Choosing a Strategic Segment
Feb 10, 2026Hey guys, Rich Scott here with another quick video. Today we're going to talk about choosing a strategic segment — the very first step in a professional services sales process.
So let’s dive in: how do you actually choose a strategic segment?
Why Choosing a Strategic Segment Matters
In a previous video, we talked about the eight steps to a sales process for professional services. Today we’re zooming in on step one: choosing a strategic segment.
The question is simple, but powerful: Who should you be going after?
Instead of trying to serve everyone — or competing in spaces that don’t play to your strengths — the goal is to be intentional. You don’t need your “perfect” client right away, but you do need a segment that makes strategic sense.
A Simple Three-Step Framework
There are three core steps to choosing your strategic segment.
Step 1: Values and Strengths
First, get clear on your values and your strengths.
What you’re good at, you tend to value. What you value, you tend to get better at. They feed each other.
Life is too short to build a business around your weaknesses — so your segment should align with what you naturally do best.
Step 2: Experience and Expertise
Second, look at your experience and expertise.
What have you actually done? What have you learned? Where have you built real skill?
If you picture this as a Venn diagram, your values/strengths and your experience/expertise should overlap.
Step 3: Choose a Market That Makes Sense
Now comes the key question: what market fits those two circles?
You want a market that aligns with your strengths and experience — but there’s an important caveat.
The Critical Caveat: Ease of Access
It’s not enough for a market to “fit.” It also needs to be reachable.
If your ideal segment:
- isn’t on any lists,
- isn’t part of an association,
- and isn’t identifiable in any clear way,
…then it becomes extremely hard to market to them.
You need a segment you can actually find, contact, and serve consistently.
Recap: The Three Parts
- Identify your values and strengths.
- Clarify your experience and expertise.
- Choose a market that fits — and is easy to reach.
Closing
Want to go deeper on this and find your Ideal Client? Here’s a link to a post on that:
5 Keys to Identifying Your Ideal Client
Stuck? Want more and better clients? We work with owners and leaders all the time to get clearer on this.
If you’ve got questions or want to bounce ideas around, let’s connect:
