Draw a practical boundary
An industry can contain businesses with very different budgets, workflows and decision makers. A packaging supplier selling to a small local operator faces different questions from a software company serving multi-location organizations. Describe a segment using observable characteristics such as service needs, team size and geography. Avoid assuming that everyone sharing a sector label wants the same thing.
Study the buying process
Find out who first notices the problem, who evaluates a solution and who authorizes spending. Those roles may belong to different people. Ask about the documents needed before a supplier is approved and how long a typical purchasing cycle takes. This research can reveal whether your current offer is easy to understand and whether its delivery schedule matches the customer’s actual process.
A short working checklist
- Define the segment using observable characteristics.
- Identify users, evaluators and decision makers.
- Document the customer’s supplier-approval process.
Further reading
General educational material. Requirements depend on the actual activity and jurisdiction.