(Length: 4 pages)

Executive Summary (This is a document excerpt)

Most B2B firms segment prospects and customers by basic criteria like company size, industry, and geography. Unfortunately, with this approach, it is difficult to precisely align marketing messages with buyer pain points or purchase cycle stages. B2B marketers improve their customer knowledge when they base segmentation on prospect roles, needs, or preferences, rather than sales-centric categories. By applying customer-centric segmentation criteria and using the principles of Scenario Design, B2B marketers can develop communication strategies that resonate with the specific business challenges and life-cycle issues that customers face.