12 New Questions That Define Your Best Prospect And Help Create Better Marketing Strategies

Patrick McFadden

Marketing is changing and about to change more and more, even as I write this post.

When mass media was relevant it worked because there was only a few communication channels and/or places to give your attention too. Mass Marketers knew this and thus thought of consumers as captives.

But today with more media and things grabbing for our attention—Facebook, TV channels, radio stations, YouTube, Twitter, Pintrest, email,  podcast, etc.—you don’t have a chance at mass marketing (attention is scattered) but you do have a chance if you have focused marketing.

Successful marketing is almost always specific, not general. And that “almost” is close to absolute because you can no longer run an ad that reaches everyone.

Now, instead of interrupting the masses, the marketer, business owner, organization, or enterprise has no choice but to choose their audience.

Perhaps in choosing your audience you realize that reaching them with a personal, anticipated, and relevant message may be in the form of a letter, or a website or with a product that speaks for itself. But our temptation is to reach everyone.

So if you can’t answer “Who will benefit from the most from my product or service?” specifically, do not proceed to the market.

And by who, I mean, “drop a name.” Or, if you can’t drop a name, then identify a persona, or identify a group of people connected to one another, a leader, and an idea, or a spot in the hierarchy, or a set of people who share particular worldviews.

To help with this here are the 12 New Questions That Define Your Best Prospect And Help Create Better Marketing Strategies :

  1. What does this person already believe?
  2. What is this person afraid of?
  3. What does this person think she or he wants?
  4. What does this person actually want?
  5. What stories have resonated with this person in the past?
  6. Who does this person follow and emulate and look up to?
  7. What is this person relationship with money?
  8. What channel—online or offline— has this persons permission?
  9. Where do messages that resonate with him come from?
  10. Who does this person trust and who does this person pay attention to?
  11. What is the source of this persons urgency—why will she or he change now rather than later?
  12. After this person has changed, what will he or she tell their friends?

Now that you know these things, go create better marketing strategies that work. You can’t change the answers to these 12 questions to match the product or service you’ve already made (you can change the desired audience, but you can’t change the truth of what they want and believe).

Question: Do these questions help you have a better sense of your target market?

Forget “Perfect Workspaces.” Customers Want Perfect Installation Days — Here’s What Happened When One Furniture Installation Company Got That Right

By Patrick McFadden • March 31, 2025
1. The Challenge: VMI was like many service providers — positioning their value around what they thought clients wanted : “Office furniture installation and assembly — let us handle creating your perfect workspace.” But the actual buyers — facility managers, project managers, furniture reps — weren’t looking for “perfect workspaces.” They were trying to avoid installation nightmares . Their real priority? ✅ Great installation days. ✅ No chaos. ✅ No missed deadlines. ✅ No angry phone calls from clients. 2. The Insight: After conducting stakeholder interviews under our marketing strategy consulting engagement , the Indispensable Marketing team uncovered critical feedback: “We need installers who maintain a professional site and follow instructions.” “We lose relationships when installations go badly.” “I need quotes back quickly or I can’t sell the job.” This wasn’t just about services , it was about trust, problem-solving , and professional reliability . So we reframed their differentiators not by what they did, but how they showed up : Same-day project quotes Problem-solving on-site Update protocol with clients Professionalism guarantee Lasting Impression Insurance 3. The Shift: We shifted the positioning from vague benefits to real-world, emotional triggers : Instead of: “Let us create your perfect workspace.” Now: “Get the perfect installation day, every time.” That subtle shift aligns with who’s actually buying (and who feels the pain when things go wrong). The end-user may care about the workspace. But the buyer cares about the install . 4. The Lesson for Others: If you’re selling a service, don’t describe what you do. Describe what the client wants to avoid or achieve — and who the real buyer is. Then, systematize what you’re already doing well and give it a name. Just like our team did with: “Same Day Quotes” “Lasting Impression Insurance” “Reliable Presence Protocol” 5. The Outcome Within weeks of updating their messaging and positioning: The company reported more qualified leads asking the right questions Furniture reps began referring them because they were “easy to work with and made them look good” They were shortlisted for larger, multi-phase projects due to increased confidence in their process But most importantly, they stopped competing on price — because they weren’t selling perfect workspaces anymore. They were selling peace of mind on installation day.

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