Launching a new product feature is always a massive cross-functional effort. When that feature involves AI in a highly regulated sector like Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), the stakes are even higher.
At StandardFusion, the sales team was increasingly hitting walls with prospects because the product didn’t have an answer to the market’s demand for AI. Product-market fit is a moving target. We were falling out of it and needed to correct course fast.
Bridging the Gap
To regain momentum, I took on the GTM role for the launch of new AI-powered features that could automate complex workflows like control creation and risk assessment, and needed to launch in a highly compressed timeline. This quick turnaround and lack of resources meant we couldn’t do our due diligence with any normal feature launch, such as extensive customer interviews.
Instead, I focused on my role on being the bridge between the CTO, engineering, sales, CS, and marketing to extract critical information, opinions, insights, and technical details which made up the foundation of the GTM strategy and the market landscape.
Translating deep technical capabilities into clear, compelling value propositions that established credibility over hype was a core component to the strategy, emphasizing StandardFusion’s commitment to compliance, transparency, and data security. We couldn’t just say the AI was smart. We had to prove it was safe.
The Process of Naming
We needed a name that resonated. I led brainstorming sessions with cross-functional teams, using techniques like brainwriting, mind mapping, and round-robin reviews. We evaluated over 50 options to find the right fit.
We settled on Checkpoint AI. It perfectly represented the product’s vision for providing an intelligent, reliable safeguard.
I worked closely with the product team to finalize the branding and collaborated with our legal department to verify trademarks. From design choices to the compass logo, we ensured the visual identity represented guidance and aligned with our core principles.
Launching the Product
When it came time to roll out the feature, we proactively addressed privacy concerns at every touchpoint. The messaging heavily emphasized that AI processed data was done so regionally via Microsoft Azure, checking all the boxes for strict local data protection regulations.
Inside the product, there was not much real estate for marketing. We designed a highly effective in-app widget. It briefed users on exactly what the new capabilities were, addressed their security concerns upfront, and let them activate the feature with a single click. We then doubled down on this momentum through targeted customer newsletters and comprehensive website documentation.
Finally, we closed the loop by hosting an enablement session walking internal teams through the product’s mechanics and the core story we were telling. With this new launch, sales could confidently address the AI-related objections they had been stuck on for months.
The new product page went live, helping to achieve a 20% higher conversion rate for demo requests compared to pre-AI baselines and the feature hit a 35% activation rate from our existing customer base within its 60 days of launch. By moving quickly and aligning product, marketing, and sales, we successfully restored our product-market fit and laid a solid foundation for future AI enhancements.
StandardFusion was falling out of product-market fit and needed to launch AI-powered GRC features quickly, so we turned a critical gap into a market advantage with a GTM strategy laser-focused on data privacy and compliance.
