In sales, not all customers are created equal. The first step in crafting a robust Sales Playbook for your company is to identify your ideal customer. Your sales team should focus on generating revenue by targeting customers who are the best fit for your business.
To identify your ideal customers, start by analyzing your existing customer base. Look for patterns and characteristics that make certain customers stand out. Consider the following factors:
Customer Loyalty: How long have they been with you? This reflects both their loyalty and the value they place on your offerings.
Revenue Generation: How much revenue do they generate? Do they make repeat purchases, and can you up-sell or cross-sell to them?
Market Growth: Are they in a growing or slowing industry?
Aim to identify 3-5 different companies to analyze and prioritize which profiles to pursue. Determine which customer types offer the best path to accelerate your growth.
Understanding your Buyer’s Journey
To identify the best customers, understand how they make purchasing decisions, known as the "Buyer’s Journey." The typical stages include:
Discover: The buyer becomes aware of a potential need for your solution. At this stage, they may engage in introductory research to learn more about available options.
Explore: The buyer's interest grows as they look into specific solutions. They compare different offerings to address their need.
Decision: After reviewing their options, the buyer selects the company with the best solution and is ready to purchase.
Engage: The buyer becomes a customer, coordinating the delivery and impact of the solution on their business.
Using the Buyer’s Journey as a roadmap, analyze and compare which customers are the best fit for your business. Manage this process with the following template:
Assessing Your Ideal Customers
Select a preferred customer and use the Buyer’s Journey template to evaluate them:
Discover Stage:
Do you understand who your customer is and why they purchased from you? What is their role in the organization?
What problem or challenge were they addressing? Is this common to other customers?
Where did they research solutions?
How did they find you?
Explore Stage:
Do you have a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?
Is your value proposition clearly defined?
Can you differentiate your solution from competitors?
Do you have a process for nurturing leads?
Decision Stage:
Do you have a well-defined sales process that guides prospects to make informed decisions?
Does your sales team have the skills and experience to represent your solution effectively?
How strong is your existing pipeline? Are there similar opportunities?
What does your future revenue forecast look like?
Engage Stage:
Do you have the resources to onboard new customers effectively?
Can you deliver the proposed solution to meet customer expectations?
Does this customer offer future revenue potential through up-sell or cross-sell opportunities?
Do you have operational metrics to ensure success?
Complete this exercise for each identified customer. This will help you pinpoint the opportunities with the highest potential to grow your business. Once done, rank and prioritize these customer types for your sales team. Finally, set revenue goals for each customer type.
As the business leader, it’s up to you to set the direction for your sales team. Don’t just “turn em loose” to sell. Instead, provide clear direction and guidance to ensure that you get the best customers for your business.
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