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Friday, February 13, 2015

Discover Your Perfect Client

We’ve already mentioned why you can't be a jack-of-all-trades or try to work with everybody because it's a quick path to burnout and a surefire way to end up attracting clients you don't enjoy.  To build a successful coaching business you have to not only know what your specialty is, but who your ideal client is.

Maybe you already have a general idea in mind, but this isn't the time to be generic.  Now is the time to narrow it down as much as possible.  Don't just say your ideal client is a  business owner.  Instead narrow that down even more.  For instance, you might say, “My ideal client is a person aged 40-60 who has wants to start a business or who has attempted to start a business and needs help actually getting it launched."
As you can see, there's a huge difference between those two answers.  The more specific you are about your ideal client, the less time you'll waste (yours as well as that of your prospective client) on unnecessary communication (free consult call, email exchanges, etc).

That may sound "rude,” but it isn't.  Think about it.  If you know your ideal client is that person in the example above, why would you take the time to correspond/communicate with that 30-year old online business owner who has been in business for 5 years and is already making a 6-figure income?  They're in a different place than the ideal client you want to work with.  

So, how do you define the ideal client?  Here are some questions you can use to create an ideal client profile: 


  • Is your ideal client a man or woman? Either?

  • How old is your ideal client?

  • How much money do they make a month/year?

  • What is the main issue (struggle) that you can help solve?

  • Where do they live?

  • What type of lifestyle do they lead?

  • What are they passionate about?

  • Do they travel a lot?

  • What is their personality type?
This is just a small list of questions to use when creating your ideal client profile. Remember, the goal here is to be as specific as possible, to narrow it down as far as you possibly can.  In fact, you might also consider creating another client profile - the client you do NOT want to work with.
Once you know your ideal client, you'll be able to create a marketing message that resonates with those people and draws them to you.  Once you have your ideal client narrowed down, it's time to move onto the next phase of how to land your dream coaching client - creating a unique selling proposition.  More on that tomorrow.

2 comments:

Debra Jason said...

Another question to as yourself is "does this person have values that are similar to mine?"
If you and your ideal client value the same things, you're more likely to work well together as a team.
:)

Melodieann Whiteley said...

Great question, Debra. It may seem that as long as they are paying you, values don't matter. But they are very important to a successful relationship. Thanks for adding that!