Most businesses make the same two mistakes: they target everyone and say nothing compelling.

Here’s what you’ll walk away with after reading this: a clear system to identify exactly which types of companies need what you’re selling, and specific ways to describe your business that get different people within those companies interested. No more spray-and-pray. No more generic pitches that sound like everyone else’s.

You’ll have multiple targeted messages for different people, all grounded in what they actually care about.

Here’s What the Problem Might Be

If you’re struggling to get responses to your outreach, or if prospects seem confused about what you actually do, this might sound familiar.

Most businesses describe themselves like this:

“We help companies improve their processes and drive growth through strategic consulting.”

Sounds professional, right? It’s also completely meaningless. What processes? What kind of growth? Which companies? Strategic how?

When you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one. When you say everything, you say nothing.

The real issue isn’t that these descriptions are wrong – it’s that they don’t connect to anyone’s actual world. A manufacturing director worried about production downtime and a SaaS founder struggling with lead generation both have “process problems,” but they’re completely different problems that require completely different solutions.

Your job isn’t to sound comprehensive. It’s to sound relevant. And relevance comes from understanding exactly whose problem you’re solving and how that problem feels to them.

The Problem-Outcome-Persona Connection

Here’s the truth that most businesses miss: the same product or service solves different problems for different people, leading to different outcomes that each person cares about.

Let me show you what I mean using three real examples:

Example 1: Lead Generation Systems (My Business)

Service: Building in-house lead generation systems for SME B2B businesses

For the founder:

• • Problem: Paying £3,000+ monthly to agencies with unclear results

• • How it feels: Loss of control, frustration with dependency

• • Outcome they want: Own their pipeline, reduce costs, build an asset

For the sales director:

• • Problem: Unreliable lead flow making forecasting impossible

• • How it feels: Stress about hitting targets, pressure from leadership

• • Outcome they want: Predictable pipeline, consistent quality leads

For the marketing manager:

• • Problem: Being held accountable for leads but having no control over generation

• • How it feels: Frustration, fear of being blamed for poor results

• • Outcome they want: Control over lead quality, ability to demonstrate ROI

Example 2: Manufacturing Operations Consulting

Service: Helping product manufacturers reduce downtime and increase efficiency

For the operations director:

• • Problem: Frequent production line stoppages costing thousands per hour

• • How it feels: Constant firefighting, stress from leadership pressure

• • Outcome they want: Smooth operations, predictable output

For the plant manager:

• • Problem: Manual processes creating bottlenecks and errors

• • How it feels: Overwhelm, embarrassment presenting poor numbers

• • Outcome they want: Streamlined processes, accurate reporting

For the finance director:

• • Problem: Waste and inefficiency eating into margins

• • How it feels: Pressure to cut costs, difficulty justifying investment

• • Outcome they want: Improved profitability, clearer cost control

Example 3: HR Systems for Growing Tech Companies

Service: Building people processes for tech companies (50-200 employees)

For the CEO:

• • Problem: Growing too fast without proper HR systems creating compliance risks

• • How it feels: Fear of legal issues, losing control of company culture

• • Outcome they want: Scalable systems, reduced legal risk

For the head of people:

• • Problem: Manual processes that don’t scale, inconsistent employee experience

• • How it feels: Overwhelm, inability to be strategic

• • Outcome they want: Automated workflows, time for strategic work

For department heads:

• • Problem: Unclear hiring processes making team building difficult

• • How it feels: Frustration, delays in getting good people

• • Outcome they want: Clear recruitment processes, faster hiring

Notice the pattern? Same service, different problems, different emotional impacts, different outcomes. This is why “we help businesses grow” doesn’t work. You’re not talking to businesses – you’re talking to people with specific problems and specific desired outcomes.

How to Map Company Characteristics to Likelihood of Need

Once you understand the problems you solve and who feels them, you can work backwards to identify which types of companies are most likely to have those problems.

This isn’t about finding “dream clients.” It’s about commercial logic: which company characteristics suggest they probably need what you’re selling?

Lead Generation Systems Example:

Target companies likely to have the problem:

• • B2B businesses (they need other businesses as customers)

• • 10-100 employees (big enough to afford it, small enough to not have internal capability)

• • Currently using agencies or struggling with inconsistent leads

• • Growth-focused (looking to scale, not just maintain)

• • Service-based businesses (higher lifetime value customers)

Companies unlikely to need it:

• • B2C businesses (different lead generation needs)

• • Under 5 employees (probably can’t afford it)

• • Over 200 employees (likely have internal marketing teams)

• • Businesses with consistent referral pipelines

Manufacturing Operations Example:

Target companies likely to have the problem:

• • Product manufacturers (not service businesses)

• • 20-500 employees (substantial operations but not massive corporations)

• • Multiple production lines or complex processes

• • Growing businesses (efficiency becomes critical at scale)

• • Companies with manual processes still in place

Companies unlikely to need it:

• • Service businesses (no production lines)

• • Very small manufacturers (operations too simple)

• • Fully automated facilities (already solved the problem)

