Have you sat down to figure out who your ideal client is? Operating without a target market or ideal client is like throwing your pennies into the air and hoping some land in your piggy bank. To grow your business you should focus on one ideal client and then you can expand from there. You wouldn’t have a cookout in your backyard and have everyone in town show up. No. You’d invite those that you are compatible with. Plus, you don’t have enough money to buy steaks for everyone.
Why Do I Need an Ideal Client?
In determining your ideal client, you are more focused on your marketing efforts. You are able to spend your dollars more wisely. You can design, price, promote, and distribute your products or services more cost-effectively.
You become seen as an expert because you are connecting and working with clients that have the same needs that your products or service can fill. Also, by filling the needs of your ideal clients, they will refer you to other ideal clients.
You can finally enjoy working with your clients because you can connect with them on a personal level as well as a professional level. Your business becomes more stream-lined and you are able to provide the products or services that you’re comfortable providing.
Who Should My Ideal Client Be?
Start by writing down what characteristics you don’t want in a client since we talk about what we don’t want easier than what we do. Maybe you don’t like to talk to people in person or on the phone. Maybe you don’t feel comfortable working with women that are over 40. What are your dislikes, write them down.
Once you write down five to ten dislikes, write down five to ten likes. Maybe you enjoy working only with local clients that you can network with face-to-face. Maybe you enjoy only working with individuals that have children.
Now, consider what you enjoy doing. What products or services do you want to provide to your clients? Compare your “like list” and the products or services you want to provide. Now write down at least a handful of target markets that you would enjoy working with that could use what you’re offering. Think about past positions that you had or something that you’ve always wanted to be involved with.
Once you’ve figured out a few target markets that you would enjoy working with and have compared them to your “like list”, do some research. The only way to actually narrow things down to one ideal client is to make sure you’ve done all your homework.
How Do I Find My Ideal Client?
When researching, try to take as much as you can into consideration. Here are a few ideas to get you going:
- geographic location
- company size
- income level / annual revenue
- type of company
- size of company
- professional organizations they belong to
- their vision and mission for their business
- their employee values
- age group
- sex
- marital status
- religion
- where they live
- number of children
- education
- what they read – newspapers, trade magazines, etc.
- where they hang out
- their hobbies
- their habits
- where they shop
- what they purchase
Of course, depending on what products or services you provide, you may not want or have to have answers to all of these questions, but it is helpful.
After your research, you should have narrowed things down to your ideal client and where to find them. You can now create your campaigns and marketing materials to attract these clients.
Remember, by choosing your ideal client, you are simply finding a starting point to focus your energies. From there you have the choice to do business with anyone, regardless of whether or not they fit your ideal client profile.
