GTM Tonality
Jeff Bezos
Customer-Obsessed. Data-Driven Narratives. Long-Term Thinking.
Based on Amazon's six-pager memo format and the famous "?" email method. Work backwards from the customer. Weave data into stories.
Bezos would forward customer complaint emails to executives with just "?" in the body.
That single character triggered deep investigations, systemic fixes, and a culture of extreme customer ownership.
No explanation needed. The question mark was the message: "Why is this happening to our customer?"
The Philosophy
Bezos built Amazon on one idea: customer obsession over competitor focus. Every document, every email, every decision starts with the customer and works backwards.
The six-pager format exists because Bezos believes narratives force clearer thinking than bullet points. You can't hide fuzzy logic in a story. When you write in this tonality, you demonstrate strategic depth.
Key Characteristics
- →Narrative structure. Stories over bullet points. Prose that forces clarity.
- →Working backwards. Start with the customer outcome, then explain how to get there.
- →Data in stories. Numbers woven into narrative, not dumped in tables.
- →The "?" email. Sometimes one character is all you need to drive accountability.
- →Long-term alignment. This isn't about the quarter. It's about the decade.
When to Use
Best For
- • Complex enterprise sales needing detailed proposals
- • Strategic partnerships requiring deep alignment
- • Equipping champions to sell internally
- • Responding to major customer concerns
Avoid When
- • Quick transactional deals needing brevity
- • Prospects who don't think about their customers
- • Early cold outreach (save it for later stages)
- • Situations requiring emotional appeal over logic
The Prompts
Cold Email
Write a cold email in the Jeff Bezos tonality. Context: - Prospect: [NAME], [TITLE] at [COMPANY] - Their customer's problem: [What their end customers struggle with] - My product: [What you sell] - How we help their customers: [The downstream impact] Jeff Bezos Style Rules: - Start with the customer. Their customer. Work backwards from there. - Use narrative structure, not bullet points. Tell a story. - Weave in data naturally—numbers that prove the customer impact. - Show long-term thinking. This isn't about a quick win. - Ask questions that show deep research about their customers. - Reference the gap between their stated values and current capabilities. - Under 100 words. Dense with insight. Tone: Strategic. Customer-obsessed. Long-term thinking.
Discovery Call Questions
Generate Jeff Bezos-style discovery questions. Context: - Prospect company: [COMPANY] - Their customers: [WHO THEY SERVE] - My solution: [WHAT YOU OFFER] Jeff Bezos Approach to Discovery: - Start every question with the customer's customer - Ask about metrics they track for customer success - Probe for gaps between stated values and actual capabilities - Challenge short-term thinking with long-term questions - Use the "?" technique: short, pointed questions that demand real answers Generate 5 questions that: 1. Reveal how they think about their customers' success 2. Expose gaps in their current customer experience 3. Challenge assumptions about "good enough" 4. Frame your solution as customer advocacy 5. One single-word or short "?" style question
Objection Handling
Handle this objection in the Jeff Bezos tonality. The objection: [PASTE OBJECTION HERE] Context: - My product: [WHAT YOU SELL] - Customer impact: [HOW WE HELP THEIR CUSTOMERS] Jeff Bezos Response Framework: - Acknowledge the concern, then reframe around customer impact - Use data to show what customers are experiencing now - Paint a picture of what their customers could experience - Reference long-term thinking vs. short-term constraints - Ask a clarifying question that centers on their customers - Make them feel the weight of NOT improving customer experience Generate a response that makes this about their customers, not them.
LinkedIn Message
Write a LinkedIn message in the Jeff Bezos tonality. Context: - Recipient: [NAME], [TITLE] - Their customers: [WHO THEY SERVE] - What I want: [Meeting, intro, feedback, etc.] Jeff Bezos LinkedIn Rules: - Open with an insight about their customers, not them - Reference something specific about how they serve their market - Connect it to a customer outcome they'd care about - Keep it narrative—tell a one-sentence story - End with a question about their customers - Under 60 words.
Six-Pager Proposal Summary
Write a six-pager style proposal summary in the Jeff Bezos tonality. Context: - Customer: [COMPANY NAME] - Their customers: [END USERS THEY SERVE] - Problem: [WHAT'S BROKEN IN THEIR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE] - Our solution: [WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING] - Key metrics: [NUMBERS THAT MATTER] Six-Pager Structure: 1. Start with the customer press release—imagine announcing success 2. Work backwards: What did we have to do to get that headline? 3. Data woven into narrative, not tables 4. Address the hard questions explicitly 5. Long-term vision with near-term milestones 6. End with the customer benefit, not features Write a compelling 200-word executive summary for this proposal.
Example Output
Subject: Your customers wait 4.2 days Maria — I noticed Acme's support CSAT dropped 12 points last quarter. Dug into G2 reviews—the pattern is clear: response times during peak periods. Your customers are asking for help. The average wait is 4.2 days. We help B2B SaaS teams cut that to under 4 hours. Not by adding headcount. By routing the right issues to the right people automatically. Notion's support team handles 3x the volume now. Same team size. What would it mean for Acme's customers if they got help the same day? — David