Your Product Is Not a Fit For Everyone
If there's one thing I learned from the movie Inception it's this: You can only plant ideas in a receptive mind.
In sales, this is a close cousin of the statement: Your product is not a fit for everyone.
Leading businesses, I have been in this meeting more than once:
We have numbers to hit.
So we need to chase everyone at the same time because that's the only way the math works.
Despite the fact that the number one problem we solve isn't a fit for everyone.
If we don't chase, we can't hit our numbers.
Which means we can't get funding.
Which means we failed before we started.
I must confess, it is scary as hell being in these meetings. Particularly if you are a CEO trying to "rein in" your marketing team.
The truth is you should be asking more questions like this:
If your product is so great, why isn't your close rate 100% even in your narrow beachhead?
Can we narrow our beachhead even more to prove our point?
How can we be sure we are solving the right problem before investing more in this area?
Who desperately needs our product and is scared to keep using replacements? (Notice: people keep doing lots of things that are uncomfortable)
Rafael Zimberoff offered some words of wisdom, and a counterpoint to my Inception reference: “Reduce friction to acquire/onboard customers. Friction is the #1 enemy of growth…Plant seeds often, regularly, and persistently. Persistently might well mean over the course of years.”
Rich Richardson echoes my sentiments about narrowing in on your beachhead with this: “Focused analytics and honest assessments are critical elements of sales efficiency. The Pareto Principle applies to most activities including sales. 20% of sales reps typically generate 80% of total sales, and 20% of customers often account for 80% of total profits.”
Until you've really exhausted your beachhead segment, you've only proven your ability to be unfocused. Fall in love with the problem you're solving, and discovering more about why it matters, and - to whom.
