Last night I attended a networking event during which I was asked what the biggest mistake I see when working with people on their marketing plans and strategy. My response was “not knowing who to say NO to”.
My response may sound just like another way of saying “you have to have a clear picture of your ideal customer” but I believe there is a significant difference. I believe that having a clear picture of who you don’t work with (and sticking to your guns) is a good indication of whether you are putting your marketing strategy into practice and just nodding along with marketing theory and platitudes you hear and read.
One of our goals in marketing, particularly B2B marketing, is to become known as the “go to” resource for a particular domain – a particular type of customer who is facing a particular type of problem. In order to achieve that goal we need abandon the “all things to all people” attitude and narrow our focus.
Knowing who to say no to will help you narrow your focus. Many business owners view their ideal customer profile as a wish list rather than as a focusing tool. They think “this is who I will keep an eye out for, but in the meantime I’ll take any work I can get”. This approach can actually make it more difficult to serve an ideal customer once they find you.
I think saying “No” becomes easier the more you believe in the value of the service you provide. Some of this has to do with a sense of mission but some of it also has to do with charging a price that is reflective of the value you provide – something I think many professionals struggle with, but that’s another post for another day.
Knowing who to say “No” to, having a plan for identifying them as well as a plan for telling them “No” (i.e. having someone to refer them to) and having the courage to follow through with the “No” is a difficult but essential part of taking your marketing and your business to the next level.
Do you know who you will be saying “No” to in 2012?
