Terms

Serviceable Obtainable Market

Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM) is the portion of the market that a company can realistically capture with its products or services. It represents a practical, short-term target by taking into account factors like the competitive landscape, brand awareness, and available resources.

Importance of Serviceable Obtainable Market

SOM is crucial for developing a focused business strategy and setting realistic short-term goals. It informs financial projections and key operational decisions. This allows companies to create achievable growth plans and allocate resources more effectively.

Analyzing your SOM provides a clear view of your place within the competitive landscape. This insight helps management select strategies that better position the firm. A well-defined SOM is also vital for attracting investors by demonstrating a tangible and realistic market opportunity.

Calculating Serviceable Obtainable Market

This is how you calculate your serviceable obtainable market.

  1. Begin with your Serviceable Available Market (SAM), which is the segment of the market you can realistically serve.
  2. Analyze the competitive landscape to understand your direct and indirect competitors' market share and strengths.
  3. Evaluate your company’s capabilities, including historical performance, brand awareness, and available resources like your marketing budget.
  4. Multiply your SAM by the percentage of the market you can realistically capture to determine your SOM.

Serviceable Obtainable Market vs. Total Addressable Market

While both metrics measure market size, they serve different strategic purposes.

  • TAM: Represents the total market demand for a product, showing the maximum revenue potential. It's ideal for assessing long-term growth and overall market attractiveness, but can be unrealistic for immediate planning. Enterprises use it for major strategic decisions, while mid-market firms use it to evaluate new expansion opportunities.
  • SOM: Defines the portion of the market a company can realistically capture. It's used for setting achievable short-term goals, budgeting, and operational planning. Focusing only on SOM can limit long-term vision. Both enterprises and mid-market companies rely on it for data-driven sales strategies and resource allocation.

Examples of Serviceable Obtainable Market

Here are a few hypothetical scenarios showing how SOM is applied across different industries. These examples illustrate how companies set realistic targets based on their market conditions and internal capabilities.

  • Retail: A local soccer store with a $500,000 serviceable market aims for 50% market share, creating a $250,000 SOM.
  • Apparel: A women's clothing brand uses its past market share to project a SOM of $574.2 million for the next year.
  • Startup: A new kitchen storage company estimates engaging 10% of its serviceable market, resulting in a $400 million SOM.

Challenges in Estimating Serviceable Obtainable Market

Estimating your serviceable obtainable market is challenging due to several key factors.

  • Overestimation: Companies often make overly optimistic projections about their potential market share.
  • Data: Accessing reliable historical performance and competitor data can be difficult.
  • Dynamics: Market conditions and the competitive landscape are constantly in flux.

Frequently Asked Questions about Serviceable Obtainable Market

How often should I recalculate my SOM?

SOM should be recalculated regularly, such as quarterly or annually. This ensures your strategy remains aligned with changing market dynamics, competitive shifts, and your company's evolving capabilities, keeping your short-term goals relevant and achievable.

Can my SOM grow over time?

Yes, your SOM can grow. As your company expands its resources, improves brand recognition, and refines its products, it can realistically capture a larger percentage of the Serviceable Available Market (SAM), thereby increasing its SOM.

Is SOM only useful for startups?

No, SOM is valuable for businesses of all sizes. While crucial for startups seeking funding, established enterprises and mid-market companies use it to set realistic sales targets, allocate resources effectively, and guide short-term strategic planning.

Other terms

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GTM

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Customer Segmentation

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Account-Based Sales Development

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Content Delivery Network

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Sales Prospecting Software

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Intent-Based Leads

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Sales Automation

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Data Cleansing

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Direct-to-Consumer

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LPI

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Inside Sales Metrics

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Marketing Mix

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Warm Calling

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Internal signals

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Voice Broadcasting

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Firewall

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Enrichment

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Awareness Buying Stage

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Buying Committee

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Data Warehousing

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CRM Analytics

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Contract Management

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Competitive Landscape

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Competitive Landscape

Sales Pipeline Reporting

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Brag Book

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Predictive Lead Generation

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Conversion Rate

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Digital Rights Management

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Talk Track

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Compliance Testing

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Sales and Marketing Analytics

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Integration Testing

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Integration Testing

Single Page Applications

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Warm Outbound

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Sales Demonstration

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Buying Signal

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Virtual Private Cloud

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Custom API integration

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Custom API integration

Sales Pipeline Velocity Formula

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Data-Driven Marketing

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Loyalty Programs

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Loyalty Programs

Hard Sell

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Video Selling

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Demand Generation Framework

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Customer Engagement

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Multi-threading

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Multi-threading

CPQ software

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Adobe Analytics

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CRM Integration

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Omnichannel Marketing

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Sales and Marketing Alignment

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Sales Pitch

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Return on Marketing Investment

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De-dupe

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Sales Metrics

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Net New Business

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Lead Generation Funnel

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SEM

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Customer Relationship Marketing

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Artificial Intelligence in Sales

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Average Customer Life

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Lead Routing

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Lead Generation

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Objection

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Digital Sales Room

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Sales Workflows

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Decision Maker

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Guided Selling

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Sales Compensation

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Regression Testing

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Account View Through Rate

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Edge Locations

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Sales Funnel Metrics

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Click-Through Rate

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Lead Conversion

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Stress Testing

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Affiliate Marketing

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Messaging Strategy

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Account Mapping

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Load Balancing

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Omnichannel Sales

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Inside Sales

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