How to write the buyer sentence
Most outreach goes wrong before the first message. A vague target gets vague replies. One short paragraph fixes that.
A buyer sentence is one short paragraph your whole team can repeat. It says who you sell to, why they act now, how to spot them and who to skip. It takes about ten minutes to write and it changes every list you build after it.
The four parts
Who they are
Role, company type and size. Be specific enough that two people on your team would pick the same names from a list.
Why they act now
The problem that makes waiting expensive. Write it the way the buyer would say it, not the way your website says it.
Signs they're in market
Things you can see from the outside: a new leader, a new office, a hiring push or a new product. Three is plenty.
When they're a bad fit
The buyers who look right but aren't. This line saves more time than the other three combined.
Example, fictional
Our buyer is the Head of Operations at logistics software companies with 20 to 200 people. They act now when new customers slow down onboarding. They're in market when they hire a new COO, open a second office or launch a new product. They're a bad fit when they're mid-acquisition or nobody owns onboarding.
Test it
Read it to a teammate. If they can't name three companies that fit within a minute, it's too vague. If they name the same three you would, it's ready.
Common mistakes
- Describing your product instead of the buyer.
- Listing every industry you could possibly serve.
- Skipping the bad-fit line, so the list fills with people who will never buy.
Use it everywhere
Put it at the top of your target lists, your message direction and your reply notes. When a reply comes in, check it against the sentence before anyone books a call.
Want a second pair of eyes?
Book a 30-minute pipeline review. We'll look at your buyers, your replies and your handoff together.
Book a pipeline reviewA 30-minute pipeline review with Casey. No pitch deck. Just fit and next steps.
