By Bob Leduc
I have a friend who is one of the top sales producers with a
large life insurance company. Tony was born in Italy and grew up
near Naples. He moved to the US about 15 years ago. His present
company immediately hired him because he had prior experience
selling insurance to US military personnel in Italy.
Tony soon discovered that a large number of Italian
restaurant owners in the US city where he now lived were from a
small village outside of Naples. Not only did they speak
Italian, they spoke his dialect. It wasn't long before Tony was
getting most of his business from these Italian restaurant
owners. Nobody else can duplicate the 'natural' relationship he
has with them. It's the primary reason why Tony became one of
the top producers in his company.
Tony's relationship with his clients illustrates the powerful
advantage of capitalizing on a 'natural market'.
What Is A Natural Market?
A natural market is the portion of your target market that
shares a unique personal characteristic with you. It
automatically creates a relationship between you and a prospect
in your target market for a PERSONAL reason. For example:
Let's say you're a teacher or have been a teacher in the
past. You're also a distributor for an MLM company selling
healthcare products. You define your target market as people
interested in preserving or improving their health and who are
also interested in a business opportunity. Some of those
prospects have the ADDITIONAL CHARACTERISTIC of being teachers
or former teachers, just like you. That's a natural market for
you. You can communicate with them on a special personal
basis.
Benefits Of A Natural Market
Potential customers are more receptive when they share a
common background or a special interest with you. It's human
nature to feel secure when doing business with someone we
believe is just like us. This is especially helpful for
promoting business on the Internet because prospects can't see
or hear you 'live'.
How to find Your Best Natural Market
Start by making a list of different things you've done in
your life. For example:
- What professions or occupations are you engaged in (now or
previously)?
- What hobbies or crafts do you actively participate in?
- What special interest clubs or associations are you
actively involved with?
- Do you have a unique national origin or speak a foreign
language (like my friend, Tony)?
- What unique special background or special experiences do
you have?
Each item on your list may represent a natural market you can
use. However, some will have more impact than others. The
greater the uniqueness of the common characteristic, the more
leverage it provides. Select the one with the most unique
characteristic to use first.
Your natural market is a more focused definition of your
primary target market. Once you identify a natural market, start
using it in your advertising. Revise your present sales material
to create special sales material specifically appealing to your
natural market. Use the same marketing tactics you've been using
but expand them to include this new segment of your target
market. You'll unlock a completely new layer of business hidden
in your existing target market.
Copyright 1999 By Bob Leduc
Bob Leduc retired from a 30-year career of recruiting sales
personnel and developing sales leads. He is now a Sales
Consultant. Bob recently wrote a manual for small business
owners titled "How to Build Your Small Business Fast With
Simple Postcards" and several other publications to help
small businesses grow and prosper. For more information...
