We often fall into the trap of trying to convince everyone that our product or service is the perfect fit for them. However, not every potential customer is a good prospect—at least not for the same value proposition. One key lesson is understanding that not all customers value your differentiators equally. That’s why it’s crucial to create different value propositions for different customer segments.
An experience with an early stimulation center for babies illustrates this well. The center had figured out its ideal customer profile through a few specific variables. Location was one—families living too far away simply wouldn’t make the trip. Another variable was the work status of the parents. Guilt-ridden parents working full-time were much more likely to enroll their children. But the critical variable? First-time parents. The center found that offering their services to first-time parents resulted in a 97% closing rate. Why? Because with the first child, parents often go above and beyond—moving apartments, painting rooms, and signing up for every possible service to give their child an advantage. By the second or third child, that urgency diminishes.
The analogy is clear: even if a product would benefit someone, they might not be ready for it, willing to pay for it, or even appreciate it. The key is to identify which segment of your audience values your product enough to invest. Not every customer will, and that’s okay.
A helpful exercise is to focus on your best customers—the ones who pay on time, value your product, and act like true partners. If you could have 10 more customers like them, wouldn’t life be easier? These are the prospects you want to target more often. Recognize that different segments require different messages, and avoid trying to convince everyone with the same argument. After all, not everyone is a prospect.
