Ideas for profitable
communication
by Baruch ter Wal

Sometimes you need to be narrow minded

Should we be saying “no” to lucrative opportunities just because they fall outside the target market specified in our business plan?

Some of the time it makes sense to grab these opportunities when they fall into our lap. But it almost never makes sense to actively chase them.

There is always a temptation to spread the marketing net too wide. You know that your service can add value across industries, and is useful for both large and small businesses. So that’s the message that you take to market. But if your sales and marketing tries to appeal to everybody, you end up appealing to nobody. Helen Clark may have rubbed many people up the wrong way, but compare her popularity to Phil “all things to all people” Goff.

And the benefits of a clear focus go beyond perception. A clear customer focus

• Helps you pick your marketing channels
• Influences which networking events you’ll attend
• Determines your PR and case study priorities
• Pushes you to make your products special by being sensitive to how customers are different – not how they are the same.

So narrowing your focus, and sticking to that focus in your marketing and planning, helps you to end up with better products that are easier to sell. It’s a no brainer. But so is grabbing the odd amazing opportunity, even if it’s outside your focus. It’s New Zealand, not New York.

Just remember: they’re not gift horses if you’re chasing them.