The page Company Profile > Specializations answers a question Expertise does not. Expertise says what you can do. Specializations say for whom you can do it.
The hint reads: "Clients expect not only your technical expertise, but also your industry know-how. Highlight your industry knowledge and define which customer segments you will serve."
The page is unlocked from the Business subscription. On Starter an overlay covers the fields.
Part 1: industries
Under "Add industries" you choose from a fixed list, including:
Architecture and construction · Automotive · Banking and financial services · Consulting · E-commerce · Energy, water and environment · Education and science · Health and social care · Real estate · Industry and mechanical engineering · Internet and information technology · Consumer goods and retail · Arts, culture and sport · Media and publishing · Public sector and associations · HR services · Pharma and medical technology · Telecommunications · Tourism and hospitality · Transport and logistics · Insurance · Advertising, marketing & PR · Audit, tax and law · Other industries
Every industry you pick gets a percentage. The same rule applies here: the sum must be exactly 100 percent. The counter at the top shows the state and the text "The sum must equal exactly 100%".
Part 2: client segments
Below that you distribute percentages across the size of your clients:
Startups | small businesses
Mid-market
Enterprise
These three values must also add up to exactly 100 percent.
Finish with "Save changes".
Why this makes the difference
Many providers have technical expertise. Few have industry knowledge, and that is often what clients decide on.
A client from the insurance sector who needs an app can choose between twenty app developers. They take the one who has worked with an insurer before, because then they do not have to explain what a legacy policy is or why approval processes take so long.
The same goes for client size. A team used to corporate projects works differently from one that supports startups. Both sides want to know whether it fits.
Honest distribution beats broad distribution
It is tempting to tick all 24 industries at 4 percent each. But that signals the exact opposite of specialization, and the page name already says what this is about.
Better: take the three to eight industries where you can genuinely show projects and weight them by their actual share of your business. A profile reading "insurance 40 percent, banking 30 percent, health 30 percent" is far more convincing to an insurer than one with 24 evenly spread ticks.
The same applies to client segments: if you almost only serve the mid-market, write mid-market 80, enterprise 10, startups 10 and not three times 33.
How this feeds into your profile progress
The Specializations section has only two components:
at least one industry: 50 percent
more than one client segment: 50 percent
The traffic light is red below 50 percent, orange below 100 percent and green only at a full 100 percent.
Watch the second point: it is not enough to put a single client segment at 100 percent. For full progress you need at least two segments with a share.
Frequently asked questions
I only see an overlay. Why?
The page is unlocked from Business. On Starter you can view it but not fill it in.
Why can I not save?
Because one of the two sums is not exactly 100 percent. There are two separate counters on this page: one for the industries and one for the client segments. Both have to add up.
We really serve only one industry. What do we enter?
Then put that industry at 100 percent. That is perfectly fine and the sharpest form of specialization. For the client segments, however, you should still distribute at least two values, otherwise the traffic light stays orange.
Do specializations affect which directories I appear in?
No. Your directories follow from the services and focus areas under Company Profile > Expertise. Specializations affect your profile, the fit with project requests and the impression on the client, not the directory assignment.
Can I create my own industries?
No, the list is fixed. If nothing fits exactly, take the closest industry or Other industries.