Who Should You Sell To? The Truth About Customer Fit and 'Sales Debt'
Most companies don’t struggle because they can’t sell.
They struggle because they sell to the wrong customers.
It starts innocently enough.
A “yes” that feels like momentum.
A customer who sort of fits.
Revenue you can’t say no to.
But over time, the costs add up: customer churn, support overload, product detours. Slowly, the business bends around customers it was never meant to serve.
That hidden cost has a name: sales debt.
In this episode of Sales Reframed, host Eric Janssen explores what it really takes to understand your customer and why clarity about who you’re for changes everything.
Because across industries, the same pattern keeps showing up: customer fit isn’t luck. It’s learned.
You’ll hear from Emily Cole of the Savannah Bananas, who helped build a fan-first sports phenomenon—with highlights featured on SportsCenter and a ticket waitlist nearing a million—by putting fans first…
from Lauren Lake and Mallorie Brodie of Bridgit, who found product-market fit through 500 coffee-and-donut conversations and turned those insights into a $35M-backed company…
and from Michael Tamblyn of Rakuten Kobo, who scaled a global reading platform and gained a new perspective after a call with an 80-year-old customer…
Different worlds. Same lesson.
When you truly understand your customer, everything gets easier: who to pursue, what to say in your pitch, and when to walk away.
Because most companies don’t starve from lack of opportunity.
They drown from lack of focus. And focus starts with knowing exactly who you should be selling to.
Reframe Takeaway
After listening, you’ll see that sales isn’t just about how you sell – it’s about who you choose to sell to. When you slow down, get curious, and learn from the customers who already value what you do, clarity follows. You stop chasing every opportunity, avoid costly sales debt, and start focusing your time and energy where it actually compounds. Because the right customers don’t just buy, they help you build a better business.
Episode Guests
Emily Cole: Co-Owner (and the “Director of Fun”) of Fans First Entertainment and the Savannah Bananas.
Lauren Lake: Co-Founder of Bridgit.
Mallorie Brodie: Co-Founder of Bridgit.
Michael Tamblyn: CEO of Rakuten Kobo.
Top Episode Learnings
Your Best Customers Can Be Your Best Teachers
Customer positioning comes from real conversations. The fastest path to clarity is often the simplest one: talk to the people who already chose you. Their insights, priorities, and outcomes naturally point you toward your real value and your best next opportunities.Sales Debt Adds Up Over Time
Short-term wins with poor-fit customers can feel like progress, but they often create long-term drag—higher churn, heavier support needs, and product decisions shaped by the wrong voices. Early customer exploration is healthy, but sustainable growth comes from focusing on the customers who truly fit.Customer Fit Clarifies the Path Forward
Most companies don’t starve from lack of demand—they drown in too many directions. When you’re clear about who you’re for, everything gets simpler: your messaging sharpens, your pipeline tightens, and your roadmap gets clearer. The strongest teams aren’t the ones selling to everyone. They’re the ones who know exactly where they fit and aren’t afraid to walk away from the wrong customers.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Case Example: Intellitix and The International – Customer-fit lesson in esports: asked why the customer bought and used the answer to target similar high-fit events.
Publication: “The Risks of Prioritizing Short-Term Revenue Over Customer Fit” by Eric Janssen, Brian Denenberg and Benson P. Shapiro in the Harvard Business Review.
Case Example: The Savannah Bananas and Fans First Entertainment – A fan-first baseball entertainment organization that redesigned the live sports experience of traditional baseball.
Case Example: Bridgit – Construction workforce planning software company founded by Lauren Lake and Mallorie Brodie, built through extensive on-site customer discovery with contractors and project managers.
Case Example:Rakuten Kobo and Indigo Books & Music – Canadian bookseller and e-reader platform that partnered to adapt to digital disruption in bookselling.
About Sales Reframed
Sales Reframed is a podcast that redefines sales as the ultimate life skill. Blending research, storytelling, and strategy, it explores how influence, resilience, and purpose drive success in every field.
Developed by award-winning professor and entrepreneur Eric Janssen, and in partnership with Ivey Executive Education, the show makes sales human, practical, and accessible to everyone.