Several years ago, when I was struggling to maintain a consistent revenue pattern for my first business, I hired a marketing consultant. One of the first topics together was nailing down my Ideal Client.
The conversation went something like this:
Her: you need to focus on one type of client. What’s the best type of client to market to?
Me: I serve everyone.
Her: yes but you can’t market to everyone. Who is your ideal client market?
Me: I serve all kinds of people, not just one type.
Her: You have to choose one.
Me: Why? And who? I don’t get this….
As you may imagine, this fruitless conversation did not help the topic become any clearer to me. I was frustrated and didn’t know why I should pick some people but not others. I resisted the concept of the Ideal Client for years, because no one was able to explain it to me clearly. Why would anyone want to EXCLUDE people who could generate revenue?
The precise moment the lightbulb shone over my head on the concept of the Ideal Client came as I was driving to meet The Client From Hell. While I got the job done, every contact with this person was dreadful. On the other hand, the experience of working with The Ideal Client makes you happy! You smile when you see her name on the caller ID and you wish you could clone her.
Defining this concept is critical for your marketing because you want to reach out to the people who fit that mold. It’s best to tweak your marketing to better speak to your ideal client, at the risk of turning away the “usual” customer. So here’s the bottom line –attracting the wrong client is an incredible drain on your energy and time. I help my clients really and truly identify their Ideal Client persona so that our marketing strategy can be built around that type of person, resulting in a more consistent revenue generating marketing plan.
Is narrowing down a specific type of Ideal Client a challenge? Working side by side with a strategist can catapult you forward much faster than struggling on your own. Reach out to me, I’d love to help.