I once had a sales rep call to sell me display ads. Fair enough but given that our site was BtoB we clearly were not a good fit for his service. So I asked him, “Why are you calling me?” He honestly didn’t have a good reason, other than “you were on my list to call.” He either didn’t do his research before calling, doesn’t understand what his ideal prospect looks like or both. I’m betting it was all of the above.  


Do you know what your ideal prospect profile “IPP” looks like? 

  • Vertical(s) or industries?
  • Size of company?
  • Type of business?
  • Distribution model?
  • Title and role of the key contact(s)?
  • Need and pain you solve?
  • Deal size?

If the answer to that question is no, you should put down the phone and please don’t send anymore emails until you figure this out. Make every touch more effective by going after your IPP from the start. 

Here is an easy exercise to find your IPP.

  1. Compile a list in a spreadsheet of your current customers and top prospects
  2. Tally up the characteristics of your customers and top prospects by vertical, size of business, type of business, distribution model, role and title of lead, size of deal, problem you solve, sales cycle, etc.
  3. Look for the pattern – what are the common core traits?
  4. Go after your IPP – create a list of accounts that fit the description and strategically target your IPP

This will also help fine tune your story, create relevant use cases, produce obvious references, build industry expertise, shorten your sales cycle, and create a repeatable sales process. 

“You down with IPP? Yeah you know me?” How many of you got that reference? 

Happy hunting!
——————————————————————————————
You can also find me @vincebeese and LinkedIn