Business Growth Blog

Who do you want to sell to? It may seem like an obvious question for a business, but identifying your niche market (a.k.a. buyer persona, target prospect, target segment, ideal profitable customer, etc.) may be more challenging than it sounds. Plus, the answer might change over time as your company grows and develops. Here are some ideas about how startups and early-stage companies can improve the success of their sales and marketing investment by clearly identifying their target market criteria, building a list of ideal customers, and tightening the messaging.

Brands serve as extensions of our self-concept and identity. They encapsulate and convey our core values, lifestyles, and aspirations. When we choose to associate with a brand, we are expressing a part of ourselves to the world.

The biggest problems I see sales teams face by not having a clearly defined niche market, or target prospect, is a lack of focus on who their supposed to call on and an inability to create strong sales messages that get meetings. And when you’re eager to work with any kind of company that walks through the door, it’s very easy to get monopolized by customers that take too much time for not enough money.

Here are 3 tips you can use to help you define your niche market.

Most organizations understand who they're trying to sell to, at least at a high level. But it's often pretty vague and centers around company information like industry, revenue, # of employees, and geography. The problem with that approach is that sellers and marketers aren't trying to talk to companies; they're trying to talk to people.

The only way to sell is to communicate your message effectively to the right people.

Obviously, you wouldn't communicate with a toddler the same way you would with a teenager. In sales, you wouldn't (or shouldn't!) communicate the same message to all the various decision makers either.

For example, imagine you're selling technology to the HR department. The HR Director, CIO, and CEO may all be involved in the decision, and each one of those people has different agendas and priorities.

I was talking with an owner of an insurance agency the other day, and he was telling me one of his biggest challenges is getting his commercial insurance reps to clearly define their target audience. They’re struggling because they don’t really know who to start calling on.

It seems so simple: Who do you want to be your customers?

But when your service can span over multiple industries, it can be a real challenge. It’s still kind of a challenge for me and my marketing services! I could sell to a million different kinds of companies. Can’t I just sell to anyone who comes my way?

Sure I can. But the problem is that sales don’t normally "come your way." You have to actively go out and find people who could benefit from using your product or service and then convince them they would be better off working with you.

If you don’t clearly define your target audience and who you want to work with, sales is an uphill battle. Here’s why: