The Power of Knowing Who You Serve
Before you can sell to anyone, you need to know who you are selling to. Only then can you build genuine connections with customers who need your help.
Selling to the wrong people wastes everyone’s time
When we start a business, we can get super enthusiastic and want to get out there and start selling as soon as possible. Although I’m a big believer in not waiting for everything to be ready before you start conversations, spending time to be clear on who you are selling to will save you – and those you speak with – a heap of time and money.
Early on in our sales cycle, we need to qualify our customers – that is ensure that they actually need what we are selling, that they can afford it, and that we are connected with the right person who can make a decision to buy it.
If we are not clear on who is the right fit for what we are selling, it is almost impossible to qualify our opportunities. We can waste huge amounts of time having conversations with people who are not the right fit.
Get Clarity on your Target Customer First
I was at an event last week and was asked the question:
“How much of your product do you need to have built before you start selling?”
I’m not sure there is a clear answer to that question. But what I do know is, you want to test the concept as soon as you can - before you start selling. It is worthwhile spending some time testing your product concept and getting clarity and understanding who your target customer is.
We do this by :
🎯 Identifying distinct customer segments and understanding their unique needs.
🎯 Running insightful interviews with real potential customers and capturing actionable feedback.
🎯 Validating your ideas by testing your assumptions with potential customers to ensure your solutions truly resonate.
Why an OK fit is not enough
So, before you actually try to sell them something, a lot of people will tell you that they like your product and what you are building. When you actually ask them to pay for it… that may be a different story.
Your target customer is not someone who just likes what you do and thinks it is a good idea. It can’t be a ‘nice to have’ for them. It needs to be something that will solve a problem that they have, in a way they like better than any other option out there, and that they are prepared to spend money to use.
The fit needs to be robust, and your understanding of who your ideal customer is needs to be crystal clear.
The right customer will want to engage
Once you have found that sweet spot, those customers will want to engage with you. All we need to do is start some genuine conversations and know how to move that conversation through to a closed sale.
Sales is simply about converting that interest into something concrete.
Have effective Sales Conversations
With our clear picture of the problem we are solving and for whom, we can ensure the conversations we start are effective.
We are no longer trying to understand what we want to build for our customer – we have already done that. We are now moving into sales mode. We want to invite them to open up about the challenge we are pretty sure they have, engage in a meaningful conversation about it, and propose a way to help them solve it.
Our meetings with prospective customers are focused and have a purpose. We move them through from qualification, to sales discovery, to presentation – handling their objections, and then provide a proposal. All of this is an ongoing discussion about how we can solve their challenges.
We are not having endless looping conversations – we are engaging in a meaningful and purposeful way.
By the time we get to the final agreement the customer is feeling confident that this is the best solution for them.
Successful sales start with a strong product and market fit. It will make all of your conversations easier and improve your conversion. Focusing on the right target is the foundation of a solid business.
