The Rise of the GTM Engineer & the AI-Savvy CRO
Jordan Crawford blows my mind on all topics related to Go-To-Market (GTM) engineering, data moats, permissionless value props (PVP), and why RevOps isn’t enough for CROs.
This interview was sponsored by TestBox. To learn more, visit www.testbox.com.
I recently led a CRO Roundtable and asked a group of senior executives about their knowledge of go-to-market engineering. I received blank stares across the virtual room.
That’s when I knew I needed to get Jordan Crawford on camera.
Jordan’s been doing GTM engineering since before it had a name. His take: “The gap between sales leadership and what SDRs are doing on the ground is massive. My job is to systematize manual labor.”
This isn’t about buying another tool. It’s about building competitive advantages that actually matter.
Two Shifts You Can’t Ignore
GTM Engineering Is Different From RevOps
While SalesOps has rebranded to RevOps in many organizations, it often remains a CRM and tool management team that helps operationalize business strategy.
And if we examine the progression to “GTM engineering”, the role is evolving to be more hands-on by originating data, connecting strategy to execution, and orchestrating it into channels.
Jordan’s distinction: “RevOps is CRM maintenance. GTM engineers take stuff from outside the walls, determine what those things are, and push them out into channels.”
From my own experience managing RevOps and building AI-native GTM, there is a difference in skillset and talent; however, I personally believe GTM engineers can be a function within a RevOps organization (.. or dare I say AIOps?).
Innovation or Overkill? You tell me…
Data Moats Are the Only Sustainable Advantage
“Recently raised funding” and “job changes” are commoditized signals that are accessible to everyone. Your lack of personalized outreach when someone switches jobs isn’t fooling anyone.
The real (and potentially only) moats come from bespoke data that competitors can’t replicate.
Jordan introduced a concept that changes everything: Permissionless Value Propositions (PVP).
The idea is simple but powerful: Combine unique data sources to deliver independently valuable information to prospects before asking for anything.
His example: A company selling construction equipment management software combined two data sources that most competitors ignore:
- Texas Department of Transportation permits showing equipment movement (revealing when cranes sit idle)
- Building permits showing upcoming projects that need equipment
The result:
Messages like: “Your crane hasn’t moved in 47 days. Maxwell Construction, located five miles away, has just pulled a permit for a wind turbine installation, which is likely to be a six-day job worth $145,000.
Want me to connect you? Oh, by the way, I have three more of these permits. If this one doesn’t work out for you.”
What?!
No product pitch. Just value.
The prospect receives something of value independently of whether they make a purchase or not.
Jordan’s take: “You’re not trying to write yourself out of a box. You’re trying to target yourself out of a box.”
This is what GTM engineering makes possible, combining data sources in ways that create value competitors simply cannot replicate.
Pattern Recognition
The companies winning in my network aren’t the ones with the most tools. They’re the ones who’ve answered this question:
“If we only worked for one customer and dedicated all our resources to them, what information would make their experience 10x better?”
Then they operationalize that answer at scale.
Jordan nailed it: “We’re trying to bolt new technology onto old methodologies. It’s like putting a legless robot on a horse, the thing still sh*** and you get nowhere faster.”
(Jordan also asked me specifically not the cut that - what a wild and crazy example).
What This Means for You
If you’re a CRO:
Watch the interview, go speak with other CROs who have implemented GTM Engineering teams, and start asking questions around the bottlenecks in your organization. If you could hire someone to help build and develop more personalized GTM strategies with data, what would they be? Bonus points if you are in vertical SaaS right now.
If you’re in RevOps:
There is a great opportunity to take the next step in your development by leaning in, leveraging the data and systems, and learning what this role entails and how it makes an impact. And no, I am not recommending that you start an agency tomorrow and call yourself a GTM Engineer.
If not a CRO or REvOps Pro, but you’re in GTM:
Lean in! Learn what this role is and isn’t, and determine ways to utilize it to operationalize your business. How can GTM Engineering help the Solutions or Customer Success teams? What role can it play in Marketing?
If you’re building a horizontal product:
Verticalize your GTM motions. When knowledge compounds instead of fractures, you develop insights competitors can’t access (this episode is full of content around the benefits of vertical sales approaches).
One Question
Jordan believes the future CRO will be a conductor orchestrating systems of intelligence, not a first-chair violinist managing execution.
His prediction: Future CROs will interact with 2-5 people who act as editors, auditors, and storytellers while AI handles the orchestration.
Are you developing the fluency with AI tools needed to conduct that orchestra?
Till next time,
James
P.S. - Jordan’s advice for CROs: Download your customer calls, paste them into Gemini (it handles a million tokens), and ask, “What are my customers hungering for?” Start there.
For more GTM insights, subscribe to GTMshift on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTMshift
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