Sales is starting to feel like a treadmill.

You hire. You spend. You chase.

But even with more reps, more tools, and more effort, results are stalling.

Pipeline quality is inconsistent. Follow-ups are manual. Tools don't connect. Teams are stretched.

Eventually, you start asking a deeper question:

What if growth isn't a staffing issue? What if it's a systems issue?

More companies are beginning to reach that conclusion. Quietly, they're changing how go-to-market execution works.

Instead of scaling people, they’re scaling process. Instead of adding noise, they’re building around signal.

This shift is reshaping how modern revenue teams operate. And it has a name:

GTM engineering.

Elaine Zelby called it early

A few weeks ago, Elaine Zelby posted a sharp insight:

“GTM Engineering is going to be a dedicated function, not just a shared effort between RevOps, MarOps, and Sales Ops.”

It’s already happening. And it’s not just for big SaaS teams.

This approach is spreading because it solves a fundamental problem that almost every growing business faces:

How to grow without adding headcount pressure or bloating the cost base.

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What GTM engineers actually do

Think of a GTM Engineer as someone who designs your revenue infrastructure.

They don’t sit in spreadsheets all day. They don’t run paid campaigns. They don’t chase leads.

What they do is build the systems that turn buyer behaviour into pipeline – and pipeline into predictable revenue.

They ask:

  • What can be automated based on buying signals?
  • Where are reps spending time manually that could be reallocated?
  • How can we make sales, marketing, and ops function like one machine instead of three departments?

Their work results in:

  • Workflows that trigger outreach based on real-time behaviour
  • Data flowing cleanly from marketing into sales and CRM
  • Fewer handoffs, fewer delays, and fewer gaps in visibility

They’re not a replacement for people. They’re the reason your people can operate at 10x.

Why the old model fails

The traditional GTM model assumes that if results slow down, more reps or more tools will solve the problem.

But adding headcount without fixing the system just scales inefficiency.

What happens next is predictable:

  • More follow-up fatigue
  • More duplicated tasks
  • More time lost switching between tools that don’t talk to each other
  • More budget tied up in activity without clarity on output

Eventually, everything starts to feel heavier than it should. Not because the market is broken.

Because the model is.

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From labour to leverage

In most SMEs, growth is still equated with hiring.

More sales means more salespeople. More marketing means more spend. And more pipeline means more output from already stretched teams.

But there’s a smarter model emerging. One that trades labour for leverage.

A GTM engineer enables:

  • Better timing through intent signals
  • Smarter follow-ups through automation
  • More consistent output from fewer people

Instead of hiring a full SDR team, you might have a leaner setup powered by signal-based workflows.

Instead of relying on weekly meetings to diagnose drop-offs, your pipeline becomes visible in real time.

This isn’t theoretical. It’s already happening.

What this looks like in practice

Kynection, a tech-forward SME based in Victoria, faced the same friction many companies do.

Wage pressure was rising. Local hires were slow and inconsistent. Their go-to-market motion had momentum, but it wasn’t scalable.

They made a key decision: Redesign how work gets done before adding more people.

They built a fully embedded offshore team that they managed directly. They introduced automation across key parts of their funnel. They focused on building systems, not just hiring to fill gaps.

The result?

  • $250,000 in annual payroll savings
  • A 15 percent increase in operational capacity
  • More control, less waste, and faster execution

This wasn’t a workaround. It was a model upgrade.

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Why SMEs should pay attention

Most of the conversation around GTM Engineering is still stuck in SaaS circles.

But the real opportunity is outside of that bubble.

Traditional industries like construction, B2B services, and manufacturing often rely on manual sales processes, disconnected systems, and underperforming agencies.

These businesses don’t need more sales reps. They need better workflows and smarter execution.

That’s exactly what GTM engineering makes possible.

And it’s now accessible through specialised partners who blend offshore execution talent with engineered GTM workflows.

What to do next

If your growth plan is still built around headcount expansion, it might be time to step back and reframe.

Ask yourself:

  • Where is my team doing manual work that could be automated?
  • Are we chasing volume or responding to signal?
  • Do we control the process, or are we outsourcing outcomes?

If the answer is unclear, that’s the first sign the system needs a rethink.

The best teams right now aren’t working harder. They’re operating smarter. And they’re winning not because they have more people, but because they’ve invested in infrastructure that performs.

To see how this model works in action, this summary outlines what system-based execution looks like for SMEs.

It’s not a trend. It’s a new standard.

And for those willing to act early, it’s a strategic edge.

Ronan first published this article on LinkedIn here.