This is one of the fundamental pillars of your business. If you are at an early stage and still do not even know what an ideal client is, you can read this article I wrote a long time ago where I explain why it is important to have an ideal client (you have 7 factors that I assure you will convince you that this is the way to follow).
Now if you already know it, if you have already been through that and you are convinced that this is the strategy that suits you and that will position you to attract more and better clients and generate more income, the question that you can usually ask yourself is: How do I choose my ideal client? This is the concept that I want to reinforce you today and here are 5 keys that will teach you how to choose your ideal client:
Key number 1:
Your ideal customer is the one to whom you can truly make a difference with your service / product. You must recognize that your product is not for everyone and that it will not give the same results to everyone. That's why you should focus on an ideal client whose results with your product are what you expect and want to offer. If you are thinking that a client is a client anyway, I remind you that one of the worst advertisements you can have is an unsatisfied client or one whose expectations have not been met. In addition, it will probably take more time or more effort to serve a client who is not exactly your ideal client, which will end up later resenting the relationship for not doing what is best for both of you.
Key number 2:
Your ideal client is the one with whom you would love to work. Do you like working with demanding clients, who ask you at every step, what they need from you? Or do you prefer to work with people who are autonomous, who make their own decisions and who seek your advice to grow and improve every day? Are your ideal clients responsible for their actions or looking to blame someone else when things don't go as expected? Understand me well, you can choose to work with the type of clients you want. That is why it is called a vocation. You must love your profession and love the type of clients with whom you want to work. If not, it will be a complete struggle and you will hate every minute you start your day. Not all personalities match everyone. A customer-supplier relationship is nothing more than a relationship between two people.If there is no "feeling", chemistry, confidence, comfort, or the term that is important to you, it is difficult for you to help him achieve his goals. And if you are thinking that your profession does not require relationships because you are dedicated to accounting, taxes or any other profession that seems to have been sold as "unhuman", just remember that companies and businesses are made up of people. Decisions in a company are made by people. The decision to buy a product, to discontinue a contract, to extend a service, are carried out by people with feelings and emotions. And if my male readers are thinking that they don't have feelings and emotions (or at least don't put them at stake in decision making),just think if you would buy something from a person who on the other end of the phone seems not very committed to the service, who tries to sell you at all costs something that you are not convinced or that does not respond at the speed that you need. It may seem that they use reasoning and objectivity, but what really happens to them is that they do not have confidence in that person. And that is not achieved only with facts.
Key number 3:
Your ideal client is one who understands the value of your service or product and even though hiring your services represents a significant investment (no one said that ideal clients do not have any economic or financial problems), they will look for ways to do so. And even in the event that they fail to do so, it is not because they have simply been left with the excuse that "they do not have enough money." This is a very interesting concept because I think you will agree with me that one of the most used excuses is "I don't have money to buy it, but I wouldn't love it". It may be because some people find it difficult to say that they are not so interested, or because they think that it is truly a money problem, but it is very common to find these objections. But it shouldn't be a problem for you. No, I didn't go crazyI know perfectly well that you need clients to live and to grow your business. But what I want you to think about is that money is not a measure of the value of your services. It is a price. A fee or contribution that must be invested to access a benefit. If a client does not see the value of your service, they will not pay the price you put on it, nor a lower one, nor a gift. Think of something you truly want. But that you are convinced that you want it, you need it, it is vital for your business, or your life, or your family. You know you don't have the money to "buy" it. Won't you try to negotiate with the seller? Won't you look for a way to buy a cheaper version or get financing? Will you not seek to improve your saving capacity so that you can acquire it within a few months? The will moves mountains,but it only activates when there is a value behind it that you want to achieve.
Key number 4:
Your ideal client is one who is willing to put what they learn into action. Without excuses. Why would they do it? Is it because you are the owner of the absolute truth? Definitely not. It is because you have a method that you have already tried and that has worked with you or with other clients. Your ideal client is willing to break paradigms and leave old beliefs behind. Suppose you are an accountant offering services that help your clients reduce their annual tax contribution. If your client believes that taxes will have to be paid anyway and that it is not that important to have someone dedicated to strategically finding the best way to solve this problem, you definitely don't have a client.In the best of cases, you have a fastidious buyer who will haggle your services every month and will be unhappy every time he has to pay your bill, even when you devour yourself on discounts and give a first-class service. The problem is not your service, nor your rate, nor the market. The problem is that it does not put into action your service or what it learned with you. Another very common example will surely feel identified if you are a coach, consultant or therapist. You train and help your client achieve certain goals, but you need that person to take what they learned and move on. And if she doesn't, whatever excuses they are, she will end up blaming you, the process, the therapy that didn't work.nor the market. The problem is that it does not put into action your service or what it learned with you. Another very common example will surely feel identified if you are a coach, consultant or therapist. You train and help your client achieve certain goals, but you need that person to take what they learned and move on. And if she doesn't, whatever excuses they are, she will end up blaming you, the process, the therapy that didn't work.nor the market. The problem is that it does not put into action your service or what it learned with you. Another very common example will surely feel identified if you are a coach, consultant or therapist. You train and help your client achieve certain goals, but you need that person to take what they learned and move on. And if she doesn't, whatever excuses they are, she will end up blaming you, the process, the therapy that didn't work.therapy that did not work.therapy that did not work.
Key number 5:
Your ideal client is one who understands the time it will take to obtain the expected result of your product or service and who is willing to do exactly what will take him / her to that place. Imagine that you are a nutritionist and help people lose weight. If a client comes to you who is fully convinced that the only program they will invest in will be the one that assures them that they will lose 20 kilos in a month, in a healthy way, eating everything they want and exercising little, it is definitely not your ideal client. Why? Because there is no God on earth who can guarantee that, so just look for someone who convinces you or sells magic recipes with manipulation, and it is not what you do. The same if you are a business consultant.Setting up a company is not something of 48 hours, so if a prospect comes to you who is only willing to buy a service that you can offer him where you guarantee that he will have his company running in 3 weeks, this client does not understand the time and what it implies to put running a business. And therefore it is not your ideal client.
Now that you have learned the main characteristics of your ideal client and why you should stick to them, what experiences do you remember where you have had to deal with the result of not applying one of these keys? What other keys are important to you when choosing to work with a client?
