Who can use your product or service? Who can you sell to? Who is a potential buyer?
Most people like to answer, “Everyone!” In most cases, this is probably true, and we can lists hundreds of products that everyone uses. However, the reality is not everyone is going to stand in line to buy your offer at first. Nor can you target everyone right away.
The shotgun effect works in some cases, but for most people launching or expanding a product it works best when you start with a focus.
When you speak with a marketer, an investor, or anyone else who is in the business of growing a business it tells them that you really do not have a plan of how to direct your marketing and sales efforts.
There are two lists I recommend you make. First make a list of every type of customer that uses your product. Order it by who uses it the most. Then, make a list of every type of customer who could use your product but is not using it now. Order it by the size of the group. Consider the ease of reaching that group and the cost. Ideally, the first 20% of the people should be potentially using the bulk of your product (initially).
Then start planning on how you reach each group, the relevant messages (trigger points) and put together a plan.
When someone asks who can use your product, instead of saying everyone, you can say, “The biggest segments are these people. Of course, after that, we can expand into segment X and Y. We are working on other targets as well.” Leave it the listener to extend that thought to “everyone”. By using segmentation, you get them to buy into the potential success of your business.
