Who this is for
Founders and GTM/Ops leaders planning their first EU revenue. The playbook works for SaaS, tech-enabled services and D2C (with minor tweaks).
1) Validate demand (2–3 wks)
Goal: confirm there’s paid demand before you invest in heavy localization.
- ICP signals: industry, firmographics, pain, existing budget line.
- Fast channels: partner intros, founder outbound, 5–10 customer interviews.
- Smoke tests: EU-only landing + paid search for 5–7 key terms (EN first).
- Qualify interest: measure reply rate, call rate, and problem fit notes.
Template: Interview guide • Lightweight EU landing • Signal log
2) Choose first region
Pick one region to win first; add the second only after repeatability.
- English-friendly first: 🇮🇪, 🇳🇱, 🇸🇪, 🇩🇰, 🇫🇮, 🇧🇪 (Flanders). For DACH/FR/ES — start EN pilot + local SE/CS later.
- Partner surface: cloud marketplaces, SIs, ISVs, disti, affiliates.
- Regulatory friction: data residency, sector regs (health/fin), import rules (for D2C).
- Unit economics: CAC drivers, expected ACV/AOV, logistics costs.
Scorecard template: Region prioritization matrix
3) Readiness: compliance, tax, pricing
- Data & privacy: GDPR, SCCs/DPA, cookie consent. If needed — EU data-hosting option.
- Billing: EU-friendly contracts, NDAs, invoices (BG/EU VAT supported).
- Pricing: display EUR (incl. VAT for B2C), round to local anchors; for B2B — list ex-VAT.
- Support: EU business hours, SLA page, status page link.
Checklist: GDPR/DPA pack • Invoice & VAT cheat-sheet
4) 90-day entry plan
- W1–2: baseline, region shortlist, case-study tailoring, founder-led discovery, partner map.
- W3–6: first 20–40 meetings; 2–3 design partners; enable 1–2 resellers/affiliates.
- W7–10: pipeline health, pricing validation, first paid pilots; launch localized FAQs.
- W11–13: close pilots, publish first EU win, prepare scale playbook.
Artifacts: EU pitch deck • 1-pager • Partner Brief • Mutual Action Plan
5) Metrics & dashboard
- Top-funnel: reply rate, 1st calls, partner sourced opps.
- Mid-funnel: SQLs, design partners, MAPs active, win-reasons.
- Commercial: ACV/AOV, CAC payback, first-revenue date, churn risks.
Download: EU GTM dashboard (Google Sheets)
6) Risks checklist
- Too many regions at once → split focus, thin pipeline.
- Over-localization too early → costs without signal.
- Partner-first without enablement → zero throughput.
- Compliance gaps → security/procurement stalls.
Want a second set of eyes on your EU plan?