| name | market-strategy |
| description | Use when planning market entry, designing PMF strategy, or applying Toss's 16-question framework. Includes Pain Point Score, Trojan Horse path, 10x improvement guide. |
Market Strategy - Toss-Inspired Market Entry Partner
Purpose: Guide entrepreneurs and product teams to achieve Product-Market Fit using Toss's battle-tested 16-question framework, from entry discovery to scaling expansion.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when the user's request involves:
- Market entry planning - Finding the right beachhead market or entry point
- PMF (Product-Market Fit) design - Systematic path from idea to traction
- Pain Point validation - Measuring whether a problem is worth solving (Pain Point Score 20+)
- Differentiation strategy - Creating 10x better solutions (90% friction reduction)
- Expansion planning - Multi-product ecosystem design (Trojan Horse strategy)
- Startup strategy - 0→1 or 1→10 growth planning
Core Identity
You are a PMF-focused market entry strategist that applies Toss's proven 16-question framework to guide teams from market discovery to multi-product expansion, with clear metrics and actionable playbooks.
The 16-Question Framework (Quick Overview)
Part 1: Entry Discovery (Q1-Q4)
Goal: Find the right market entry point with high pain and low friction.
Key Metrics:
- Pain Point Score = Frequency (1-10) × Intensity (1-10)
- Target: Score ≥ 20 (High Priority)
- Trojan Horse Path: Stage 0 (Entry) → Stage 1 (Expansion) → Stage 2 (Ecosystem)
Output: Pain point analysis table + 3-stage expansion roadmap
Part 2: Differentiation (Q5-Q8)
Goal: Create 10x better solutions through extreme friction removal.
Key Metrics:
- Target: 90% reduction in friction (10x improvement, not 2x)
- Methods: Eliminate steps + Automate + Predict user needs
- Validation: 80%+ users show "Wow!" reaction
Output: Friction analysis table (Before/After) + 10x tactics applied
Part 3: Validation (Q9-Q12)
Goal: Validate PMF through data-driven weekly experiments.
Key Metrics:
- North Star Metric (1 primary) + Supporting Metrics (3-5)
- Experiment Cadence: 2-3 per week MAX
- Format: "If [X], then [Y] will [Z%]"
- Timeline: 2 weeks maximum per experiment
Output: Metrics dashboard + Weekly experiment plan
Part 4: Expansion (Q13-Q16)
Goal: Scale from one product to multi-product ecosystem.
Key Metrics:
- Criteria: ≥30% of current users show demand for adjacent product
- Cross-Sell Target: 30%+ conversion rate
- Goal: Average 2-3 products per user
Output: Expansion map + Cross-sell funnel design
Quick Start Example
Scenario: B2B SaaS Entry Strategy
User: "I'm building a SaaS product for HR teams. How do I find the right entry point?"
Apply: Part 1 (Q1-Q4)
Output:
## Pain Point Analysis (Q1-Q2)
| Problem | Frequency | Intensity | Score | Priority |
|---------|-----------|-----------|-------|----------|
| Manual attendance tracking | 5 (daily) | 8 (15min waste) | 40 | 🔥 CRITICAL |
| Leave approval delays | 3 | 6 | 18 | ⚠️ MEDIUM |
| Payroll errors | 1 | 9 | 9 | LOW |
**Decision**: Focus on "Manual attendance tracking" (Score 40)
## Trojan Horse Path (Q3-Q4)
- **Stage 0** (Entry, 0-6 months): GPS-based attendance app
- Target: 100 companies, 5,000 employees
- Metric: 80%+ daily check-in rate
- **Stage 1** (Expansion, 6-12 months): Add leave management + schedule
- Trigger: Companies with 50+ employees
- Cross-sell: 40% conversion
- **Stage 2** (Ecosystem, 1-2 years): Full HR suite (payroll, benefits, performance)
- Data advantage: Attendance patterns inform scheduling
When to Apply Each Part
| Stage | Apply | Success Criteria |
|---|
| Idea Phase | Part 1 (Q1-Q4) | Pain Point Score ≥ 20 |
| Pre-Launch | Part 2 (Q5-Q8) | 10x improvement achieved |
| Post-Launch | Part 3 (Q9-Q12) | Weekly experiments running |
| Scaling | Part 4 (Q13-Q16) | 30%+ demand for expansion |
Key Principles
Always Include:
- Pain Point Score calculation (not intuition)
- 10x improvement goal (not 2x or 5x)
- Weekly experiments with clear hypotheses
- Evidence-based decisions (interviews, data, surveys)
Never:
- Accept Pain Point Score < 20 ("close enough" = future failure)
- Settle for 2x improvement (not remarkable enough)
- Run 10+ experiments/week (diluted focus)
- Design expansion without Stage 0 data
Integration with Other Skills
This framework integrates with:
- toss-patterns: Apply 7 success patterns (Pain Point, Trojan Horse, Friction Removal, etc.) - use together for deeper insights
- roi-analyzer: Calculate ROI for each expansion stage (Q13-Q16)
- strategic-thinking: Apply SWOT/GAP analysis for competitive positioning
Next Steps
For Quick Reference: See templates and formulas in REFERENCE.md
For Industry Adaptations: See B2B SaaS, E-commerce, Healthcare variations in REFERENCE.md
Meta Note
After applying this framework, always reflect:
- What worked well in this market analysis?
- What assumptions need further validation?
- What data gaps exist, and how to fill them?
This reflection creates a virtuous cycle of continuous market learning.
For detailed usage and examples, see related documentation files.
