Lockdown, chapter two: Pinpoint your perfect clients
Over the coming weeks and months I anticipate business owners trying to cast the net ever wider in order to capture every possible sale. I firmly believe that’s counter intuitive; you simply cannot be all things to all people. In fact, more than ever you need to be crystal clear on who your people are so that you can position your business to be the only one that matters.
Who are the people you most love to work with? What are they like? Our clients are a wildly diverse bunch; from farmers and florists to coaches, consultants, creatives and everything in between. There’s no way I can pin our clients down with a neat little set of demographics. And anyway, demographics are dull – they assume sameness and don’t allow for individuality. Far more powerful to look at characteristics and personalities; the mindset and attitude that unite the people who truly appreciate the value of your work.
Our clients are all down to earth, passionate, warm and purposeful people who are quietly ambitious and definitively independent. They like to do things their own way; they are bold and unafraid to stand apart (though normally need a little nudge to reach that realisation). They seek a relationship with substance and depth; transactional relationships leave them cold. They value humanity, empathy, intelligence and craft. Knowing this, I can position every single one of my messages to resonate with this mindset. It gives me the permission to actually stand taller within our own brand; I know that looking corporate or overly trendy will frighten them off.
Understanding the mindset of my clients enables me to meet them with empathy – to acknowledge their fears and frustrations as well as their hopes and aspirations, so I can more quickly build an emotional connection with them. Because we are all just people; we want to feel heard and listened to and we want to feel as though we belong. When your customers are searching for what you do, they are looking for something that fits – that feels like them. You cannot create that feeling when you attempt to win over the whole world.
Action:
Consider your ideal client, and build a picture of who they are. List out as many characteristics as you can think of, in terms of personality and mindset, what inspires and motivates them, what they love to do and what really matters to them.
