The three acronyms in this article are the most important for companies to understand. They describe aspects of your business plan that will make or break it, so it’s crucial you identify what each stands for and why they’re needed.
The “tam, sam som example” is an important part of any business plan. The three acronyms are used to determine the type of company that a person or corporation will be. They also help companies decide on what markets they should enter into.
A breakdown of the company’s TAM, SAM, and SOM in the marketing portion of their strategy is a typical (and extremely significant) feature missing from most business plans, as I’ve seen numerous over the years.
Are you unsure what these abbreviations mean? You’re not alone; many business owners are unfamiliar with these terminology.
What exactly is TAM?
The complete market for your product is called TAM (Total Addressable/Available Market). This includes anybody in the globe who could be interested in purchasing your goods, regardless of market competition.
What exactly is SAM?
SAM stands for Serviceable Available Materials. The area of the market that you can buy is known as the market. Your SAM would be the subset of the TAM that speaks the language that your product is created for, for example, if your product is only accessible in one language.
What exactly is SOM?
The subset of your SAM that you will really obtain to utilize your product is called SOM = Service Obtainable Market. This is essentially the target market to whom you will first attempt to sell. 
How can you tell the difference between TAM, SAM, and SOM?
Finding your TAM, SAM, and SOM needs some market research (the amount of study required varies based on your product and market potential), but after you’ve gathered the data via your market analysis, you’ll have a clearer sense of the percentages that correspond to each category.
Why is it vital to know what your SOM is?
Building a marketing strategy around your TAM—in other words, everyone—is a massive waste of money, so identifying your SOM, or target market, is critical. Identifying who you believe will purchase your goods can help you concentrate your marketing efforts.
On the eleventh edition of The Bcast, Bplans official podcast, Peter and Jonathan discuss market research and your target market.
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What is a TAM, SAM, or SOM example?
You’re beginning a concierge business in your city that focuses on helping busy individuals with duties and errands.
Your TAM (total available market) would include all persons in your community who would require assistance with jobs and errands. If your town has 150,000 residents, market research may reveal that the entire potential demand for your company in your city is 33%. (or 50,000 people). You may get at this figure by removing those under the age of 18 and other groups who are unable to pay for your services.
The chunk of that 50,000 that your present business strategy is targeting would be your SAM (serviceable available market) (this will be outlined in your business plan). For instance, your company concept catered to adults between the ages of 35 and 55 who had young children and discretionary cash. You may then find out that there are 20,000 of them, implying that your SAM is 40% of your TAM.
The fraction of your SAM that your company model can now realistically serve is your SOM (serviceable obtainable market). For example, if you only have three workers (you and two others) and can only service individuals who reside within a two-mile radius of downtown, how much of your SAM (20,000 people) can you realistically reach in the first two to three years?
Assume your business can give concierge services to 100 customers per month or 1,200 people per year. This suggests that your SOM is around 6% of your SAM.
If you’re looking for investment, knowledgeable investors will ask for these elements in your business plan, and you’ll need to be able to back up your claims with data. This is why doing some market research before you start creating your business plan is critical—and even recommended. It confirms the commercial potential of your product.
Hopefully, this has helped to clarify up some of the market reach acronym muddle!
Note from the editor: This story was first published in 2012. In the year 2020, it was upgraded.
Watch This Video-
The “tam, sam som for startup” is a term that describes the different types of taxes in a business. It is important to understand how these three tax types work before you start your company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is total addressable market important?
What does TAM SAM and SOM mean?
A: TAM is the type of game, and SAM stands for Sound Action Mode. SOM would be Dance mode.
How might you establish the TAM Sam Som for your enterprise?
A: This is a difficult question, because there are many different types of enterprise. I can direct you to the Introduction section in my FAQ which covers this topic quite extensively. Please contact me if you have any additional questions about it!
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