Pin seeking.

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” —?Vince?Lombardi?

If you’ve ever played golf — or struggled through it as I have — you know the highs and lows of aiming for that elusive target: the flag in the distance. Seems fairly straightforward. Just get this little ball to that flag in as few shots as possible. What could go wrong? We take our stance, align our feet and shoulders to the target, and stare down at this little dimpled sphere.?“Be?the ball,” we whisper to ourselves.?“I?want you to go that way, towards the pin,” we tell the ball, hoping it listens. And with a mighty swing…we strike the ball.?

The problem for most of us is we have absolutely no idea where that ball is going. It could fly high and right towards an unsuspecting person grilling burgers. Or it could go low and left, first hitting the cart path then shooting across a road and hitting a car.?(Been?there, done that.)

The problem with tortured golfers is we lack focus. We aim at a wide area, close our eyes, and hope for the best. Instead of pin-seeking, we hit towards something instead of at something. ?

B2B brands — especially technical ones — do the exact same thing. They define their targets too broadly, making a long list of markets they could serve. ?

Trying to be everything to everyone

Imagine browsing through the website of a B2B brand listing every market imaginable under their “Who?We Work With” section. Aerospace, agriculture, healthcare, financial, construction…you name it, they’re aiming at it.

Why the scattershot approach?

FOMO. Because we tell ourselves that trying to be everything to everyone feels safer. It’s the B2B equivalent of just aiming in the general direction of the flag without worrying too much about where the ball actually lands. But this broad approach diffuses and confuses messaging, making it harder for your ideal prospects to see what makes you a perfect fit for?them. And only them.

Go for the pin

In golf,?“pin-seeking”?means aiming right at the target, not just hoping to land somewhere nearby.?When you have this level of focus, your odds improve significantly. Think of the flag stick as your ideal prospect and the green as your broader market. Even if you don’t hit the pin, chances are you’ll still hit the green. Even a slightly off shot keeps you in the vicinity of success.

Focusing on the ideal prospect allows you to create highly specific messages that resonate deeply with the right people.?Narrow your aim with these questions:

• Who is your ideal prospect??(Prospect)
• What pain points are they experiencing??(Problem)
• How are you uniquely qualified to help them? (Product)\

Pin-seeking takes practice and commitment. In golf, that means working on your swing, timing, and distances to get closer to the hole. In B2B marketing, it means reframing and distilling your messaging, narrowing your focus, and resisting the urge to target everyone.

Even if you’re like me and don’t hit a hole-in-one, chances are you’re still on the green—and that’s a great position to be in.

FORE!

PS: The inspiration for this came from an episode of the 2 bobs podcast with David C. Baker & Blair Ens.

Sláinte, ??

Eric

Marjoram

Two ways I can help:

1. As a strategic advisor on B2B brand marketing & messaging strategy
2. As an external team, helping support how that message gets applied and amplified

Talk is cheap:?Book a free consultation with me to see if there's any way I can help.