I was picking up some tortillas at the grocery the other day. As I’m surveying the choices (and there are startling number for an item that’s just flour, fat and water), the woman beside me turns and asks what kind of beans she should get for a corn and bean salsa. I say black beans are definitely the way to go because they’re more squishy than the pintos, and a nice offset to the crunchy corn.

She furrows her brow, smirks and points to her Bluetooth headset. I fucking hate those things.

Pardon me, lady, for thinking your eyes looking directly at me while your mouth formed a question implied that question was directed to me.

This is what failure to properly segment looks like to your customers. It’s speaking at, not speaking with, and it makes you seem tone deaf and out of step.

A well-tailored message in the proper venue speaks clearly and unambiguously to the people who need to hear it. Fail to put in the legwork to identify your audience, and you’re just another clueless Bluetooth user shouting questions down a tortilla aisle.

Cheers,

jae