ISI Model - Step 2: Segmentation Methodology

ISI Model Overview

Comprehensive Summary of Step 2 from the ISI Model

"If you speak to everyone, you resonate with no one"

(Visual Learner? Skip to the Visual Guide)

Skip to Visual Guide

(Visual Learner? Skip to the

Visual Guide below)

Skip to Visual Guide

Segmentation Methodology

Purpose: Step 2 is dedicated to transforming raw audience data into a strategically precise and emotionally engaging persona. It does this by ensuring that you know exactly WHO your audience is and WHAT drives their behavior.

Deliverable: A Formulated Audience Persona Story

Introduction to the ISI Model

The ISI Model is a strategic marketing model designed to transform innovative ideas into actionable, revenue-generating strategies. It consists of three critical steps: Innovation, Segmentation, and Implementation. Each step is divided into two phases—Discovery Input Matrix and Executable Process—ensuring a thorough approach from concept to execution.

3 Steps. 2 Phases. 1 System

(Turning Ideas into Revenue)

Input. Process. Output.

(Turning Ideas into Revenue)

Segmentation Phase 1: Discovery Input Matrix

Goal: To systematically gather and define all critical insights about your target audience.

Key Components:

1) Define Your Audience:

Demographics: Age, gender, income, education, and other foundational traits.
Psychographics: Values, beliefs, aspirations, fears, frustrations, and emotional drivers.
Behaviors: How they consume information, brand preferences, purchasing habits, and interactions.

2) Identify Audience Insights:

Psychological Triggers: Identify both surface-level pains and deeper, unspoken fears that prompt action.
Emotional Releases: Define the desired outcomes and the emotional relief your audience seeks once those outcomes are achieved.
Pain-to-Gain Discovery: This process bridges the gap between current pain points and the envisioned state of relief, mapping a transformation journey that resonates emotionally.

3) Worksheets and Visual Guides:

Structured questionnaires and visual aids support the discovery process, ensuring all critical elements are captured—even if some visuals cannot be replicated in text.

---

Segmentation Phase 2: Executable Process

Goal: To convert the insights gathered in Phase 1 into a structured, compelling, actionable persona story.

Key Components:

1) The ISI Persona Story Equation:

A formula that combines key data points —

(Demographics + Psychographics + Behaviors): Establishing who they are.
(Surface Pain + Desired Outcome): Highlighting their pain and the goal they’re striving for.
(Psychological Trigger + Emotional Release): Capturing the underlying emotional drivers.

This equation creates a dynamic, story-like persona that serves as the cornerstone for targeted, conversion-driven marketing.

2) Guiding Principles:

People Don’t Buy Products, They Buy Solutions: Focus on solving real-world problems rather than just listing features.
Personas Aren’t Data Points, They’re Living Stories: Build personas that follow a narrative arc (beginning, conflict, resolution) to create emotional engagement.
Precision Beats Volume: Target high-value segments with laser-focused messaging, ensuring marketing efforts are efficient and effective.

3) Supporting Theories and Real-World Examples:

Integrates proven segmentation principles such as "Personas Aren’t Data Points, They’re Living Stories" and "Precision Beats Volume." Uses a storytelling framework that transforms raw demographic and behavioral data into dynamic, narrative-driven personas—ensuring every audience profile resonates emotionally and drives targeted engagement.
Real-life examples, like the three-act journey of "John, a mid-sized solar dealership owner," illustrate how these principles shift segmentation from generic data collection to a compelling, conversion-focused strategy.

Why Step 2 is Critical

1) Clarity & Precision:

By deeply understanding the audience’s demographics, mindset, and behaviors, businesses can craft messages that are far more relevant and compelling.

2) Emotional Connection:

The transformation of raw data into a living, breathing persona story creates a strong emotional connection that drives engagement and conversion.

3) Actionable Insights:

The process turns segmentation from a static data exercise into a dynamic tool that directly informs and enhances every marketing initiative.

4) Enhanced Marketing Efficiency:

Focusing on precision targeting helps avoid wasted ad spend and ensures that every campaign is aligned with the specific needs and pain points of the most profitable audience segments.

Summary

Step 2 of the ISI Model—Segmentation—empowers you to transform scattered audience data into a detailed and actionable audience persona story that drives targeted marketing. It is divided into two phases:

Discovery Input Matrix: A rigorous process for capturing who your audience is through detailed demographic, psychographic, and behavioral data while uncovering both overt and underlying pain points and emotional triggers that form the foundation of your marketing narrative.

