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Knowing who your ideal client is of the utmost importance but applying it is where your efforts pay off. Once you’ve successfully profiled your target client, the ones you want to market to, make sure all of your marketing targets this specific type of client. This next step is taking that profile and researching places and media where you can reach those ideal client leads.
Step #3: Finding your ideal clients
Answer these questions:
Where do they hang out to do their networking or look for prospects for their businesses?
Where do they do their research when looking for services or products?
Source my existing clients to learn how they found out about my business.
What strategic partners should I have relationships with to help introduce my business to their contacts?
When is the right time in my business process to ask for referrals?
The most important question to ask is, am I referral ready?
If your message and branding are too generic, and you’re trying to be all things to all people, you’ll fail. Zero in on writing your message directly to this ideal customer, and you’ll find that you instantly attract more of them. Once complete you will know where you should spend your time networking and what media you should invest your money in.
Step #4: Shed the unwanted client.
Look at your least favorite clients and customers from the past year and identify the common traits between them — did they all say the same thing, think the same way, have the same skill level, work in the same industry, etc. Put together a “Red Flag” profile, the opposite of an ideal client profile, to help you identify the red flags of your less-than-ideal clients before they sign a contract. If a red flags shows up in the sales process, then consider letting them go.
Step #5: Understand what your ideal client needs to know to make the decision to hire you or buy from you.
Knowing where to find your ideal client is very important but so is learning what information they require when making a decision. Determine what is most important to them when making the decision to buy. Do they need it fast, easy, cheap, plug and play, or must your product or service be flexible and available at odd hours? When they are gathering the necessary information do they need to see examples, read testimonials, or see videos? By knowing what is most important to them in the decision-making process, you can be sure to include those elements in your marketing and on your website.
Step #6: Create a call to action. Give them a reason to respond to your marketing or advertising by offering the ideal and irresistible “try me” offer in those efforts. This WILL attract more leads!
Step #7: Prepare your sales presentation. Having a well developed client profile, discerning the best place to direct your marketing dollars with the information suspects need to know, including a call to action, will jump start your marketing efforts and generate better leads.
However you’re not done until you build a sales message that fits the ideal client profile.
Seven steps, all of which build upon the previous step, are a must do for every business owner! What’s interesting, is you’ve most likely heard this all before and still haven’t developed your client profile, don’t feel bad most business owner’s I met haven’t either. Here are the hard cold facts. You can’t grow your business by just working harder. You’ve got to work smarter and different. But don’t keep doing the same things and expect to get different results. That is, by definition, INSANE! Non-compos mentis! By working harder and doing things the same way, you’ll only accelerate the negative results.
Let us help you end the cycle of Non-compos mentis, and get your business growing. We believe you don’t know what you don’t know and we here to fill in those gaps in your business knowledge. Give Estrada Strategies a try, for free*, no obligation, all it takes is a call to learn more!
*Free 90 minute business evaluation, no obligation!
Steven Lynn is a Business Coach at Estrada Strategies in Ontario, CA and can be reached at (909) 578-7000 or[email protected].
