Why Trust Value Management Is the Better GTM Strategy
TVM isn’t just better GTM—it’s the only GTM that compounds trust, not just traffic. Build systems people believe in, or risk compounding churn.
In response to: “In AI, GTM Is the Only Moat That Lasts” by Rick Koleta
In an era where AI models are increasingly commoditized and technical advantages evaporate in weeks, Rick Koleta’s argument that Go-to-Market (GTM) motion is the only lasting moat rings true. Yet, I would argue that Koleta stops short of identifying the deeper operating principle that allows GTM to compound in a sustainable, defensible way.
That principle is trust; not as a vague ideal, but as a measurable, operational asset. And the only GTM strategy that systematizes this asset at scale is Trust Value Management (TVM).
Let’s break down why TVM isn’t just a better GTM approach; it’s the architecture upon which lasting compounding advantage is built.
I. The GTM Fallacy: Motion Without Meaning
Koleta is correct: in AI, the old product-led moats are dissolving. Features are ephemeral. Data advantages decay. Infrastructure is rent-based.
So, companies are pivoting to GTM strategy as their primary differentiator, virality loops, frictionless onboarding, shareable exports, and usage-based learning are touted as the new flywheels.
But here’s the problem: if the motion compounds, but the value it compounds is shallow, manipulative, or opaque, it erodes user trust, often faster than it gains adoption.
We’ve already seen this in action:
Generative AI tools that scale rapidly but face mass backlash over data misuse.
SaaS integrations that prioritize acquisition over usability or consent.
Hyper-viral UX decisions that boost signups, then tank retention.
Virality without trust is spam. GTM without integrity is just churn in motion.
TVM solves for this.
II. What Is TVM and Why Does It Outperform Classic GTM?
Trust Value Management (TVM) is an execution strategy that treats trust as the foundational unit of enterprise value. It quantifies, optimizes, and distributes trust across three interdependent systems:
Product Trust – How transparent, explainable, and respectful your AI or system is.
Process Trust – How reliable, fair, and user-centered your operational workflows are.
People Trust – How authentically your leadership and culture earn belief.
In our own work, embedding TVM led to:
A 22-point NPS lift in one year.
$27M in upsell revenue through rebuilt trust-based CX flows.
90% fewer opaque AI decisions in regulated verticals.
An automated GenAI product that cut support costs by $9M annually.
TVM isn’t a campaign. It’s a system of intentionality + accountability that compounds across every GTM domain:
TVM doesn’t just increase velocity. It compounds belief.
III. Why GTM Alone Fails Without Trust
Let’s revisit Koleta’s key assertions and examine how they collapse in a low-trust environment:
A. “Model edge erodes. Motion is the moat.”
True. But motion alone is directionless. The moment your brand gets flagged for deceptive AI, privacy abuse, or ethical shortfalls, that motion turns into mass exit.
TVM ensures your motion earns, not burns, trust.
B. “Your product should distribute itself.”
Yes. But if it distributes manipulation, bias, or exploitative design, you’ve just scaled harm.
TVM asks: Is what you’re compounding desirable? Verifiable? Human-centered?
C. “The product should improve with use.”
Absolutely. But at what cost? Many AI systems “improve” by harvesting user behavior in undisclosed ways.
TVM mandates consensual data feedback, transparent optimization, and explainable learning paths, particularly in regulated sectors such as healthcare, education, and finance.
IV. Trust as Compounding Leverage
Let’s speak in Koleta’s terms: what actually compounds in business?
CAC goes down when your brand is trusted in community spaces.
LTV increases when users feel aligned with your values and are safe using your tools.
Conversion accelerates when your onboarding process reflects clarity, not coercion.
Revenue grows when retention is driven by value, not lock-in.
Trust is the common multiplier across all of these. And unlike features, trust compounds without decay, as long as it’s maintained with rigor.
TVM turns trust from a fuzzy value into a flywheel force multiplier.
V. TVM in Practice: Proof from the Field
At Trustable, we embedded TVM principles into a multi-national Org’s CX stack. The result?
Churn dropped 12%.
Upsell revenue grew $27M.
Agent morale rose 18% as they felt empowered, not replaced, by explainable AI.
In another case, our SIGNAL methodology, which codifies trust via Sense, Interpret, Gauge, Normalize, Act, and Learn, enabled real-time trust governance in GenAI deployments across the public sector.
Where traditional GTM says “move fast,” TVM says “move with purpose.”
And it works.
VI. The Future: GTM Built on Trust Infrastructure
What Koleta misses is that motion is only a moat when the terrain doesn’t shift beneath you.
AI has fundamentally altered the terrain, users are more skeptical, regulators are more involved, and reputational risks travel at algorithmic speed.
This demands not just faster GTM, but foundational recalibration.
Trust Value Management does that by:
Embedding trust checkpoints into the product lifecycle.
Aligning GTM incentives with long-term customer success.
Operationalizing transparency, explainability, and fairness.
TVM is not just a “nice to have.” It is the compliance, retention, and brand insurance policy of the AI age.
Conclusion: GTM Is the Car. TVM Is the Road.
Rick Koleta is right to warn that product moats are fading and motion is everything. However, unless your GTM engine is built on a trustworthy foundation, you’re driving fast toward irrelevance, or worse, reputational collapse.
TVM is the durable foundation for GTM motion to compound ethically, effectively, and exponentially.
If GTM is how you move, TVM is why anyone stays.
That’s the real moat.