Part 3 of 3
Get ahead of competitors!
Here is the final installment, please be sure to share our blog with others!
If you missed Part 1 or Part 2, catch up first and read on!
7) How to appeal to your target prospect by standing out.
Standing out the “right” way is a good thing. For instance, a lot of company websites look exactly the same in style, format, etc. Maybe you’re going to get noticed by your prospect for having a site with a different look and feel than the norm, something really straight-forward and user-friendly without tons of tabs and pages.
You get to the point quickly, show your prospects what’s in it for them, why you’re their choice, and you provide them with the next steps in an easy format. Boom! Now you’re standing out!
8) What products/solutions interest your target prospect most or least.
Most companies these days have a vast array of products or services, especially those in the tech industry. Finding out which of those services are your bread and butter is key to optimizing your ROI.
We get a good idea if the company is publicly traded by using a FREE service such as Last 10K. You’ll be able to see detailed financial reports and even market “segments.” This can tell you, for instance, whether the company’s network or security segment is their biggest focus and whether it’s doing better or worse than the prior year.
You can also get this info from the SEC’s website, but it’s a lot more clunky. At the end of the day, where people spend their money is what they’re interested in the most.
9) What your client is willing to pay.
Finding out competitor pricing can be as easy as calling on their existing clients (if you know some) and getting input. This isn’t always going to be the case because the clients may not be willing to share payment-related info. However, the price is rarely the true buying obstacle.
If you’ve targeted the right prospect and your solution has real value, the price isn’t a huge issue. Your competition’s pricing will likely tell you more about how the market views the value that the company adds.
10) Whether you’re targeting the RIGHT prospect.
If you’re not targeting the right prospect, obviously you’re already behind the eight balls. If you and your competition are well-aligned according to offerings, value, and features, then the success of your competition can be a good gauge of your prospect targeting strategy.
Review sites mentioned above such as Last 10K to see which segment your competition is gaining traction. Positive traction can be an indicator of having the right clients targeted with the right offerings. It can also indicate a strong overall industry/market but you should be able to gauge that from your own experiences with the present market conditions.
There’s no magic bullet to attracting and retaining the right clients by targeting them with the right product/service. Mostly, it comes down to putting in the hours, doing the research, making the calls and getting face-time.
