final draft submitted

Good morning Predictable Revenue community,

I handed in my final draft this week and it’s sitting at 57,892 words. I remember sitting at ~20k words and thinking that 40k seemed impossible. Turns out I had the opposite problem, I’m a talker and once I built up my writing muscle, it naturally translated onto the page(s). I have a special thank you lined up for everyone that replied with comments or questions but you’ll have to stay tuned to find out what it is.

So what’s next? I’m supposed to switch to “marketing mode” now. Apparently pre-sales are a large factor in how book stores, wholesalers, etc… determine how many books they’re going to order. But don’t worry, I’m not going to sit here and beg for it, my goal is to continue writing and building resources that would be helpful for founders at your stage. Ok, I might beg a little bit…

I’m looking for a few early readers that would be willing to preview a copy of the book and provide a short review or quote we can use while marketing it. Hit me back if you’re interested.

The following is two snippets from the book that I thought belonged together but ended up in separate sections. The first goes into detail about how we craft our targeting and the second is a short follow-up piece on founder led prospecting.

The MarketFit Process 

One of the toughest lessons I've learned (and the reason I'm hammering so hard on documenting product market fit) comes from my days running an outbound agency. Time and time again, I'd see founders who did find product market fit—but never fully documented or shared what they'd learned. They'd hire a sales leader, fail to pass along all the crucial insights about ideal customers and messaging, and then get frustrated when campaigns flopped. We'd build sequences and lists based on incomplete information, only for the sales leader to say the leads "weren't right." That frustration built up so frequently that we built the MarketFit workshop. It was a team effort that evolved over time—starting with Aaron's Niche Matrix, refined by many account strategists at Predictable Revenue (including Jerry, Patrick, Cole, Niamh, Ashley, Jonathan, Ania, and Nicola), and ultimately perfected by Kenny MacKenzie. We call it the MarketFit process. 

The MarketFit process breaks down everything we've learned about finding and validating market fit into three testable hypotheses: targeting, need, and solution. Think of these as the three big questions you need to answer: Who are we trying to reach? What do they want? How can we help them? This process will help transform a hypothetical ideal customer profile into a tangible set of criteria and segments your sales team can run with. This process might feel like skipping ahead but it's important to start documenting things now while it's fresh in your memory. This process is an excellent way to communicate your product market fit with precision. 

Let's break each one down. 

The Targeting Hypothesis 

This is where most companies start—and where most go wrong. They look at surface-level traits like industry and company size, build a list, and start selling. But effective targeting goes deeper. You need three layers: 

First, there's the company profile (what most people call firmographics). This includes the usual suspects: industry, employee count, revenue, location. But here's the key—you want to prioritize characteristics you can actually search for in data providers. We call these "searchable" attributes. There's no point building your ideal customer profile around attributes you can't find. 

Next comes the persona. Who in these companies are you trying to reach? This goes beyond just job titles. You need to understand their level (Director, VP, C-suite), their function (Sales, Marketing, Product), and their department. Again, focus on what you can actually search for. 

Finally, there are behavioral signals—things that might indicate a company or person is ready to buy. This could be recent funding, conference attendance, technology usage, or website activity. These are harder to track systematically but can be gold when you find them. Tools like Clay and Apollo are particularly powerful here.

The Need Hypothesis 

This is where we dig into what your target market actually wants. It combines several key elements: 

Persona Responsibilities are what the person was actually hired to do. The easiest way to figure this out? Check job postings for their role. These responsibilities create the foundation for understanding what drives their decision-making. For a sales leader, this might include "build and manage a high-performing sales team" or "develop and execute sales strategies." 

Goals are their annual objectives—the concrete outcomes they're measured against. These aren't abstract aspirations; they're the specific targets they need to hit. For a sales leader, this might be "increase revenue by 50%" or "build a predictable pipeline generating $2M in new business." 

Jobs to be Done (JTBD) are the specific tasks they need to complete to achieve those goals. Think of these as the "how" behind the "what" of their goals. If their goal is to increase revenue by 50%, their JTBD might include "invite potential customers to sales calls" or "maintain a steady flow of qualified leads." 

Obstacles are what's getting in their way. What's making these jobs harder than they should be? What friction points exist in their current process? This might be "manual prospecting takes too long" or "can't find enough qualified leads." 

The Solution Hypothesis 

This is where you connect what you offer to what they need. The solution hypothesis has four key components that work together to create a compelling narrative: 

Unique & Believable Solution Strip away the marketing speak. Describe in plain language exactly how you solve the specific situation described in this chain. No jargon, no buzzwords—just the honest truth about how you help. Your prospects can smell marketing fluff from a mile away, so keep it real. 

Position in the Market If it's relevant for this specific chain, explain how you're different from competitors. Don't try to be all things to all people—focus on what makes you uniquely valuable for this particular situation. Sometimes this isn't relevant, and that's okay. Only include it if it genuinely matters for this chain. 

Proven Results / Social Proof Let your happy customers do the talking. Use their actual words to describe the impact you've had. Even better, include how they quantified that impact. Real results from real customers are worth their weight in gold. "We increased our qualified pipeline by 47% in the first three months" beats generic testimonials every time. 

Relevant Trends Identify current market or industry developments that make your solution more compelling right now. These trends can make your chain of relevance more urgent or important to your prospects. For example, if you're selling an AI-powered sales tool, relevant trends might include "the rise of remote selling" or "increasing pressure to do more with smaller teams." 

