Walk into any boardroom in today, and you’ll hear the same desperate plea, "We need sales as soon as possible."

This desperation has created chaos in our local market. Businesses are obsessed with the "Buy Now" button. They are pouring their entire budgets into aggressive direct-response ads, heavy discounting, and paying expensive influencers to move sales in the now.

But there is a fundamental flaw in this strategy. You are fighting for the same 5% of the market as everyone else, while the other 95% is walking right past you.

Understanding the 95:5 Rule

The rule is simple but brutal, at any given moment, only about 5% of your potential customers are in-market. They are the ones currently searching for a new car, a new insurance policy, or a software solution.

The other 95%? They aren't looking. They are happy with their current provider, or they simply don't have the need yet.

If your entire marketing strategy is built around sales and discounts, you are invisible to 95% of your future revenue.

Why We Get It Wrong

In Zimbabwe, the economic environment is volatile. This leads to short-termism. We feel that if we don't get the cash today, we might not be here tomorrow.

So, we focus on the 5%. We run "end of month" specials until our margins bleed. We bid against each other on Google Ads until the Cost Per Click makes the sale unprofitable. We spam post with deals.

And it results in high Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and zero brand loyalty. If you only win customers on price, you will lose them the moment a competitor drops theirs by one cent.

How to Target the 95%

To dominate the market in 6 - 12 months from now, you have to stop selling to the 95% and start building memory. Here is how you do it in the local context:

1. Focus on Mental Availability

The goal of marketing to the 95% is not to get a click; it’s to get a slot in their brain. When that person eventually enters the 5% in-market phase, maybe their car breaks down or their business expands, the first name they think of should be yours. So the goal here is making sure you are top of mind in your potential customers minds.

Move away from Price/Product ads and move toward problem-solution storytelling.

2. Distinctive Brand Assets (DBAs)

In a crowded market like ours, being better is hard to prove, but being distinct is a choice. Your colors, your tone of voice, and your look should be unmistakable. If I cover your logo, can people still tell the ad is yours?

Consistency over novelty. Don’t change your brand identity every time a new trend hits TikTok stick to your brand tone and voice.

3. Educational Content

If you sell solar systems, don't just post, "5KVA Kit for $X." The 95% don't care much about the price yet. Instead, create content on "How to protect your lithium batteries during winter" or "The hidden costs of cheap inverters."

Position yourself as the authority. When they are finally ready to spend their hard-earned USD, they will trust the expert over the salesman.

4. Emotional Connection

The Zimbabwean consumer is highly relational. We buy from people we know. Use your marketing to show the faces behind the brand, the why behind your business, and how you are contributing to the local community.

A way to make us know you is top tier engagement on social media, humanize the brand, engage with their comments and sometimes posts, they will develop that emotional connection with your brand.

The Bottom Line

If you focus on the 5%, you are a commodity. You are replaceable. If you focus on the 95%, you are building an asset.

Six months from now, the 5% hunters will still be struggling with high lead costs and low margins. But because you grabbed the 95% way before they were even ready to convert, you won’t have a sales problem.