Easy Target

Posted at December 29, 2009 // Strategy / Tactics

I was home for the holidays. Like many families across the country, there was a family gathering at my home. There, I learned that my aunt had a hobby of making jewelry, and she had even sold a few pieces.

She also revealed something quite profound. While she’s an immigrant herself, she wouldn’t sell to immigrants. Why? It’s not discrimination. It’s because there wasn’t a demand from the immigrant population.

Immigrants, perhaps through their trials and tribulations, had learned to be more critical of their purchases, generally speaking. They believed that they should not to pay for that piece of jewelry, because it was something they could make themselves!

This is a simple short story. But it reveals to us that no matter how small your business may be, how simple your product may be, it is always good to segment your population. It is the only way to know who you should target, and more importantly, who you should not target. No one can be everything to everyone.

My aunt could easily target the immigrant population, being an immigrant herself. She had a network. However, that would have been a waste of effort, time, and/or money!

Photo Credit: Target, originally uploaded by wili_hybrid.