One of my most popular blogs is 8 ways to segment your B2B market. I thought I’d expand further on this topic and go into more detail about B2B segmentation and in particular, differentiation.

Most companies have competitors. If you don’t, then your product or service either isn’t needed, or you have successfully found a niche. Congratulations on finding the niche, but it probably won’t be long before somebody muscles in. In the meantime, make the most of your Unique Selling Proposition and shout about it from the rooftops! Using B2B segmentation and differentiating your business from your competitors is critical to reach your sales targets.

You don’t want to

• Sound like everyone else
• Have difficulty explaining why your product should be bought
• Talk forever about how marvellous your product is, but never get to the point

Do your customers know exactly what you can do for them?

You can test this by asking asking your employees what you do for your customers. If they all answer the same, then it’s clear. If not, you have some work to do. Once you know how you differentiate yourself,  you can tell your target market. Short and sweet is best. I suggest putting this descriptive sentence on your home page, front and centre so it’s the first thing your website visitors see.

Differentiation isn’t branding

Branding is done through images, voice, style and feelings such as logo, writing style and colours. Branding is about your prospect’s aspirations. These are intangible, emotional reasons for buying.

B2B segmentation: How to determine what makes you different

Differentiation is why your customers buy from you. Features may differentiate you, but it’s the benefits those features bring to your customers that your target market needs to hear.

You must put yourself in the position of your prospect and answer “Why do I care?”  and keep saying “so what?….” and “that means….” until you get to the why I care part.

Engage and inspire your prospects with why they should care. Give them the benefits first. Once you have them engaged, you can talk about features. If you don’t get them interested quickly, they won’t care about the rest.

Customer Value Proposition

Your Customer Value Proposition articulates this differentiation. You are likely to have different Value Propositions for each customer segment. The CVP(s) is what you include on your website, in sales presentations and in all marketing activities.

Don’t forget – it’s not about you – it’s about your prospect. Solve their problem(s) and you’ll keep them forever.