The Chain of Relevance 

These three hypotheses form what we call the Chain of Relevance. It looks like this: 

Company → Persona → Responsibility → Goal → Job to be Done → Obstacles → Solution 

Each link needs to connect logically to the next. When it does, you've got a compelling story that resonates with prospects because it matches their reality. This provides the context for your message but is not the actual message that you'll send, that comes later. 

Testing Your Hypotheses 

Here's where the rubber meets the road. For each combination you want to test, you need at least 300 prospects. Why 300? Because that's the minimum sample size you need to get statistically significant results. 

Start with your targeting hypothesis. Can you actually find 300 prospects that match your criteria? If not, your targeting might be too narrow—or you might need to broaden your search criteria. 

Then test your need hypothesis. Are these prospects actually responding to messaging about the goals and obstacles you've identified? If not, you might have the wrong need hypothesis. 

Finally, test your solution hypothesis. When you connect with prospects, does your solution resonate? Do they see how it helps them achieve their goals? If not, you might need to rethink how you're positioning your solution. 

Getting Started with Messaging 

When you're staring at a blank page trying to write your first message, it can be overwhelming. It's tempting to go hunting for templates, but resist that urge. Instead, try this approach: focus on just one element of your chain at a time. 

You could start with: 

• Goals: "Are you trying to hit that 50% growth target this year?" 

• Obstacles: "Is manual prospecting eating up too much of your team's time?" 

• JTBD: "How are you keeping your sales pipeline consistently full?" 

• Or any other element that feels natural 

• Test different starting points and see what resonates. Almost anything is worth testing when you're just getting started. The key is to start somewhere and iterate based on the responses you get. 

Remember, this is an iterative process. You'll probably need to test multiple combinations before you find one that works. But when you do find one that works—when you see prospects consistently engaging with your message and moving through your pipeline—you'll know you've found a profitable segment of your market. 

The key is to document everything. Track what works and what doesn't. Share the learnings with your team. And most importantly, keep refining your hypotheses based on what you learn from the market. 

Founder-Led Prospecting  

Below is the process I use whenever I’m launching (or advising on) a new startup’s customer acquisition strategy. While some of these points might sound straightforward, executing them diligently—by hand, at first—makes all the difference. 

Pinpoint the Problem and Persona 

Before you do anything else, be absolutely clear on what problem you’re solving and who you’re solving it for. Identify the roles, industries, and specific titles of people who typically experience the pain your product addresses. This clarity keeps your prospecting tight and focused—no wasted outreach on people who don’t need (or appreciate) what you’re offering. 

Build a Target List 

Once you know who you want to reach, start small. I like to assemble an initial list of 50 to 100 prospects maximum. That’s enough for meaningful feedback but not so large that you lose the ability to verify each name. Why go small at first? By manually reviewing each contact—checking job titles, company type, or relevant pain points—you quickly see if your targeting is on track. This tight feedback loop prevents you from blasting a huge, inaccurate list with the wrong message. When you create your list, make sure to document the context behind it. I recommend using our MarketFit Matrix, you can get a copy of the template here. 

Get the Word Out  

When you’re confident in your initial target list, it’s time to craft your outreach—but keep it simple. I recommend starting with two channels: 

• Cold Email. Aim for batches of about 30 prospects per day. You can send them manually or use a mail merge tool like YetAnotherMailMerge. At this volume, it’s generally safe to use your main email account. Once you start sending more than 30 a day, you’ll want to look into email deliverability best practices to keep your domain reputation healthy. Note, at this stage I’m not sending follow ups. If you plan on sending follow up emails, reduce the volume so your total email volume stays under 30 a day.  

• LinkedIn. Instead of sending an empty connection request, include your message in the connection note. This helps the prospect see immediately why you’re reaching out, and it can encourage a faster response. 

• In both cases, avoid pitching. Lead with your focus and ask for advice. Keep it short, clear, and focused on starting a conversation—not closing a deal. By sending a small batch each day, you can quickly see how prospects respond and tweak your approach if you’re not getting the replies you hoped for. 

Keep It Manual at First 

I recommend doing most of this process by hand initially, without relying on automation. That means no big mail merges or automated sequences just yet. Why? When you’re typing or tailoring each message, you see firsthand which parts are clunky, which references might be wrong, and whether your targeting is off. If you automate too early, you risk blasting hundreds of prospects with a message that’s slightly off-target—and that’s a recipe for low response rates and misleading data. 

Track Every Response 

Finally, keep tabs on everything in a spreadsheet or lightweight CRM. Each prospect should have a status: Contacted, Replied, No Response, Not Interested, Booked a Call, etc. This lets you see patterns —do half the people open but never reply? Are people more likely to reply to one pain point vs another one? Are they replying with a similar objection or not replying at all? Every data point you collect here is pure gold for refining your next batch of outreach. 

That’s the core of founder-led prospecting: a small, precise list, a clear hypothesis about who needs your solution, a tight feedback loop, and lots of manual work at first to confirm everything’s on the right track. By the time you consider any form of automation—or bringing in a dedicated salesperson—you’ll know exactly where the strongest signals are coming from and why your messaging resonates. 

That was a meaty post, if you made it this far, thanks for reading.

Until next week,

Collin

PS - reminder that I’m looking for early readers that would be willing to preview a copy of the book and provide a short review or quote we can use while marketing it. Hit me back if you’re interested.