• • Companies with dedicated operations consultants

HR Systems Example:

Target companies likely to have the problem:

• • Tech companies (fast growth, complex talent needs)

• • 50-200 employees (beyond startup phase, not yet enterprise)

• • Rapid hiring (doubling headcount annually)

• • No dedicated HR team yet (founder or office manager handling people stuff)

• • Recent funding rounds (growth pressure, compliance focus)

Companies unlikely to need it:

• • Established corporates (already have HR systems)

• • Very small teams (don’t need formal processes yet)

• • Companies with dedicated HR directors

• • Slow-growth or stable businesses

The key is thinking about what creates the problem you solve. Growth creates complexity because systems that worked for 10 people break at 50. Scale creates inefficiency because manual processes become bottlenecks. Success creates new challenges because what got you here won’t get you there.

Different stages of business maturity create different pressure points. A startup’s biggest problem might be finding customers. A scale-up’s biggest problem might be managing rapid growth. An established business might need to optimise what they’ve already built.

Map your solution to these specific pressure points. If you solve problems that come with growth, target growing companies. If you solve problems that come with complexity, target companies that have reached that complexity threshold.

How to Craft Persona-Specific Value Propositions

Now that you know who has the problem and who feels it, you can craft value propositions that actually resonate. Instead of one generic description, you’ll have multiple targeted ones.

Here’s the formula that works:

“I help [SPECIFIC PERSON] achieve [SPECIFIC OUTCOME] by [WHAT YOU DO]”

Let’s see this in action:

Lead Generation Systems – Multiple Value Props:

For founders: “I help B2B business founders create their own source of qualified leads without expensive agency retainers”

For sales directors: “I help sales directors in growing B2B companies build predictable pipelines that make forecasting accurate”

For marketing managers: “I help marketing managers prove ROI by building lead generation systems they actually control”

Manufacturing Operations – Multiple Value Props:

For operations directors: “I help operations directors at product manufacturers increase production uptime by eliminating recurring bottlenecks”

For plant managers: “I help plant managers streamline production processes so they can hit output targets consistently”

For finance directors: “I help finance directors at manufacturing companies improve margins by reducing waste and increasing efficiency”

HR Systems – Multiple Value Props:

For CEOs: “I help tech company founders build scalable people processes so they can grow without compliance headaches”

For heads of people: “I help heads of people at scaling tech companies automate manual HR tasks so they can focus on strategic initiatives”

For department heads: “I help department heads at growing tech companies hire faster with clear, consistent recruitment processes”

Notice how each one:

• • Targets a specific person (not just “businesses”)

• • Promises a specific outcome (not vague “growth”)

• • Connects to what that person actually cares about

Putting It All Together: A Complete Example

Let me walk through the complete process using the manufacturing operations example:

Step 1: Problem Identification Production line downtime is costing money and causing stress across the organisation.

Step 2: Company Targeting Focus on product manufacturers, 20-500 employees, with multiple production lines and manual processes.

Step 3: Value Proposition Creation Different messages for each persona, all focused on the same core service.

Step 4: Application Across Channels

Website homepage: “I help product manufacturers increase production uptime and reduce costly downtime through systematic process improvements.”

Note: Your homepage should address multiple personas or include sector-specific landing pages that speak directly to each role’s concerns.

Email to operations director: “I noticed that [company] has [specific insight about their manufacturing operations]. I help eliminate bottlenecks on [specific production line] and increase production uptime. Worth a brief chat?”

LinkedIn message to plant manager: “I’m helping people who manage [product line] production lines reduce downtime. I’ve found at least 3 things that can eliminate bottlenecks – worth a quick chat to share what I’ve discovered?”

Sales call after initial interest: “You mentioned that production downtime is creating both operational headaches and financial pressure. Here’s how I’d help you achieve more consistent output…”

Same core service, same target market, but the message adapts to who you’re talking to and what they care about.

Your Action Plan

Here’s how to implement this approach:

1. 1. Map your problems and outcomes – For each product or service you offer, write down the specific problems it solves and the outcomes different people care about.
   2. Identify your target company characteristics – What types of companies are most likely to have these problems? Be specific about size, sector, growth stage, and current situation.
   3. Write multiple value propositions – Create one targeted statement for each persona, using the “I help [WHO] achieve [OUTCOME] by [WHAT]” formula.
   4. Test and refine systematically – This is crucial and often overlooked. Use your value propositions across different channels and track which ones generate the most interest. Pay attention to response rates, quality of conversations, and how quickly prospects understand what you do. Refine the ones that aren’t working and double down on the ones that are. Your value propositions should get clearer and more effective over time, not just written once and forgotten.

1.  

1.  

1.  

The goal isn’t perfection – it’s clarity. When you can explain what you do in a way that immediately connects with what specific people actually need, everything else gets easier.

Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Start being exactly what the right people need.

Ready to build your complete targeting and messaging system? Send me a message and I’ll share The Targeting & Value Prop Worksheet – includes everything you need to identify the right companies and craft value propositions that actually get responses.

simon@morganrocquin.com

Get Your Free Worksheet