At the Hamburg Dom fair, you hear it everywhere: Wins, Wins, Wins.

All around, you see ticket sellers with their colorful stands – stuffed with toys. People buy tickets, hoping to win the grand prize: an oversized stuffed animal or a remote-controlled car.

But what does this have to do with your business?
I’ve noticed that many startups approach sales and marketing in a similar way: they buy tickets and hope to win.

Where Startups Are “Buying Tickets”

Here are a few examples that might sound familiar:

• Trade show booths without a plan
  Expensive trade show booths are booked without first confirming whether the target audience will actually be there – and if so, how often.
• Trial-and-error in online marketing
  Channels are tested without analyzing beforehand whether the target audience will actually convert there.
• Pursuing marquee clients at all costs
  A lot of time and money is spent chasing so-called marquee clients who don’t match the core target audience or the business model. These clients often require resource-intensive individual support with limited long-term value.

From Ticket-Buyer to Revenue-Winner

How do you shift from gambling to strategic success? Here are three key steps:

Have a Plan

You know exactly why and for what your company stands. You understand your target customers in detail and know they need your solutions. You can clearly communicate why you are the best in certain areas.
Your pricing and quality are deliberately set, and you have high confidence that your target customers will buy or book.

👉 No more buying tickets.

Focus on Your Target Audience

Align your marketing and sales strategy entirely with your target customers. Focus on initiatives that are highly likely to acquire new customers. Ignore everything else, no matter how appealing it might seem.

👉 Targeted investments lead to your first wins.

Build Networks and Partnerships

Work with industry experts and multipliers who know your target audience even better than you do – or who already have them as customers.

👉 With the same investment, you achieve ever-higher returns.

If you don’t want your success to depend on luck, let’s schedule an informal chat to find out how you can win strategically.