Rev Ops walked so GTM Engineering could run (Exit Five Newsletter)

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⁉️ WTF is GTM Engineering? (And Why You Probably Need One)

First it was Marketing Ops. Then it became Rev Ops. Now everyone's talking about GTM Engineering. Well at least they are talking about it on LinkedIn.

But the rise of AI and all these new tools and automations has definitely helped make the case for this new role. Is it new? Or rebranded? You can read and decide.

Here’s our notes from a recent session we did on this topic. If you need a primer on GTM Engineering, I hope this helps.

Btw: I love getting little signals from all of our content, and for some reason we had 1,207 people sign up for this webinar on this topic, so clearly hitting on a hot button right now… OK here we go.

The Evolution: Marketing Ops → Rev Ops → GTM Engineering

There's a shift happening (thanks to these three changes)…

1. AI has democratized everything. We've been through cycles before. 14 years ago it was big data, 7 years ago it was machine learning. Now AI is universally available and everybody can be their own data scientist.
2. Product isn't the moat anymore. Literally anyone can make a product now. Your moat is network effects. The fastest company to get the first customer wins.
3. Your go‑to‑market IS your product. Your marketing funnel needs to be engineered with the same focus as your actual product.

And this is changing how we think about roles:

Marketing Ops = Operating within existing systems

Rev Ops = Bridging marketing and sales operations

GTM Engineering = Actually building systems and competitive advantages

Rev Ops became too broad. It included everything from basic reporting to complex automation. GTM Engineering signals something specific: someone who builds, not just operates.

So What Does a GTM Engineer Actually Do All Day?

This was the big question everyone had. So Dan Guenet, the GTM Engineering Lead from Compound Growth Marketing gave us the real deal on what he's actually working on:

• Data orchestration: Testing Clay, Unify, and similar tools to create tables of target accounts and trigger actions
• AI enablement: Building custom GPTs for the sales team because some people struggle with prompting
• Agent development: Exploring MCP (Model Context Protocol) to build AI agents that can actually take action

The role is all about staying ahead of the curve. So if he's doing the same thing in 6 months that he's doing today, he's probably not pushing the boundaries hard enough.

Think this might be the right path for you? Here are some key skills that matter:

• Systems thinking: How do all these tools connect?
• Builder mindset: Can you actually create things, not just configure them?
• AI fluency: Not just using ChatGPT, but building custom workflows
• Revenue focus: Everything ties back to business impact

Custom GPTs for Sales Teams

Instead of teaching everyone how to prompt AI properly, GTM engineers build reusable instruction sets for common tasks. Think of a custom GPT that reviews email nurture sequences across 9 specific criteria and provides actionable feedback.

This approach works when you have reusable use cases within teams. Instead of training everyone to be AI experts, you build the expertise into the tools.

The Agent Future

A world where marketers have agents that scan LinkedIn campaigns every day and flag underperformers is possible with a GTM Engineer. The agent messages you in the morning with campaign performance issues and can even pause budget with your approval.

As more tools develop MCP servers, agents will get significantly more powerful because they'll actually be able to take actions, not just analyze data.

The Mid‑Funnel Revolution

Instead of just having "Contact Sales" or "Get a Demo" on your website, GTM Engineers are building tools that help prospects in the middle of the funnel:

• HubSpot's Website Grader: Put in your URL, get SEO recommendations (and now HubSpot knows you have SEO problems)
• Optimizely's A/B Test Preview: Test functionality right on your site
• Interactive assessments: Built with tools like Lovable that capture mid-intent prospects

The goal is to expand beyond traditional PLG funnels to capture users who aren't ready for your main product yet but need help with related problems.

The Goldmine You're Sitting On

Every sales call you've recorded with Gong, Chorus, or Fathom? That's pure gold for a GTM Engineer.

They can scan through call recordings to understand how customers talk about products or categories, extract messaging insights, route data into Air Ops or Clay, and use it for ad copy improvements. You can build Persona GPTs based on actual customer language.

Imagine having an AI that knows every objection from the last 6 months of sales calls. Now marketing can proactively address those objections before prospects even get to sales.

The Tools They're Actually Using

GTM Engineers are working with:

Data & Automation:

• Clay
• Air Ops
• Zapier (agent)
• Unify

AI & Content:

• ChatGPT custom GPTs
• Claude (with projects)
• Jasper

Development:

• Reloom.io
• Claude Code
• Various no-code tools

CRM & Data:

• Day AI (agent-enabled CRM)
• HubSpot (with MCP servers)
• Common Room

Revenue Per Employee: The Real KPI

This isn't just about efficiency. It's about competitive advantage.

Revenue per employee is absolutely something that go-to-market should contribute to. There are 3 levers you can control: volume of sales, velocity, and contract size.

GTM Engineers can impact all 3:

• Volume: Better lead qualification and routing
• Velocity: Automated nurture sequences and agent-driven follow-ups
• Contract size: Data-driven upsell triggers and personalized experiences

Here’s the efficiency play: instead of 4 rev ops people, you have one GTM engineer supported by multiple agents. Instead of expanding headcount, you're making existing people more effective.

When Should You Hire One?

This isn't a "nice to have" for later‑stage companies. If you're thinking about efficient growth and reducing customer acquisition costs, you want a systems thinker who can help you scale using AI. Ideally as one of the first 5 marketing hires.

You'll recognize them during interviews. They'll list tools you've never heard of and talk about things they've built, not just reports they've run.

The bottom line? GTM Engineering isn't just Rev Ops with AI slapped on top. Instead of generic nurture emails and hoping for the best, you're building experiences that actually help people solve problems. It’s where the gold is. And it helps us all get back to doing really good marketing.

What do you think of our notes? Is this something you’re feeling in your org?

Or is GTM engineering just another way to RevOps like RevOps was another way to say MarketingOps? Reply back and LMK

– Dave

PS. This is the time to question everything. I'm trying to do it in my personal life too – how I create things now is completely different than before. You gotta force yourself to learn these new tools. What are you doing right now to push yourself to get better with AI? I want to know.

Or answer this: what would be worse – your best friend group chat getting leaked or your ChatGPT history… lol I know mine… OK see ya on the next email.

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