Time and time again I’m asked for hints and tips for finding clients. My number one answer is niching, you can read more about that in my blog post from last week.
The next stage is to know your ideal clients, really know who they are. What age are they? Are they married? Kids? Where do they hang out, both online, offline, what do they read, watch, where do they shop etc. etc. By understanding who your ideal client is you will be much clearer with your messages across all of your platforms, whether it’s newsletters, blog posts, social media, networking etc. You need to be able to talk to your ideal client so that they know that you get them and understand how you can help them.
So this week I’m sharing a simple tip with you on how you can get started on creating an ideal client profile without stressing yourself out over it.*
We’re going to put together an online dating profile – ok I know this is a bit weird but bear with me!
An online dating profile is all about selling you, isn’t it? Exactly, and that’s what you need to do when telling your clients what you do and how you can help them.
- So start by pretending you’re writing your own dating profile, keeping in mind things that will attract your ideal partner (aka client). Try and avoid those clichéd things that everyone says, so just as it would be annoying seeing “looking for love” or “likes to socialise”, it might be equally annoying for someone to read the standard coaching blurb that you might see on every website. I’m just as guilty of it as the next person. In fact if you see any of that on my website please call me on it, I may not have noticed it myself!
- So describe all of the things you might want your ideal client to have or be, so it could be personality traits and characteristics, specific behaviours etc. You might want them to be driven, goal setters or go-getters, visionaries with a sense of humour for example. Think about the type of work your ideal ‘partner’ might be in – small business, writers, trainers, teachers, mums, shop owners, office workers, whatever it is you think might be a good fit for you.
- Once you’ve got into this mindset you can start to think about how you might attract that ideal ‘partner’. So would you just say something like, ‘Hey, I’m a Coach. Come and be my client, I can help you change your life”, or would you say something more meaningful that might appeal to all of the things they’ve listed in their profile as things they’re looking for in a partner (aka Coach)? Surely something like this would be better, “I help professional business women raise the ceiling on their career and life” or whatever you want to say (I’m not a copywriter so probably not the best person for that bit but you get the drift… I hope!)
- Now bring a bit more of you into it. If you were trying to attract your ideal partner you’d be thinking how you could get your personality across. The same applies to your business. So for my business I want to work with people with a sense of humour, who like to inject a bit of fun into their lives and work. To that end I’ve tried to add that energy into my website and any interactions I have, so no pretences, no hiding behind something I’m not, just lots of the real me. You can do the same with what you’re doing.
So don’t get stuck on your ideal client, play around with it in a different way and maybe it will all become a bit clearer for you. If nothing else, and you are in fact ‘looking for love’ and you do ‘like to socialise’ you may well find your ideal romantic partner along the way too!
* inspired by Suzanne Dibble
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We have been having some fun over in the Cappuccino Coaching Club this week with two of the girls running their very own first Cappuccino Coaching Sessions, here’s what one of them had to say about it. Come and join us and add another income stream to your business.
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