Three words PMMs NEVER want to hear when going to market

95% of startups die because they lack the demand or at least the capture of it¹, and a lot of these failures have bad segmentation to blame.

So what happens when PMMs get asked to market the product to everyone? We get a bit more dead inside, right?

If you have ever heard these three words “we target everyone” and could not stop yourself from sighing, this one is for you.

Welcome to the next episode of Dying 4 Influence. The weekly newsletter for misunderstood B2B product marketers.

Know how the best PMMs operate in B2B. Get a dose of knowledge to stand tall in a sea of unseasoned marketing.

If you’re a new skellie, you can sign up here and join the misfits.

🎯How to move from mass targeting and deliver results instead

Eric said it best in the episode: “It’s like Oreos, I hate Oreo ice cream, but I like Oreos and milk”.

Seasoned PMMs know that you can’t target everyone at the same time, and in startup land, segmentation is even more crucial.

But how do you introduce the subject to your founder when they say: “Go after everyone” after being asked who to target?

So let’s imagine you’ve said:

“We’re going to run a test. By researching one audience segment, I will test if we have the potential to close more deals with them.”

If you’re not sure of what to say, I wrote a section especially on this a few scrolls back.

Eric’s Tip on Research

Two good questions Eric got from Devin Reed. Try to define more what they want to do (gains), and what they want to avoid at all costs (pains).

• What does a good day look like for you?

• What does a bad day look like for you?

It will help you get a lot of juicy details for your research and further define your audience segment.

Gab’s Tip on Research

So, asking these two questions is key, but when running these interviews, try to focus on the buying journey as well.

First, try to identify what is your trigger event. The moment when you realize you have a problem. And, then draw a comparison with your last buying experience.

I’ve bought courses, coaching, and more recently video software for LinkedIn videos.

A lot of these buying decisions have been because I needed to scale my processes for the summer, and I’m looking to double down on content.

What was my trigger event?

Summer can be a bit more slow for consulting, so I’m trying to increase the level of quality of my content.

A trigger event could have been:

• the warm season

• increased social engagement (posting more)

• increase in headcount on the pod (yeah, we got 2 new LinkedIn team members that we don’t know 👋)

In the end, keeping that buying trigger as part of your ICP is key when segmenting your market.

Zach’s Tip on Research

Keep in mind contextual inquiries!

Observe your target audience working through your workflow of interest.

You need to understand your core audience in their natural environment to see how they would approach the problem.

When writing the JTBDs (jobs-to-be-done) book, Clayton Christensen explained how they watched the McDonald's drive-thru to analyze how to boost milkshake sales.

It’s always ultra difficult to argue with a founder who’s not open to negotiation.

Happened to me just last week 🫠.

Here’s how you can keep the conversation going if you’re getting a cold no:

1. Present data and case studies: Similar to what we’re talking about in the episode, there are a lot of great case studies of good segmentation in the wild. You should always show the context of what you’re presenting.

2. Outline potential risks and consequences: Going too global can waste efforts. I like to compare in terms of hours and time spent on projects. What is the impact projected, the length of the initiative, and the costs?

3. Suggest a pilot test: It’s easy to disagree, but even if pragmatic, you need to sell that inertia is a greater enemy than niching down. Trying a new test or an experiment can give you the ammunition you need to prove it

It’s as if these founders have been influenced by skeletons, but like…

the bad kind, not like us you know?

🎙Featured Episode:
Segmentation: How to deal with "go after everyone" as a target market

In this episode, we’re sharing our individual stories on situations where we had to “target everyone”, and how we barely got out alive from them, but also:

• How to identify audience needs and build a GTM strategy

• Examples of businesses doing it successfully

• What great market segmentation looks like

• How powerful storytelling can be

• How to apply it internally

Go outside, it’s getting warmer, and listening to this pod while doing physical activities makes it even more enjoyable.

Ciao!

Get the new episode here: https://www.notmarketers.com/season-2

✨ NEW COLLECTION

Eric cracked his knuckles and got to work on a new hoodie collection that is absolutely insane if you ask me (this messaging hits differently is amazing)

Reply and tell us which collection is your favorite! It’s all available under the Merch tab on our website.

We read every reply {menacing voice like Duo from Duolingo}

📢 Share the Word

How many of your fellow Product Marketers need to read this? Drop them this newsletter so we can all enjoy the memes.