Needs based segmentation groups prospects around the problems they are trying to solve or outcomes they want to achieve.1 It also determines where scarce effort goes by balancing what would be ideal with what is practical and profitable.2 Create a segment only when it changes the question you ask, the proof you use, the offer you present, or the prospects you exclude. If the label changes none of those decisions, it works only as a filing system.
The workflow
Start with the prospect's need, then decide where to spend attention. Use the questions below to keep each stage tied to an outbound action.
| Stage | What you are trying to learn | Example question |
|---|---|---|
| Define the need | What problem or outcome creates a buying reason | What business result are you trying to change? |
| Gather evidence | What language and signals reveal that need | When did this become a problem? |
| Group | Which prospects describe a similar need | Which accounts describe the problem in similar terms? |
| Choose | Which groups fit your ability to serve and qualify | Does this need fit what we can serve well? |
| Translate | What message and offer fit the need | What would this prospect need to believe? |
| Review | Whether the segment helps you improve outreach | Which need group is producing useful replies? |
Define the need
Start with the business change the prospect cares enough to discuss. Keep the first pass free of product language so you hear the need in the prospect's terms.
People's needs differ, so satisfying them may require different approaches.3 Certain combinations of company and buyer persona tend to align with certain problems.4
Ask about the condition they want to change, the consequence of leaving it alone, and the result they want after solving it. Move on when you can describe the need without naming your product. A useful need statement describes a business problem or desired outcome that could exist before your offer enters the conversation.
Gather evidence
Listen for repeated language in conversations, notes, replies, and other direct feedback. This separates a need people mention casually from one that shapes their buying decision.
Identify pain point categories by talking to the audience, listening to feedback, and conducting qualitative research.5 Look for patterns in your data and group customers with similar needs, preferences, pain points, or other shared attributes.6
Record the words prospects use to describe the problem, the event that made it urgent, and the outcome they want. Keep examples that show how the need affects the business. When the same pattern appears across relevant accounts, carry it into the grouping stage.
Group by the need
Turn recurring evidence into groups that support the same conversation. A segment should make it easier to decide what to ask and say.
Buyer personas can divide a larger audience into groups with similar desires, goals, pain points, and buying behaviors.7 Segment intentionally because each persona has distinct priorities, pain points, motivations, and preferred channels.8 For each need, define the questions a prospect is answering along the buying journey.9 Base segments on specific pain points or triggers.10
Name each group after the need, trigger, or outcome that holds it together. Keep a group when the shared need changes the call plan or message. Split it when prospects with the same broad problem need different questions, proof, or outcomes to move forward.
Choose the target
Decide which need groups get outbound coverage before you write sequences or assign accounts. This turns segmentation into a resource choice.
Good marketing meets customer needs profitably and allocates finite resources to maximize profit.11 Choose your target audience based on your capabilities and strengths.12 Target the offer at people who want and need it and are willing to pay for it.13 Set aside people who do not want, need, or intend to pay for the offer.14
Use a clear qualification rule for each group. Ask whether you can serve the need well, whether the prospect has a reason to act, and whether the offer belongs in that conversation. If the answer stays weak, remove the group from active outbound instead of weakening the message for every other group.
Translate the need into outbound
The need is present
- If confirms the problem, continue with its effect
- If different need, route the account
Turn the segment definition into language a prospect can recognize quickly. Connect the shared problem to the outcome the group cares about.
Needs based or use case segmentation explains why accounts within a firmographic segment buy and lets you tailor messaging and product within a vertical or tier.15 Focus on the pains that matter most to your target audience.16 Describe a shared struggle as something the group experiences, and avoid making it sound like an isolated flaw in one person or account.17 Position the product specifically so it resonates with customer needs.18
Write the message around the need label, the trigger that reveals it, and the result the prospect wants. Then build questions that test whether the need is present. If the prospect confirms the problem in their own words, continue with its effect and urgency. If the conversation moves toward a different need, route the account to the segment whose questions and offer fit that situation.
Review the segment
Review the segment using the same factors you used to create the group. Keep it when it helps you decide who receives a message and what happens next.
Filter your results by relevant factors so you can understand the niche and take more appropriate steps toward improving response rates.19
Review replies by need group and look for language that confirms, weakens, or changes the original need statement. Update the group when the recurring problem changes. Keep the review tied to the need, so a reply tells you something about the segment instead of only telling you whether a message was opened or answered.
What not to do
These mistakes weaken the connection between the segment and the buying reason.
- Avoid treating target accounts as a homogeneous population when they have distinct needs.20
- Avoid assuming that serving profitable customers individually across a sizable audience will remain practical or profitable.21
- Decide where you will decline to sell a product as carefully as where you will sell it.22