Clarity Before Confidence: Use TAM–SAM–SOM to Align Strategy With Execution

Marina Lukyanova
Nov 19
3 min read

Scaling plans fail when execution outgrows reach.

Teams build roadmaps and targets on potential, not on what they can win now.

That’s how drift begins.

The Real Gap

When vision sits above execution with no market boundary in between, every function fills the void with its own logic.

Product optimises for one segment.

Sales chases another.

Marketing fuels awareness with no conversion path.

Finance funds contradictions.

Activity rises.

Compounding falls.

The Tool: The Market Sizing Ladder

TAM, SAM, and SOM create one shared boundary for decisions.

TAM is everyone who could benefit.

SAM is the slice you can access with your current model, channels, and constraints.

SOM is what you can realistically convert in the next 12 to 24 months.

Key Principle

Plans should be shaped by SOM first.

If your targets, hiring, and roadmap don’t reference the same SOM, expect friction and missed commitments.

How to Use It

Define your universe (TAM). Keep it as context, not a goal.
Filter for relevance (SAM). Apply clear filters such as geography, segment, compliance, or distribution.
Focus on now (SOM). Of your SAM, what can you convert with your current brand, budget, and team.
Tie back to execution. Resourcing, pipeline design, and feature sequencing start from SOM, not from wish lists.
Communicate and revisit. Share the ladder widely. Update it quarterly. Keep a single owner trio: Sales, Product, and Finance.

Field Pattern (Composite)

A common scaling scenario looks like this.

A company presents a large TAM in the deck, but most qualified demand actually comes from one region and a small set of platforms or partners.

A practical reframing often looks like:

TAM: broad global audience with a specific need, kept as context.
SAM: firms in a defined region that fit clear compliance and distribution filters.
SOM: accounts reachable this year through existing partners and team capacity.

The impact is a narrower field, a cleaner pipeline, and a roadmap that prioritises integrations buyers are already asking for.

Operationalise It

Weekly: open pipeline review with a two-minute SOM check.

Monthly: run a funnel sanity check against SOM.

Quarterly: confirm or revise the ladder before planning.

Decision gate: no new initiative enters the plan unless it maps to SOM.

Reporting: board and investor updates start with TAM-SAM-SOM, then progress against SOM, then next decisions.

KPI Signals

Each objective gets one lead and one lag indicator tied to SOM.

The team acts on signals early and reports outcomes without vanity noise.

Quick Test

Ask your leadership team independently:

“If we had to win 100 more customers in the next quarter, who are they, and do they match our defined SOM?”

If the answers match, you have alignment.

If not, you have work to do.

Finish With Action

Block 60 minutes with Sales, Product, and Finance.

Write the ladder.

Pin it to your planning doc and board pack.

Review it at quarter close.

Let SOM drive resourcing, targeting, and the roadmap.

Clarity first.

Confidence follows.

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Marina Lukyanova is a Strategy Alignement & Ops Leader helping founders and executives turn big visions into aligned strategies that actually deliver results from revenue growth to execution clarity.

👉 Want help with alignment? Learn more at alignwise.co or reach out to me on LinkedIn to turn strategic intent into operational traction that moves the needle.

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