Why Finance Leaders Should Stay Close to GTM
Most people picture finance leaders spending their days inside spreadsheets. Modeling, forecasting, and analyzing data will always be part of the job, but the longer I do this work, the more clear it becomes that you cannot fully understand the numbers unless you are close to GTM teams.
Numbers show what is happening. GTM explains why it is happening. When you work from both sides, everything becomes clearer.
Finance becomes more strategic. Forecasts become more accurate. Decisions become more confident.
This idea is simple, but it has completely shaped how I operate as a finance leader. Below is what I have learned from staying close to the teams who interact with customers every day.
The Story Behind the Metrics Matters More Than the Metrics Themselves
Metrics like CAC, churn, NRR, and pipeline coverage only tell part of the picture. They are snapshots, not explanations.
Understanding the story behind the numbers requires proximity to GTM. That means knowing:
what reps are hearing on calls
where deals slow down
which messages land with buyers
why customers renew or walk away
how marketing channels are truly performing
what product gaps appear in late stage deals
Once you have this context, the numbers become easier to interpret and far more reliable. Without it, it is easy to draw conclusions that do not reflect reality.
GTM Is Where Most High-Impact Decisions Begin
Hiring plans, pricing changes, budget allocation, segment focus, growth pacing, and retention strategy all start inside GTM conversations. These signals appear long before they ever show up in data or dashboards.
If finance wants to understand where the business is headed, the earliest and clearest indicators come from sales, marketing, and customer success.
Alignment begins with shared context. That context starts in GTM.
Full-Funnel Understanding Strengthens Forecasts and Investments
As companies grow, finance should have a strong understanding of the entire funnel. Where leads come from, how they are planned, how they convert, and how each stage contributes to revenue outcomes.
A funnel will never follow the plan perfectly, but having a baseline creates clarity and helps leaders evaluate performance without guessing. It becomes much easier to make smart investment decisions when you know:
what each channel costs
how predictable each stage is
where efficiency is drifting
where acceleration is possible
I think back to the years I worked with Melodie Hays at SupplyPike. We spent time building a shared understanding of how each part of the marketing strategy supported ARR. I knew what a lead cost from content, from paid search, from trade shows, and from webinars. She always knew why those channels were trending up or down because we had built a clear baseline together. I remember asking mid year why inbound leads from webinars had dipped. She had the answer immediately because we were aligned and working from the same set of assumptions. That level of collaboration creates real clarity and strengthens decision making.
Proximity to GTM Reveals Patterns Across the Entire Business
When finance stays close to GTM, patterns become easier to spot. You begin to see:
how product decisions influence late stage deals
how pricing affects retention probability
how pipeline trends shape cash planning
how hiring decisions change efficiency
how customer insights should influence strategy
These patterns are hard to see from spreadsheets alone. You need both the data and the real world context behind it.
Finance becomes the connector. GTM becomes the lens.
Together they create a clearer view of the business.
Why This Approach Builds Better Operating Rhythms
When finance understands GTM deeply, it improves the entire operating rhythm of the company. Teams move faster because they have clarity. Forecasts become tools instead of tasks. Conversations shift from reporting to decision making.
And the organization gains confidence because leadership is aligned around the same picture of what is happening and what needs to happen next.
Final Thought
Spreadsheets will always have their place, but the strongest insights come from staying close to the people who interact with customers every day.
Context strengthens decisions.
Clarity creates momentum.
Staying close to GTM improves both.
