If there’s one way to crash and burn your business, it’s by targeting the wrong customer segment. The business graveyard is littered with the corpses of startups and entrepreneurs who fell into the trap of selling to people who can’t, won’t, or simply shouldn’t buy. Let’s talk about how not to pick your audience—and save yourself a front-row ticket to the apocalypse.
No Income? No Thanks.
You’re scrolling social media, and you see a low-ticket product being pitched to an audience with pockets emptier than their weekend plans. Bad move. Selling to people who can barely afford necessities might seem noble in theory but is pure self-sabotage in practice.
What is customer segment, you ask? It’s the group of people who actually have money to exchange for your product. Don’t romanticize the idea of uplifting broke audiences with your offer—it’s a fast-track to frustration, not revenue.
Unless your product is a “how to get rich” scam (and let’s hope it’s not), steer clear of the no-income crowd. Charity is great, but not when you’re trying to pay your bills.
ATTENTION SPOILER!
When I started my own venture as a mentor for STEM professionals I made the worst mistake ever. Targeting customer with no income or no decisional power, powered up by my (now former) mentor according to which all we need to win customer over is to be great sales people.
Sale skills are essential to win in business, yet it is essential that your customer segment has an independent income and decisional power, as well as be at the centre of your business strategy, by defining your vision and customer journey.
Be careful then when following mentors. Some of them do not really guide you through the right steps to define your vision and customers’ journey, which will ultimately cost you money and time.
To find out more please read out articles “Long Visions, Short Plans- Your Strategy Is Your Compass” and “The Glorified Failures Trap: Choose The Wrong Mentor”.
Not Aware? Not Interested.
Picture this: you’ve created the perfect product. But your audience is clueless about the problem it solves. Do you want to spend months educating, hand-holding, and nurturing them into awareness?
Here’s the brutal truth: if your customer segment doesn’t already kind of know why they need you, they’re not your audience—yet. Don’t confuse nurturing with dragging. Nurturing is guiding people who are almost ready. Dragging is trying to pull someone from “what’s a problem?” to “take my money!” in one exhausting leap.
So, what is customer segment in this context? It’s a group of people who already feel the itch you’re scratching. They’re aware, they’re looking for solutions, and they’re primed to say, “Yes, I’ll take two!” Stop wasting time converting the unaware masses.
Nurturing Yes, Dragging No Thanks.
Some audiences need a little warming up—fair enough. Reach out to them or even better, make yourself easy to be found, give them free value, and build trust. But if you find yourself twisting into a pretzel trying to convince them they even have a problem, you’ve already lost.
Here’s a tip: what is customer segment if not the people who are ready enough? These are the folks who are teetering on the edge, just waiting for you to give them a push (not a shove). No income? They can’t buy. Not aware? They’re not ready to buy. Nurture, don’t babysit.
Bold, Clear, and Cash-Ready
Your ideal customer segment is bold, clear, and cash-ready. They know what they want—or at least know they have a problem. They’ve got some money, they see value, and they’re open to being sold to.
So, what is customer segment for your product? It’s the audience that lets you nurture without dragging and sell without begging. Be bold. Cut the dead weight. And for heaven’s sake, choose your audience wisely.
Because the wrong audience isn’t just a waste of time—it’s your ticket to the audience apocalypse.
So, my dear readers, are you facing an Audience Apocalypse?
If you are an entrepreneur in the STEM field and struggling to build a marketable product, email me at info@engineeringsuccess.co.uk. Tell me your biggest challenge and I will be happy to help you.
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