Politicians are often accused of waffling between stances on issues in an attempt to broaden or redirect their appeal.

Well, I’ve run across a small business or two plenty guilty of the same.

In an attempt to broaden their market appeal they craft target market descriptions that leave room for just about anyone who pledges to pay the bill, eventually. Or, equally offending, it take 10-15 minutes to explain how they are different, you know, in a way that won’t turn any potential customers off.

Here’s the secret to success in good times and bad – stop waffling. Take a stand and make a marketing strategy commitment you can stick with.

Define your target market as narrowly as is humanly possible. Start by looking long and hard and what your profitable customers, the ones that already refer business to you, look like, think like, live like, value and fear. Now, eliminate all the jerks, cause you don’t have to work with them. Shake and not stir . . .

And now for a challenge: I dare you to write a paragraph and add it to every element of your marketing materials, including your website. Start your paragraph something like this – Here’s who has achieved the greatest success with our [product, system, process, tool, etc] – and then proceed to paint a detailed description of your new found narrowly defined ideal customer.

If you’ve done it right you will have to resist the urge to throw-up out of fear and anyone who reads it can either say, Yes, you are talking about me, you must know me – or, No, not for me. Either way your business just got better.

So now your job is to put everything behind attracting that ideal customer. Might I suggest some fresh strawberries and a hint of powdered sugar.