From Lead Volume to Deal Value: How I Transformed GTT’s Demand Gen Strategy

The Short Version

When the CEO and board at GTT Communications (a $3B network and security player) decided to shift upmarket, we faced a classic challenge: our marketing engine was still churning out small-time leads while the company needed enterprise-grade deals. 

As VP of Demand Generation, I led a complete strategic overhaul using my PRISMA framework, a methodology I've developed over 20 years in demand gen and growth marketing. 

By redefining our ideal customer and implementing a tiered ABM approach, I transformed our demand gen function from a volume-focused machine to a strategic growth driver. The result? Average deal size jumped from $360K to $1.3M in annual recurring revenue.

The Challenge: When Your Marketing Engine Works Against Your Strategy

GTT Communications had a problem many successful tech companies face during strategic pivots: our marketing team was busy generating lots of leads, but for all the wrong offerings.

The company had decided to sunset lower-value services and focus on higher-margin enterprise solutions. But our demand gen engine was still:

• Attracting prospects interested primarily in soon-to-be-discontinued services

• Consuming marketing budget on leads that didn't align with our new strategic direction

• Keeping sales teams busy with deals that didn't support our growth targets

The result? Wasted resources, frustrated sales teams, and marketing ROI that couldn't justify the spend. More concerning was the long-term risk: potential customer churn and continued financial losses if the issue wasn't addressed.

When I stepped in as VP of Demand Generation, I immediately recognized this as a fundamental misalignment across multiple dimensions of what would later become my PRISMA framework—particularly in Positioning and Messaging, Revenue Engine Development, and Metrics & KPIs.

The Transformation Approach: Applying My PRISMA Framework

I tackled this problem with a complete strategic overhaul guided by my PRISMA methodology, a framework I've refined through 12 years of enterprise demand generation leadership and over 20 years of marketing experience:

P: Positioning and Messaging

Redefining Our Value Proposition
Rather than working in isolation, I established ongoing partnerships with Product and executive leadership to ensure alignment on what constituted our high-value services and who should buy them. This cross-functional collaboration was crucial for developing messaging that would resonate with the right audience.

R: Revenue Engine Development

Creating a Smart Targeting System
I implemented predictive analytics to score accounts and contacts based on fit and potential value, then segmented them into practical tiers:

• 1:Many (broader targeting with scalable approaches)

• 1:Few (focused attention on promising segments)

• 1:1 (tailored engagement with highest-potential accounts)

This tiered Account-Based Marketing approach formed the backbone of our new revenue engine.

I: Integrated Channel Strategy

Putting Money Where the Return Is
I developed a clear strategy for allocating marketing budget across different account tiers and channels, matching investment levels to potential returns. This ensured our channel mix was optimized for the specific needs of each target segment.

S: Sales Enablement & Alignment

Bringing Sales Along the Journey

I maintained continuous alignment with sales leadership, ensuring they understood and bought into our strategic shift. This included developing new enablement materials focused on enterprise value selling and providing continuous feedback loops on lead quality.

M: Metrics, KPIs, and Optimization

Redefining Success Metrics
I shifted our KPI framework away from lead volume toward quality metrics like pipeline influence, average deal size, and marketing-attributed revenue. This required educating stakeholders and establishing new reporting dashboards to track our progress.

A: AI and Automation

Leveraging Technology for Scale and Precision
I assembled a specialized team that leveraged AI tools to define new Ideal Customer Profiles. We also utilized AI and automation to develop messaging frameworks that would speak directly to these high-value ICPs across different tiers, ensuring communications hit the mark every time.

To bring this all together, I hired and managed an external agency to help translate our tiered strategy into concrete, actionable campaign plans, allowing us to move quickly while maintaining strategic control.

The Results That Matter

The transformation I led delivered a meaningful business impact across each dimension of the PRISMA framework:

Deal Size Tripled: Average new deal size jumped from $360K ARR to $1.3M ARR – a 3.6x improvement, directly supporting our strategic shift upmarket.

Marketing ROI Soared: By focusing resources on high-potential accounts and reducing waste on low-value prospects, our marketing investment started delivering significantly better returns, a win for our Revenue Engine Development.

Better Quality Leads: The number of sales-qualified leads (SQLs) aligned with high-value services increased substantially, validating our new Positioning and Messaging approach.

Channel Efficiency Improved: Our Integrated Channel Strategy allowed us to reduce spend in some areas while increasing it in others, resulting in better overall performance from our marketing mix.

Sales Team Satisfaction: The sales organization provided direct positive feedback, acknowledging they were receiving "much better and more valuable" deals—a testament to our improved Sales Enablement and Alignment.

Data-Driven Decisions: Our revamped Metrics and KPIs framework gave us visibility into what was working and what wasn't, allowing for continuous optimization.

AI-Powered Efficiency: By leveraging AI and Automation throughout our processes, we were able to accomplish this transformation with the same team size despite the increased complexity of our approach.

Why This Matters for Your Business

This GTT Communications transformation demonstrates a critical reality for B2B tech leaders: volume-based marketing metrics can mask strategic misalignment that undermines your growth goals.

My PRISMA framework provides a comprehensive approach to fixing this disconnect:

• Positioning and Messaging: Are you talking to the right buyers about the right solutions?

• Revenue Engine Development: Is your go-to-market machinery designed to deliver the deals you actually want?

• Integrated Channel Strategy: Are you investing in channels that reach and influence your ideal customers?

• Sales Enablement & Alignment: Is your sales team equipped and motivated to pursue your strategic targets?

• Metrics, KPIs and Optimization: Are you measuring what actually matters to your business?

• AI and Automation: Are you leveraging technology to improve precision and efficiency?

The question for you as a leader: Is your demand generation engine supporting your strategic direction, or is it optimized for the wrong targets?

As a fractional CMO with a track record of transformative results, I specialize in helping B2B tech companies realign their marketing functions with their strategic objectives. If your organization is facing similar challenges in demand generation effectiveness, let's connect to explore how the PRISMA framework might help you drive similar transformative results.