Make the right people know who you are – and what you do well
How do you win new customers? Make the right people know who you are – and what you do well. It may sound obvious. Perhaps even overly simple. Yet we often see campaign activities that focus narrowly on so-called lead generation and conversion. That is important. But in our experience, even that is part of a larger task – helping your potential customers get to know you and understand what you do best.
Prospects – not just leads
What is a lead? There are many definitions, but the only useful one in our view is this: companies and decision-makers with an intention to buy now. In other words, Intent Leads. If you ask your sales organization, they will likely agree. Everything else is suspects and prospects. They are valuable too, provided they match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), even if they are not in the market right now. They may be later – and when that time comes, it is critical that they know who you are and what you do well.
The 95/5 Strategy
In most B2B markets, only a small portion of your target audience is actively in the market at any given time. The rest will enter the buying process later. If your marketing focuses exclusively on those ready to buy now, you are addressing only a fraction of your total future pipeline. The 95/5 approach means accepting this reality and working with it systematically. The 5 percent with buying intent must be identified and activated quickly. The remaining 95 percent must continuously build awareness and preference. When their need arises, it is not necessarily the objectively best vendor that gets selected – it is the one they already know and clearly associate with specific strengths.
Engagement – not just conversion
Conversions matter, but they rarely stand alone. If you measure success only by downloads and form submissions, you miss the broader movement in the market. Engagement must be understood in levels. First comes attention and interaction – clicks, views, visits. Then active interest – downloads and webinar participation. Finally, real buying intent – meeting bookings and direct inquiries. Together, these levels show where a company stands in its decision process. The point is not to replace conversions, but to place them in a broader context.
One day, you will be the answer to their challenge
Most companies do not buy when you want to sell. They buy when their situation changes. A new strategy. New compliance requirements. New leadership. New pressure on growth or efficiency. On that day, the relationship should not begin. It should already exist. This is where continuous visibility and clear positioning make the difference. When the market moves, known and relevant players are the ones invited into the conversation. If you think about it, this is likely how you have won almost all your customers – either because you were already known, or because a company that was actively in the market found you. That is 95/5 in practice.
Market-to-Message and Global Leadscore
But how do you tell your story effectively? And how do you monitor who is genuinely interested? Creating enough content to engage and educate the market can feel overwhelming. That is why we developed Market-to-Message – an AI agent that identifies unanswered questions in your market and produces content that delivers the right answers. Efficiently and productively. You can publish a new blog every week and promote it via LinkedIn, email, and display advertising so the right people know who you are – and what you do well. And with Global Leadscore, you listen across all channels and clearly identify those who are ready to speak with you.
Book a meeting
If you want to work systematically with the 95/5 strategy, Market-to-Message, and Global Leadscore, it starts with a conversation about your target audience, your positioning, and your current pipeline. Make the right people know who you are – and what you do well. When that is in place, winning new customers is no longer a matter of luck, but of structure.
