Put a Number On It

Arthur Nielsen Sr, the founder of the Nielsen company, once said to his son - “If you can put a number on it, then you know something.”

You may already be very familiar with your target market, but now is a great time to get down to actual numbers.

Helpful questions to answer:

•How many total businesses exist in our target market?

•How many businesses are we currently working with?

•How many businesses in our target market do we want to work with by the end of 2023?

•What do we need to do better/different in 2023 to hit or exceed this number?

Answering these questions will help sharpen your focus as we transition into 2023.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Arthur Nielsen Sr. mean by "if you can put a number on it, then you know something"?

That real knowledge comes from quantifiable data, not just familiarity or intuition. Even if a target market feels well understood, actual numbers reveal whether that understanding is grounded in reality.

Why start by asking how many total businesses exist in the target market?

Because it establishes the true size of the opportunity, a concrete baseline that grounds every subsequent goal or decision in real market scale rather than vague impression.

Why does it matter to know exactly how many businesses are currently being worked with?

Because comparing current reality against total market size reveals how much room exists for growth, turning a general sense of "doing well" into a specific, measurable position within the broader opportunity.

Why set a specific number of businesses to work with by the end of 2023?

Because a specific numeric target creates a clear benchmark for success, replacing vague aspiration with something measurable that can actually be tracked and pursued throughout the year.

Why does asking "what do we need to do better or different" matter as the final question?

Because hitting or exceeding a specific numeric target likely requires more than repeating past actions. This question forces consideration of what actually needs to change to reach a more ambitious goal.