Executable Process: A systematic method for converting these insights into a compelling, emotionally driven audience persona using the ISI Persona Story Equation and guiding principles that emphasize solution-based messaging, storytelling, and precision targeting.

This structured approach not only clarifies your audience’s identity and motivations but also provides a blueprint for all marketing strategies, ensuring every message resonates deeply and drives the desired action.

Explore The Segmentation Methodology Visual Guide

Gain insights into how the Discovery Input Matrix and Executable Process lay the groundwork for transforming innovative ideas into concrete, market-ready solutions.

The Discovery Input Matrix

(Discover WHO your audience is & WHAT drives them)

CUSTOM JAVASCRIPT / HTML

The Executable Process

(Segment the WHO/WHAT)

CUSTOM JAVASCRIPT / HTML

Curious How I Make It All Work?

Discover the practical tools, in-depth questions, and proven processes that power each stage of the ISI Model. Dive deeper and see how each element comes together to drive success:

Return Home

Explore Innovation

Explore Implementation

Example 1: Motivating Sales Candidates to Show Up for Scheduled Interviews

Segmentation Insight:

Sales candidates often struggle with commitment anxiety—they get excited about opportunities but fail to follow through on interviews due to doubts, distractions, or lack of urgency.

Strategic Approach:

The messaging focuses on intrinsic motivation rather than job details—belonging, personal growth, and purpose. Instead of listing job perks, this video asked:

✔ Are you ready to become part of something bigger than yourself?

✔ Are you ready to impact future generations?

✔ Are you ready to join a family that pushes you past your limits?

🔹 Outcome:

This video reinforced identity, ambition, and legacy, addressing the emotional drivers that push candidates to take action. By focusing on aspirational positioning, it led to higher interview attendance rates and stronger engagement from serious candidates.

Example 2: Addressing Sales Reps’ Pain of Feeling Undervalued

Segmentation Insight:

High-performing sales professionals often feel undervalued, underpaid, and misled by employers who promise financial success but fail to deliver. Many sales reps leave jobs because they don’t feel appreciated, not because of pay alone.

Strategic Approach:

✔ Hit the Pain First: The video opens with a direct question: "Have you ever received a $40,000 monthly check?"

✔ Expose Industry Truths: Calls out the issue of overpromising & underdelivering.

✔ Provide a Clear Solution: Reassures that this company values its reps and provides real earning potential with no income cap.

🔹 Outcome:

This ad spoke directly to sales reps’ frustrations and unmet expectations, increasing high-intent applications from seasoned professionals tired of being overlooked.

Example 3: Targeting Alpha Sales Managers for Leadership Roles

Segmentation Insight:

Top-performing sales managers don’t just want a job—they want ownership, control, and respect. They seek elite-level opportunities that set them apart.

Strategic Approach:

✔ Framing the Role as Exclusive: "This is not our first rodeo… I need a bold individual to accept the keys to our castle."

✔ Using Elite Language: Terms like “alpha,” “top performer,” “diamond in the rough” appeal to leaders who thrive on competition and challenge.

✔ Demands Confidence: The video calls out unqualified candidates, using exclusivity psychology to increase perceived value and status.

🔹 Outcome:

This eliminated unqualified applicants while attracting high-caliber sales leaders who saw the role as a prestigious and rare opportunity.

Example 4: Soft-Touch Recruitment for New Sales Reps

Segmentation Insight:

Not all candidates respond to aggressive recruiting tactics. Some need relatable, friendly, and community-driven messaging before committing.

Strategic Approach:

✔ Social Proof & Belonging: Uses real employee testimonials to show genuine satisfaction.

✔ Lower Barrier to Entry: Removes intimidation by presenting sales as an easy career shift.

✔ Emphasizes Team Culture: Creates an inclusive, friendly environment for first-time reps.

🔹 Outcome:

This campaign attracted newer, less experienced sales candidates by making the opportunity feel safe, welcoming, and achievable.

Example 5: Motivating Sales Teams During COVID Uncertainty

Segmentation Insight:

During crises, sales teams experience fear, doubt, and demotivation. They need reassurance, purpose, and belief to stay engaged.

Strategic Approach:

✔ Emotional Storytelling: The video acknowledges struggles and then flips the narrative to focus on resilience and overcoming adversity.

✔ Community & Purpose: Rallies the team around a collective mission bigger than themselves.

✔ High-Energy Call to Action: Uses language of perseverance and victory to reinforce belief.

Outcome:

This campaign reignited motivation and drove stronger engagement across the sales team, ensuring continued momentum despite external challenges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Step 1 - Innovation Framework

CUSTOM JAVASCRIPT / HTML

Working...