Archive for the ‘Target Market’ Category
Being crystal clear about WHAT your business does and WHO you serve is a key factor in your ability to attract the interest and response of people who could do business with you.
Typically, that’s not common in businesses. Consider how often you meet someone who tells you what they do and you’re still clueless about what they do and whether you (or someone you know) might benefit from their services.
A business is in one of 4 ‘Clarity Categories’ based on the mission and market it serves.
ZORBA — this firm is completely unclear about what it does and who might care. When Zorba The Greek’s new boss asked, “What do you do, Zorba?” Zorba replied, “Hey Boss Man I have 2 hands and 2 feet. They do whatever they like. Who am I to choose?”. Unfortunately, a ‘Zorba’ business is a muddled business and suffers because of it. (Hope you don’t see yourself in this cataegory!)
MISSIONARY — this firm has ‘seen the light’ and is really clear about why it exists — it’s mission is well defined. Problem is, the firm’s leaders haven’t identified the groups of people who would most likely understand, value and embrace the firm’s mission or ‘beneficial difference’. A ‘Missionary’ business feels good about why it exists but without clarity on the market segments it can serve profitably, it hurts financially.
Tomorrow . . . we’ll touch on the remaining two: the Mercenary and the Marketeer
KEY POINT:
Clarity in your MISSION and MARKET . . . is a beautiful thing
“Don’t Hide Your Light Under a Bushel”
I loved this book. No, I didn’t read it. I just read the cover! It’s ‘over-the-top’. But that’s why I’m writing about it and not something else.
My friend, THIS . . . is great copy! “Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!). Telling like it is (or, you hope it will be) is very, very attractive, isn’t it?
Skinny Bitch and The Elevator Pitch
Nice rhyme. But I digress . . . My point of this post is that, like a book cover, your ‘introductory comments’ AKA elevator pitch need to rise above the hum-drum and capture the attention of people you’re talking with. If it’s benign and ‘vanilla-esque’ then you’ll likely not be noticed and that, in business, can be verrrry deadly!
So ‘Go For It’ . . . take a chance . . . on change. Tell the world WHO you are by sharing WHAT you do and FOR WHOM. And when you think you’ve got it . . . throw in 20% more ‘edginess’ . . . just to be sure your words will work.
KEY POINT:
Tell it like it is . . . Go BIG or Go Home
Recently, social media anchors LinkedIn and facebook have made the news.
LinkedIn went public with an IPO and within a month is trading at about 66% of what it sold for on day one. But no doubt LinkedIn is happy as are the many people who own a piece of the dream as they say.
Meanwhile, facebook’s BranchOut — a competitive online networking service, has not been idle, either. Actually, it has. For the past 10 months, it wasn’t really attracting new users. But, in just 2 weeks, utilization has soared. From 200,000 to almost 1,000,000 users.
WHY? Simple. BranchOut changed it’s user experience. Dropped the irrelevant bells and whistles. Stuck to it’s core function — simple, elegant, professional networking. Made it easier to use. Form followed function. Simple elegance. Elegantly simple. The marketplace followed. Amazing how ‘getting it right’ often results in ‘getting it done’.
KEY POINT:
Simplicity . . . that’s functional and valuable . . . sells!
