Life may be like a box of chocolates.

But your sales are like layers of a cake.

Many companies build their sales plan inside-out. They talk about how the sales will come from this product or this service.

Which, they will. But it’s doesn’t map back to how your market buys. Instead, think about what gets your market into a buying situation.

Buying situations present you with the ability to frame your offering around the outcome your market is trying to achieve. These are typically identified by understanding things like when someone uses, with whom, and where.

For example, in a restaurant setting we could imagine, “when I’m on the run by myself and looking for something quick and healthy.”

Next spend some time prioritizing. This is going to be a blend of what you know you can deliver on and where you think you can have competitive strength. You can’t compete on every front—be choiceful!

Now ensure your offering and go-to-market have cues and triggers that connect to these buying situations. Work to build and maintain these consistently over time.

These are the layers of your sales cake. Grounded from how your market operates. So build your cake on buying situations. What are you doing to further build and maintain these associations?