Sherwin Day 1 Buyability

---
name: sherwin-day-1-buyability
description: "Build a B2B creator GTM plan using Marcus Sherwin's public Buyability method and Bain's Likelihood to Buy research. Use when a brand needs early shortlist presence, buying committee trust, role-specific proof, creator distribution, and a measurable sales handoff."
---

# B2B Creator GTM for the Day 1 List

Based on Marcus Sherwin's public method. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Marcus Sherwin.

## When to use

Use this skill to design or review a B2B creator GTM programme that earns consideration before a buying process opens and builds confidence once the vendor is considered. It fits founders, CMOs, product marketers, demand generation teams, and revenue leaders working on category visibility, enterprise committee coverage, or credible creator distribution.

Produce a decision-ready plan linking buyer concerns to credible voices, evidence, distribution, and commercial learning. The central diagnostic has two separate questions: does the buyer remember and consider the vendor at the start, and does the whole committee believe the vendor can deliver? Content activity alone answers neither question.

Start with the information supplied. Seek only missing facts that materially change the recommendation, such as category, named competitors, target accounts, available proof, creator relationships, or budget. Mark unresolved assumptions and continue with a conditional plan. Never invent customer results, creator audience data, shortlist research, or platform integration capabilities.

This skill encodes public guidance, rather than a licensed Bain instrument. Preserve the method names Buyability, Day 1 List, and Likelihood to Buy. Describe any custom survey, scoring, or dashboard as an adaptation. Publishing, spending, configuring live systems, and contacting creators require authorization within the user's task scope.

## Procedure

1. **Frame the buying situation.** Record the category, use case, account segment, geography, competitors, buying trigger, and commercial objective. Identify the time available before likely evaluation. Use [method scope and inputs](references/method.md#1-scope-and-inputs) and the [output fields](templates/output-template.md) to distinguish facts, hypotheses, and missing information.

2. **Diagnose the two moments of truth.** Separate unaided Day 1 List presence from confidence once considered. Choose a visibility, confidence, combined, or leadership-preservation response using [diagnostic rules](references/method.md#3-diagnose-before-choosing-tactics). If buyer evidence is unavailable, propose research and state that the diagnosis is provisional.

3. **Map the committee.** Include the champion and economic buyer plus Finance, IT, Procurement, and other relevant guardians. Record each role's influence, risk, evidence needs, and accessible channels. Apply [committee mapping](references/method.md#4-map-the-whole-buying-committee), checking that a CRM persona list has not silently replaced the committee.

4. **Choose confidence priorities.** Compare the vendor with named alternatives across the five research themes. Pick the few differences that could change the decision, and identify genuine operational weaknesses that content cannot solve. Follow [confidence and proof](references/method.md#5-build-a-confidence-and-proof-map).

5. **Match people to concerns.** Select internal SMEs and external practitioners by actual expertise, genuine product experience, and audience relevance. Explain the role each voice can credibly address. Use [voice selection](references/method.md#6-select-and-enable-credible-voices), without assuming the highest follower count offers the best fit.

6. **Design a sustained content sequence.** Build useful practitioner stories, demonstrations, and risk explanations around verified evidence. Brief the desired buyer belief while preserving the author's voice. Connect early category recognition with continued consideration. Follow [content rules](references/method.md#7-create-content-that-earns-trust) and compare the [worked illustrations](examples/worked-examples.md).

7. **Specify rights and continuity.** Record ownership, paid usage duration, sponsorship permission, disclosure, renewal, and takedown handling for external partners. Distinguish affiliate incentives from paid amplification fees. Apply [relationship rules](references/method.md#8-agree-rights-and-incentives) before recommending activation.

8. **Plan organic learning and paid distribution.** Identify relevant organic resonance, choose posts to amplify, and specify committee audiences and a follow-on destination. Verify current platform features before implementation. Use [distribution rules](references/method.md#9-distribute-and-maintain-consideration) rather than treating historical UI advice as a current capability guarantee.

9. **Design an observable handoff.** State which account and role signals are actually available, their granularity, the decision threshold, owner, and next action. Keep inferred exposure separate from identifiable engagement. Apply [orchestration rules](references/method.md#10-orchestrate-a-feasible-sales-handoff); write outreach around a relevant problem and truthful context.

10. **Set commercial learning measures.** Establish buyer research, committee coverage, proof engagement, sales progression, and outcome baselines. Separate influenced pipeline from sourced revenue and causal lift. Use [measurement rules](references/method.md#11-measure-and-learn) to state when to continue, revise, or stop the proposed programme.

11. **Assemble the deliverable.** Fill [the output template](templates/output-template.md) with the diagnosis, role matrix, creator briefs, distribution, handoff, measurement, owners, and open decisions. Cite substantive public-method claims through [the source register](references/sources.md). Label invented examples and local operating choices clearly.

12. **Review and revise.** Apply [the pass/fail checklist](checklists/review-checklist.md). Repair unsupported proof, missing hidden buyers, weak creator fit, unverifiable signals, and misleading metric claims. Return the completed plan with material gaps and the concrete next decision.

## Files in this skill

- [SLUG.txt](SLUG.txt): Canonical package identifier.
- [SKILL.md](SKILL.md): Entry point, scope, and procedure.
- [references/method.md](references/method.md): Cited method, decision rules, and adaptations.
- [references/sources.md](references/sources.md): Public sources fetched and their contributions.
- [examples/worked-examples.md](examples/worked-examples.md): Invented before-and-after applications.
- [templates/output-template.md](templates/output-template.md): Deliverable fields and completion guidance.
- [checklists/review-checklist.md](checklists/review-checklist.md): Pass/fail criteria, failure modes, and repairs.