Stalled traction is not a single problem. It is a symptom. The underlying cause is almost always one of three things: the wrong buyer, the wrong offer framing, or the wrong channel. Rarely is it the product itself — especially in the first twelve months after launch.
Signal 1 — High trial, low conversion: The product is reaching people. The offer framing, the buyer segment, or the pricing is wrong. This is a GTM problem, not a product problem. Signal 2 — Long sales cycles with no close: The buyer you are reaching has the pain but not the authority or the budget. Signal 3 — Good demos, no follow-through: Interest is not demand. A buyer who attends a demo and says 'this is great' has not committed anything. Signal 4 — Early churn before core value is delivered: The buyer's expectation at purchase does not match what the product delivers first. Signal 5 — Acquisition cost is rising, not falling: The initial channel was reaching a warm audience. That audience is exhausted. Signal 6 — Product feedback is positive, revenue is not growing: The product solves a problem that is real but not urgent enough to drive commercial behaviour.
Interest is costless for the buyer. Attending a demo, signing up for a free trial, responding to a cold email — none of these commit anything. Demand is evidenced only when the buyer commits something that costs them: a signed pilot agreement, a completed procurement process, a paid proof of concept.
GTM Right runs a commercial triage that identifies which of the six failure signals is present and what it implies about the root cause. Stage 1 is free and returns the evidence grade, competitor gap, and named assumptions.