Identifying Your Target Market: 

Those Who Buy What You Make or Do

Pull out a pen and legal pad and for this one and let’s get started. This is serious, perhaps more serious than what you actually do or make. It’s not practice or an exercise-it’s an in your face "must"-and it’ll provide you with the map to getting more customers and in turn, more opportunities to do what it is you do.

Start by writing down what it is you do or make. If you had to tell someone at a party what it is you do, what would you say? We’re not talking about your title here. We’re talking about what you do. It’s not, "I’m a lawyer", it’s "I practice law." It’s not, "I’m a caterer", it’s "I cater parties." If you’re a sub-contractor, you build custom homes and if you’re a physician you practice medicine. Maybe you do many different things. A florist might own a flower shop, put together floral arrangements and deliver flowers. Whatever this thing you do is, put it down at the top of the sheet.

Next, what are the features your customers experience or perceive to experience (another issue of it’s own) by hiring you to make or do whatever it is you offer. This feature issue is the beginning of a Sales School 101 acronym known as FAB, or Feature, Advantage, Benefit. In this article we will address only the Feature portion. These are the points many sales professionals are trained to articulate continually to their prospects and customers. Being a new sales person, one who has just now begun to create the sales mind ask yourself what features your customers will get from doing business with you and/or your company? Don’t be concerned with the differentiation factor right now--just address what it is you hope to provide them. A flower shop owner might offer a gift alternative. A physician may make people feel better. A caterer could deliver a wonderful and stress free buffet to wedding receptions. Whoops…I slipped with the "wonderful and stress free" comment-this is actually a benefit and a possible differentiator (a topic we’ll cover in the near future)-sorry, it’s in my blood. This simple feature statement should actually be "A caterer could deliver a buffet to wedding receptions." What is the feature(s) you provide? With this, you can now identify your target market-those individuals who you must approach to buy your product or service.

Depending on the product or service you provide, this step can be simple or very complex. In its simplest form, the question to ask is, "Who will benefit from the features of my product or service?" Because you’ve identified not only what it is you do but also, what features you provide, you can now address this question with the sales mind. Trial attorneys, for instance, might answer this question by saying, "those who need litigation work done." Our florist might conclude married or single men would benefit from the gift alternative they provide. Sub-contractors would certainly identify general contractors as a target market. An orthopedic surgeon? This one’s a little complex when you throw in the structure of who pays the bills and their control in the decision process. We’ll address this more complex issue in a future article but let’s focus on the surface answer now. An orthopedic surgeon serves individuals with bone problems-this is their target market.

For each of these features ask the same question-"Who will benefit from this feature?" This might give you several different markets to target and will ultimately help you in the future steps of the selling process-communicating your advantages and differentiating factors to your target market.

The first step in effective selling or bringing in revenue (after creating the sales mind) is identifying your target market. Without it, you’re putting your faith in luck or happenstance in making it possible to do what it is you do. Luck or happenstance aren’t methods of selling.