It seems like a fairly simple question — who is your ideal client? How hard could it be to think about who needs your services and why? Yet, most small business owners underestimate the effort it takes to understand their ideal client, and as a result, they restrict the potential of their business.
A common question here at creativeLIVE is “If I’m a portrait photographer, shouldn’t anyone looking to get their portraits taken be an ideal client?” The short answer to that question is absolutely not.
According to best-selling author and founder of Duct Tape Marketing John Jantsch, “most business owners don’t think narrowly enough when it comes to their ideal client.” What business owners need to do is look in the mirror, find out about themse
lves and with whom they really want to work. If you are passionate about working with couples but can’t stand working with children, then you need to be very careful about where you market yourself and services. “I always advise people (business owners) to think about clients they don’t want to work with,” says Jantsch. “Most can identify with this idea and once they start doing this, they can dial their marketing messages and decisions in to attract only ideal clients.”
So as you start to plan out or re-evaluate your marketing plan, answer 3 simple questions first:
1) What kind of client do I not want to work with?
2) Who do I want to work with?
3) How do I attract these kinds of clients and where do they spend their time?
Once you know the answers to these three questions, you will be well on your way to building the perfect clientele.
You can find out more about John Jantsch and his Duct Tape Marketing System on creativeLIVE.
