Who Are You Selling To?

I had a quick retrospective meeting with myself. Why was it so hard to sell my product to this market?

My product isn’t that bad actually it is a very unique offering that can solve a problem.

The people I dealt with weren’t stupid on the contrary, they were very smart and well-educated.

The clients didn’t lack of money actually they were one of elite groups, who ran a very lucrative business.

I ticked all the three boxes and yet failed to make some money. Why?

Now, I know why.

Because I sold a right product that solved a right problem to the wrong group of clients. Because my product didn’t directly contribute to their production and revenue.

Let’s assume I have a product that is built to manage clothes; inventory, tracking, things like that. I then spot a big opportunity that big fast food chains use tons of clothes and uniforms.

They have so many staff and branches so they must have a problem managing their uniforms. — Yes.

They are big enterprises so their management staff must be well-educated and think for the future. — Yes.

They are big so they must be able to pay. — Yes.

But their main business isn’t about clothes. They don’t get revenue from managing uniforms. They don’t see my product as a tool to help make money. — That’s it. The end of the story.

They don’t see a sound reason to pour money (even though it is a small amount of money) into my product. They may think to themselves why don’t we pay to improve our recipe, to modernize our logistics system, and so on.

On the hindsight, I would employ a different strategy to bring my product to the market. What if I tackle a smaller market that my product can directly contribute to their main operations, and revenue engine. A market like apparel and small fashion brands.

They may not be very big. They may not have a lot of money. But my product is direct to the point. I have a product that can help them manage clothes a lot better. For them, better management of their products means more money coming in. It is a much clearer reason to buy or at least try my product.

On the hindsight, I think it is not about a size of clients, how smart they are, or how much money they have. It is about whether or not my product helps them make more money.

The first question remains the same — Who are you selling to?

The answer on the other hand changes dramatically now.

Thinking and writing are the things I like. Sharing is what I love. Because of them, I write everyday to share stories from my thoughts and experiences, from the future I see and believe in. Everything I use to build Inthentic a better home. A home of people who want to do good things and give back. A home that is a small starting point of changes for a better society. I am proud of what I am doing. And even prouder to know that I am not doing it alone.

Thanks for reading. :-)