As any business owner can attest, customer acquisition can feel like a never-ending struggle. So, when you’re endlessly prospecting for new clients, the concept of an “ideal” customer can seem a bit luxurious. After all, isn’t any customer that is willing to pay for your services “ideal”? In order to build and maintain long-term growth, we must mature beyond this strict survival mindset and recognize that the only way our company can differentiate itself, list build effectively, and develop long-term businesses partnerships is by focusing on what we’re best at and then aggressively targeting those customers our skillset can potentially help the most.
So, where can we start? Here, we’ll define three quick ways you can narrow your scope and determine who your ideal customers might be.
Define Industry Verticals
One area you should be able to narrow down fairly quickly is which industries you are most adept at assisting. Are there specific verticals you service that are more likely to need managed IT services? A bit of market research may help you uncover this. Consider who your customers have been in the past and identify any industry-specific experience or expertise your company has that might help separate you from the myriad of MSPs on the market. By marketing to similar companies, you can use your intimate understanding of the specific challenges these companies face to intrigue them and pique their interest. And since the services they need are well within your wheelhouse, it should be easy to provide an excellent experience and garner more trust within the industry.
Segment by Company Size
Another trick is to analyze your current client base and consider the size of the companies you serve the best. Whether it’s revenue or the number of employees, pick the metric that is most useful to you and start to specify the exact range your best partnerships have existed within. This kind of segmentation can help you develop more targeted marketing strategies and possibly even tweak your service offerings to match the budgets of your target-size organizations better. If you typically deal with smaller organizations, maybe focus on IT support and guidance, or if the companies are more prominent, perhaps highlight a specialization or your ability to scale quickly. Regardless of the size, remember to factor in future growth, as you will always want the flexibility to grow alongside your clients.
Consider Geographic Relevance
Of course, with modern technology, most MSP services can be delivered remotely. However, geographic proximity can still be a huge factor in which clients you serve best. Does your company work best as a remote operation? If stretching beyond a certain radius outside your primary office forces you to compromise efficiency or incur extra costs, don’t feel the pressure to expand beyond your natural abilities. Consider the geographical factors that put stress on your ability to provide excellent services, such as travel time, on-site availability, or local market conditions. Then, list build and prospect for potential clients within an acceptable radius. You’ll be much better served in the long run by slowly building a solid local presence than overexerting yourself to snag clients from all across the country if it means sacrificing your reputation.
Ultimately, providing a consistent offering to customers of similar size, industry, location will allow for more efficient and repeatable delivery of service, increasing profit margins and customer satisfaction. If you can tighten this feedback loop between marketing to “ideal” clients and following up with exceptional service, you will quickly develop a stellar reputation and build long-term trust and credibility among your target audience.
If you need more help with effective list building or other aspects of the sales recruiting process, consider getting expert help. As a 100% MSP-focused sales service, OSR Manage can help fine-tune your recruiting process to attract the talent you need, no matter your vertical or niche.