Whether you are selling or marketing you must identify your target customers and you must make sure you reach them. When selling this means you need to get to the decision maker to ask them if they are interested and begin the sales process. If you are marketing then this means you must very carefully target specific mediums to reach that target customer with a simple message that you wish to convey.

Either way you must identify your target customer otherwise you are wasting valuable time as a salesperson and valuable resources namely advertising and marketing expenditures if you are marketing.

You must focus on those who are interested in what you are selling or the services you are offering. And they need to know why they should buy from you over other potential options in the market place. How can you tell when someone is interested?

Well in sales by the questions they ask and in marketing buy the ringing of your telephone or the number of items that are sold and walking out the door with smiling customers.

But really of course there is more to it than that because your target customers need to be known in advance of a cold call or placement of an advertisement. You need to consider who needs and or better yet truly desires your products or services. Start with them and you will be glad you did. Consider all this in 2006.