we have defined our marketing strategy and hired key developers for our website. The team has launched retargeting campaigns on LinkedIn and developed a strong content marketing strategy. XQL Group's marketing expertise is a hallmark of the engagement.
Anna RiabushenkoHead of Marketing, Noltic
They were not just talking about AI search in theory; they knew how to approach it practically.
SolarSparkCEO
What impressed us most was their deep specialization in working with software development companies.
Baytech ConsultingPartner
They've brought structure, strong execution, and constant initiative to improve outcomes.
KitrumLead of Marketing
They operated with the discipline and initiative of an internal senior marketer.
ComputoolsCOO
Their ability to combine strategic vision with hands-on execution was particularly valuable.
Hoverla SoftCEO
Their focus on results and true interest in making things work set them apart.
InoxoftContent Manager
XQL Group's project management was exemplary.
EcrivioHead of Operations
The quality of their work is consistently high.
DataPlumbersFounder
FAQ

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Bring your growth constraint to a call and leave with a plan.

Book a strategy call

Exactly that. It is the most common situation for an AI company: a strong technical team built something novel, and no one defined who buys it, why they switch from the hyperscaler, what it costs, or how you sell it. We build that foundation, positioning against the real alternative, a specific ICP and buying committee, pricing and packaging that fits infrastructure, and a sequenced channel plan, so your technology finally has a path to market and your spend has somewhere to land.

Because AI punishes a weak go-to-market harder. Everyone claims the same benchmarks, so undifferentiated positioning is invisible. The default alternative is a hyperscaler or free open source, so if you cannot say why switching is worth it, the buyer defaults to convenience. The buyer is a technical committee that evaluates you like infrastructure, so a consumer-style motion stalls. And the field moves so fast that a GTM built for last quarter's use case misses this quarter's. Getting the strategy right is what makes every downstream dollar work.

By making the case for the switch explicit. The hyperscaler and open source win on convenience and price-of-entry; you win when a specialized product is genuinely better on the dimensions that matter for a specific job, reliability, cost at scale, evaluation, governance, or a vertical need. We define the positioning around that switch, frame the total-cost and risk argument the default quietly loses on, and make sure the ICP and messaging target the buyers and use cases where that argument is strongest, rather than fighting the giant on its home turf.

Yes, and it is often where the most revenue is left on the table or lost. AI infrastructure pricing is genuinely hard, usage-based economics, tiers, enterprise terms, and a whiteboard guess either underprices the value or scares off the buyer and stalls in procurement. We review and recommend a model that fits your economics and how the buyer wants to buy, informed by what actually converts across the B2B tech GTMs we have run, so pricing helps close deals instead of blocking them.

It depends on your product, buyer, and ACV, and most AI-infrastructure companies need a hybrid. A self-serve motion can drive adoption and a bottom-up entry, but a committee-driven, high-ACV infrastructure purchase usually needs a sales-assisted motion for the enterprise deals, and the two have to be designed to feed each other rather than compete. We help you choose the motion, or the blend, and build the funnel and qualification logic that fits it, so you are not forcing a consumer playbook onto an enterprise sale or vice versa.

A consultancy typically hands you a deck and leaves. The strategy might be sound, but a strategy that never becomes execution produces no pipeline, and the hand-off to your team is where most of them die. We build the GTM foundation and the plan to run it, and because we operate the full growth stack, we can execute and measure it, tying every decision to sourced pipeline in your CRM. You get strategy that turns into a running, attributed engine, not a document.

We move in weeks, not quarters. You get a clear GTM foundation, positioning, ICP and buying committee, pricing and packaging recommendations, motion, and a sequenced channel plan, plus the messaging and proof architecture to run it, all wired to your CRM for measurement. Fast enough to put spend behind it this quarter. It is the work that has helped turn great technology into tracked revenue across the 60+ B2B tech companies and $30M+ in marketing-led revenue we have delivered.

Ready when you are

Let's talk.

Bring your offer, channels, and revenue goals. We'll show you where the biggest growth constraint is and what to build next.

Danylo FedirkoFounder

For B2B tech companies selling complex expertise to serious buyers.

B2B tech clients
60+
Revenue generated
$30M+
Danylo Fedirko, Founder of XQL Group
Danylo FedirkoFounder, XQL Group
Let’s talk

Book a call with me.

I’m Danylo, founder of XQL. For 9+ years I’ve helped B2B tech companies turn technical expertise into pipeline — 60+ clients and $30M+ in CRM-tracked revenue.

30 minutes, no deck. Bring your offer, channels, and revenue goals — I’ll come with a read on where your biggest growth constraint is and what to build next.

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