You’ve got a great product, a clear target audience, and you’re ready to go. Sounds like all systems are a go, right? You put together emails that highlight your product’s fantastic features, meticulously crafted down to the last detail. But here’s the catch: Have you just dumped all the black pepper into the pasta without even thinking if it’s what they want?

Before jumping into a sales pitch, start by understanding your audience.

It’s About Them, Not You

Your initial perception of who your target audience is may be based on your assumptions during product development. You may think, “This will really resonate with buyers, they’ll love it!” But have you actually validated that?

• You probably only have an ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) in mind: This is a great start but only an initial idea of who your audience might be.
• Engage with your audience: Run surveys or ask direct questions to understand how they see the problems you’re solving. This is real-time market research.
• You might skip straight to selling: Which means you’re already diving into what’s known as finding product-market fit (PMF).

PMF is Not Just About the Product—It’s Also About Messaging

While you’re searching for PMF, you’re also exploring how to fit your communication with your ICP. You need the right message to break into a conversation with potential customers. This back-and-forth will help you validate whether your product truly offers them value or if you need to make adjustments.

As you progress and bring in more customers, the focus shifts from finding PMF to measuring customer satisfaction. This can still impact your sales messaging though:

• Who are your happiest customers?
• Can you attract more of the same kind of customers based on your R&D insights?

When you find the right audience who resonates with your product, you’ve truly found PMF. From there, you can confidently scale your messaging. Well done!

Let’s Talk About the Communication Angle

I’ve highlighted the importance of PMF because it all comes down to understanding your customers. When you understand your audience better, you’ll have a clearer sense of when to start communicating on a broader scale.

But remember: When offering value through your ICP, keep in mind that you’re not speaking to a faceless organization. You’re communicating with a person on the other end.

This principle applies to both written and spoken communication. When selling, follow the why, how, what structure and frame your messaging through the lens of the ICP’s pain points and the role of the individual you’re engaging with.

Timing is also key. I think I’m not the only one that strongly feels that the timing is the most important factor on fast deals. It is an easy thing to grasp with straightforward logic. Imagine you’re searching for PMF and get so focused on validating the solution that you forget to have conversations about why a customer made the purchase when they did. Understand what motivated them at that moment. Can you find other companies that in similar phase?

Context Matters – Tailor Your Message Based on Audience Roles

Poor processes in your niche: How do these manifest externally? Can you test or verify in advance? Who’s in charge of those processes—are they a decision-maker?

Financial challenges: When the numbers are looking rough, companies must react. Can you offer a way out during these moments to a CFO? Is there an angle where your solution provides immediate relief or long-term cost savings?

Industry trends and competition: Always stay informed. Check industry reports and news before crafting your message. How do current hot topics relate to your product or service? Can you position your message in a way that speaks to these trends?

Technology: What new tech developments are relevant to your solution? Can you track which companies are adopting technologies that align with what you offer? If you can, that’s a perfect lead-in.

Timing is Everything

Understanding your audience’s context also helps you **time your outreach** perfectly. Think about what a CFO worries about daily, or what a team lead struggles with operationally. Can you convert those pains into tangible productivity or efficiency gains? 

And for each role within a company, you need to deeply understand the pressures they face. For example:

• What keeps the CEO of a $20 million construction firm awake at night? How does your solution address their day-to-day challenges?
• How can your solution directly help a procurement manager whose team is facing bottlenecks in sourcing materials?

Once you understand their perspective, you can build a conversation that speaks directly to their needs.

Building a Narrative That Resonates

Rather than immediately jumping into product features, use your messaging to engage in a dialogue. Here’s an example: 

You’ve noticed a niche that diving companies struggle with equipment utilization during the off-season. Instead of pitching features right away, your message might look like:

“I know this might not seem immediately relevant, but have you thought about how you can make more out of your equipment in the off-season? Some companies move their gear to more favorable environments, while others create niche cold-water experiences. Have you considered how your assets could be working harder for you all year round?”

This approach builds a connection, shows you understand their pain points, and offers a conversation starter rather than a hard pitch.

The Bottom Line

When building your messaging, remember this: It’s all about understanding the “customer’s journey”—from their pain points to their decision-making process, all the way to the reasons why they’ll buy from you.

Your communication needs to address:

• Why now? What’s happening in their industry or business that makes this the right time to engage?
• How does it solve their specific problem? Frame it in a way that addresses their immediate needs.
• What’s the value to them? Not just the organization, but the individual who will make or influence the decision.

By speaking to the right pain points, at the right time, and understanding the real-world context in which your prospects are operating, you can fine-tune your messaging to land much more effectively.

So, take your time to build narratives around “why, how, and what”, and always remember to consider the individual on the other side of the conversation. They’re the ones who need to see the value before the business does.

What does this have to do with sales automations?

And If you are wondering what this has to do with making smart automations into your sales process. It has everything to do with it. Simply by understanding different stages of your process you can (step-by-step) walk through how and when you are contacting your potential customer base. If there are process steps that can be automated and it saves resources, please do so! It is all about understanding processes:

• What is the right kind of message to whom and when.
• Is there big enough audience to profit from automatizations.
• How does the customer feel about certain kinds of messages that are easy to automate? Do you have to take a bit more difficult route?