4 Things to Consider When Looking for Your Ideal Client

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Avoid talking to the wrong crowd!

Our brains are constantly filtering the world into digestible snippets. There’s simply too much world for our brains to consider all at once. Our brains identify what we need to survive and thrive and direct our attention to those things. Which is why so much marketing just slips right past us unnoticed. Our brains are filtering the advertising we see based on what we view as important.

Our marketing needs to speak to the kind of people who are a good fit for our services – our ideal clients. And if we are going to identify the people who will benefit from our advertising, then we need to consider a few things.

“Our brains are filtering the advertising we see based on what we view as important.”

1) What do your clients need?

If you want to find out what someone needs, you need to listen to them. What are they concerned about? What problems are they facing? What is keeping them from doing what is important to them? If your product or service takes care of any of the situations that prevent your clients from living the life they want to live, your product becomes a need to them.

2) Are you speaking to the decision maker?

A lot of time and energy can be wasted when not speaking with the people who make the decisions over the budget and who can approve the final purchase. Whether it’s the child’s parent with the credit card or the CEO who approves major purchases, you have to make sure you pitch, presentation and valuable time is invested in speaking with the decision maker(s).

3) Can they afford your services?

Once you know that the people can use your products or services to achieve their goals or overcome difficulties, then you should ask yourself whether they can afford your services. A man may benefit from a personal home sauna, but if he lives in an apartment and lives paycheck to paycheck, he can’t afford the product and he has no place to put it.

Your products and services have value. If the people you want to sell to aren’t able to pay you, they are NOT your ideal client. Your ideal client must be able to pay you for your work. (Unless you want to eat ramen noodles every day….)

4) Are they willing to pay?

Even if someone has a need and the money to pay for your solution to their problem, they may not be willing to part with their money to make it happen. A man may need to have his shed rebuilt and he may have the money to pay you to do it, but if he considers himself competent enough to take care of it himself, he won’t hire you. And even if he would possibly hire someone else to do the job, he may undervalue the kind of work you do and refuse to pay so much for something he could do for no cost.

This person is not your ideal client. Your ideal client must be willing to pay you for your work. And if he respects you and values your skill, he will pay.

Conclusion

If you have someone who fits these criteria, you have identified an ideal client. You can begin to look at what makes him a good fit for your services and use him as a reference for the kind of person you are talking to. We have included a worksheet with some questions that will help you understand your ideal client, so you can communicate to them clearly. If you would like some help figuring out who your ideal client is schedule a call with one of our marketing advisors today. And don’t forget to tune in next week, as we share how you can better guide your customer's journey.

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