Finding the "Ideal Prospect"

knowable

I`ve started reading John Jantsch`s "Duct Tape Marketing". So far, it`s been very informative. But the book is written from the perspective of a business with existing clients. I haven`t read far, but I cannot find anything in it so far that discusses how to determine your market demographic when you don`t have existing customers.
Currently, my marketing effort consists of simply trying to find whether I have market in the first place. Oh sure, I have an idea who might qualify as an "ideal prospect", but it`s only an educated guess at this stage. How do I proceed with identifying these potential clients at this germinal stage?
Your input is greatly appreciated.

DaleKing

First of all, are there similar products already on the market? Where are they advertising? Are they successful? If so, you know that there`s a market for your product. On the other hand, if your product is unique, why not conduct a survey to find out if your product is viable. Assuming you`re satisfied with the results of your survey and want to go forward,  you need to examine your product carefully, and think about your obvious target market. Is it homeowners? Car owners? Computer users, etc? Once you determine who your product is for, think outside the box. Are there additional uses for your product that you haven`t thought of? Would it appeal to other demographics?
 
As you can see, there`s a lot of work and research involved in order to achieve success.
 
Dale King
DaleKing5/27/2008 3:18 PM

SalesGen

Along with what Dale advised....
 
Are you selling a service or a product?  Is it B2B or B2C or both?  What is your value proposition? 
 
Once you have these basic questions answered, you can begin to build a sales and marketing plan.  If you are selling a B2C product, there is a very simple and effective way to find your target market as well as what price the market will bear....eBAY!  The best survey/test market in the world
 
Good luck.
 

knowable

I am selling a B2B service to local small businesses. Considering that my local metro area consists primarily of small businesses, my biggest challenge is identifying a market sector, then narrowly defining a segment within that sector so that I can create a high-impact value prop tailored specifically to my "ideal prospect".
At this point, I have one client who thinks I have a great idea and is helping me define a client base. What I plan to do is interview him for his business needs and desires so that I can develop a template for a possible client profile.