Ideal Client, 8 of 10

#8. Ideal Client

By marketing to and networking with your ideal clients, you spend your time and energy directly on the individuals who will purchase the most of your products or services! Makes sense, doesn’t it? So take the time to study a bit and LEARN who your Ideal Client is, in order to learn WHAT he/she wants and WHY he/she wants it. Ideal Client is the driving motive for the very existence of YOUR company, YOUR niche!

One tool that can help you to market to your ideal client is called your “Ideal Client Profile.” Designing this profile is a great personal exercise, although you should involve others in it, too. Why? Because only too often business owners are too close to their own enterprises to accurately create the best overall picture of their own ideal client. Michael Gerber, author and consultant, speaks to this issue in what I consider the most important book for a business owner to read, “The E-myth Revisited”, available at Amazon.

To make sure that you know who your ideal client is, create a survey for your current clients to complete and provide them with a discount coupon or gift as an incentive for helping. You can also network with other business owners and ask their opinions about who would buy your products, and why! Finally, it doesn’t hurt to ask new clients what they would like or want as part of the terrific customer service you provide. I’m betting you’ll learn a lot!

When evaluating new marketing tools, ask yourself:
· Is this something my ideal client would need, enjoy or purchase? · Will this attract my ideal client to my business?

If not, the idea may be better suited to the ideal client of another business. In that case, contact the business owner! After all, building relationships and collaboration is a big part of both life and business, isn’t it?

Things you can do with your Ideal Client Profile:
1. Give a copy to all your friends, family, employees or contractors.

2. Put a copy on your business stationary

3. Find a terrific frame for it and hang it on your office wall.

4. Use it on your Web site.

5. Carry a copy in your wallet, car, and briefcase.

6. Create an affirmation that will help you to attract your ideal client.

7. Review your ideal client statement or list every six months as part of your overall business plan.

Over time, your Ideal Client Profile will change as you raise your standards, alter your business plan or add new products. To be prepared for such re-evaluations, make note of who you are really attracting to your business: who is asking questions, who is buying, and who is subscribing to your newsletters. Keep track of these things over time, analyze the patterns you find there and use the information to your best advantage when deciding on, and marketing to, your ideal client.
Briefly, this means DISTILLING the FEELINGS, PROBLEMS and NEEDS which drive and motivate your Ideal Client!

Answer these “Ideal Client Questions”

If you print this out, you should have enough room to fill in the answers, OR you can copy from this email, pop into your Open Office word processor, (okay, or MS-Word) and expand the writing space to your tastes.

Age, gender, sexual preference, religion and whatever demographics fit.

What attributes do they posses? (Passion, consistency, committed)

What are they passionate about?

Where do they live? Where do they work?

What types of people, places or things do they like?

How do they learn and where do they like to go to learn?

How do they learn about YOU/Your Company  and where do they like to go to learn more about YOU?
What do they read? When do they read it? Where do they read?

What shops, Web sites, etc. do they purchase products from?

What meetings, groups, and classes, forums, users-groups, Web 2.0 social spots do they attend?

What type of people are you attracting to your business?

Action Plan: Talk to your Marketing, Promotional, Advertising and other relevant Team members, both INSIDE and OUTSIDE your Company, and start learning WHO your Ideal Client is, TODAY! Get back to this a couple times a month, and keep it exciting!