A pragmatic approach for emerging companies for growing sales by narrowing its target marketing focus through segmentation.

1. Bowling for Marketshare
How to Grow Your Startup by Narrowing Its Focus

2. Entrepreneurs are curious…

3. …Problem Solvers…

4. ….But Easily Bored.

5. Boredom Breeds…

6. …Product Nightmares…

7. … and Unhealthy Exits.

8. Boredom Leads to…

9. …Directionless Startups…

10. …and Product Nightmares.

11. It’s best to focus.

12. It’s best to go bowling…

13. …and build your firm incrementally.

14. Here’s how to start it in 90 days:

15. Bowling Pin Method of
Segmented Growth
First Stage
1) Review your customer base/prospects to
look for the 3-5 ‘stars’
2) Take them to lunch and pick their brain
3) Learn everything about them
4) Test assumptions against similar firms
5) Pick only one and work it hard!

16. Bowling Pin Method of
Segmented Growth
First Stage
Natural Market Extensions
Second Stage
1) Start looking once you reach 30-40% of a
given market share
2) Look for natural market extensions
3) Work them until you reach 30-40%

17. Bowling Pin Method of
Segmented Growth
First Stage
Natural Market Extensions
Second Stage
Natural Market Extensions
Third Stage

18. Bowling Pin Method of
Segmented Growth
First Stage
Natural Market Extensions
Second Stage
Natural Market Extensions
Third Stage
Natural Market Extensions
Fourth Stage

19. 90 Days to Build Sales &
Marketshare
The First 30 Days:
• Start and finish the selection process
• Speak to 5-10 related firms outside of your
marketplace
• Understand their pains and develop
messaging that’s sensitive to it
• Develop a mailing list of no larger than
250-300 contacts for lead generation
• Set sales goals
• Don’t ignore your current customers

20. 90 Days to Build Sales &
Marketshare
The Next 30 Days:
• Develop multi-stage lead generation
program (minimum three stages)
• Create prospect qualification scoring
system to ease sales efforts (A-B-C-D)
• Train your inside sales teams for the follow
up efforts
• Launch lead generation program
• Qualify all contacts
• Don’t ignore new business that may not be
related to your 1st market

21. 90 Days to Build Sales &
Marketshare
The Final 30 Days:
• Pass on the “A’s” immediately to sales for
action
• Follow-up on the “B’s” next
• Develop a lead nurturing program to
convert A-B-C prospects into clients
– Monthly mailings on issues that interest them
– Attend all if not present at all tradeshows that
are heavily attended
• Review your efforts & expand
• Work your leads

22. Watch out for the Pitfalls
• Doing it all yourself
– Talent is inexpensive these days
– Good telemarketers charge $35/hour
• Relying on assumptions
• Shifting too quickly to Stage 2
– Expand geographically first
– Moving to there takes time
• Not setting realistic sales goals
• Giving up too quickly

23. About Me
• 16 Years in B2B marketing
– Technology & Services
– Software & SaaS
– Embedded Computing
• 12 Years in int’l marketing
– German, Israeli, UK companies
– Emerging startups to $40M firms
• Actively consulting since 1998
– Marketing strategy and tactics
– Clients <US$5M in revenues

24. Questions?