I watched a great video last night and wanted to link to it here so that you can access it. It’s a video on Ideal Target Audience by Fabienne Frederickson. From time to time, I need refresher courses on this subject because I tend to get off the path every now and then, especially when a new potential client comes along, and instead of passing on that opportunity, I take it. Have you ever done that?
What then happens is, like Fabienne will tell it in the video, we start creating more marketing material that speaks to this non-ideal client – we may even need to create new programs just for them. And if we do it again, with yet another non-ideal client, we’ll be sort of forced to tweak and edit marketing materials again and again, to speak to the new, non-ideal clients that we didn’t know we wanted (because we didn’t really want to work with them).
All this leads to confusion. We’re confused. Our marketing materials are confusing. The way we talk about our business is confusing, and in the end, our ideal target clients are confused, too. Confusion doesn’t lead to more clients; it leads to missed opportunities (at least, for me).
But who should YOUR ideal client be? What makes a good client?
Here are the notes I took from this part of the video. The video is 20 minutes long and you should make time to watch it. There’s more to the video than the good client list. But since that part stuck out to me, I’ll list the items here.
- Somebody who is going to get great results from working with you. Another way to say this is: somebody who has the problems that you can solve. (I love that)
- People who will understand that the value that you bring is something that they need. In other words, people who believe that working with you is essential to their success.
- People who are going to be fun to work with.
Watch the video: http://www.jointhetop5.com/ideal-target-audience (You may have to opt-in. Just do it.)
Image credit: Shutterstock
Hi Tia:
OMG – I just finished watching all of Fabienne’s videos, and jumped on the call for her 5th module last night. Great great info! I see how valuable the ideal client is. I have a friend who just hired her first-ever client, and it’s been amusing hearing the nightmare stories she’s going through with this “not-so-ideal” client. (I feel for my friend, but apparently, she didn’t heed my advice on the ideal, target client). The ideal client takes all of the pain and the stress out of the client-provider relationship. Glad you posted Fabienne’s link!
Cheers!
Hi Tia!
It is truly so important to find the right client and while it can be a balancing act at first, but that’s why research is so important. Definitely going to be taking a look at that video in a moment. I love solving people’s problems and it’s a bonus if they’re fun to work with!
And something else that I love out of a client: Someone who is excited about their project. I absolutely love working with people where it’s clear that they are excited about their project, which gets me excited and it makes the experience so much fun and a life-long client is usually built from that.
Great post!
Hey Tia! Just wanted to share my few pieces of unbelievable clients. But of course, I can’t do that here. So I’ll suck it up and speak generally.
Anyways, I’m an online service provider so my clients are website owners, business peeps and the likes. The ones that are very difficult to deal with are the following:
* Doesn’t level-off with their expectations and then gets mad when targets are a-miss. How could it be explosive when they talk as if we can read their minds? Ugh!
* Doesn’t see the working relationship as something that needs to be nurtured.
* Doesn’t treat workers as humans just because they’re outsourced. Gawd, these are the people who are used to software and profiting from the internet. They’re not gaining good points on me because they’d consider us, OSPs, as another software they purchased via jobsites. Ughs!
Just my thoughts. Would love to read your coming posts.
I’ve been writing about target markets lately and I’d be interested to hear what she has to say about them but this link (http://www.jointhetop5.com/ideal-target-audience) takes you to a video sales letter for her program. I gave it about 5 minutes and there was no way to forward through the video to get to info about target markets.
Hi Elge – I think you have to opt-in and the video on target markets is the very first one. I didn’t watch her intro video all the way through. You can just use the form on the right.
I would highly recommend it because the others are really, really good, too. I am in the middle of watching the 3rd one, which is on “Best Marketing Materials” and the second is on “Compelling Message” (haven’t watched that one yet.)
It’s so important to target the right kind of client. Otherwise you end up with people who frustrate you and make your job harder, when you could have people that you are able to work with easily and get the job done with better results and potential for referrals. If you don’t start with defining the ideal client though, you’ll never get around to targeting them.
Hi Kristi – Exactly! And for me, it’s something I have to revisit from time to time to make sure I am still clear on who my ideal client is. Just today I got the idea to print out a checklist that I carry with me, just for myself to glance at when I’m meeting with new prospective clients so that it’s top of mind.
I like Fabienne’s point of ensuring that we work with clients who have the problems we can solve. So that requires (a) knowing their problems and (b) knowing how we can solve them. Clarity is so beneficial!
Thanks for your comment.
Hi Tia:
I used to think I am the only one who has to review and research topics. But you do too. This made me feel normal. Our idle clients are those who need the kind of service we specialize in. This is my theory. But because of different related experience, I find myself doing too many things as pro. Therefore, my theory now is, do what you are getting and you know you can do it well.
The idea behind is not to let the opportunity go. I like the concluding points of your post. All three make sense and are good to get.
You know what you are doing
Fran A
Hi Fran – Yes! That’s so key. Doing what you are good at, and keeping up with your skills. What Fabienne says in the video is that we’re so afraid to not take on new clients because we need them. But it’s just so important to ensure that the new clients we take on are the right ones.
I really appreciate your comments, Fran. You are so diligent!
Cheers,
Tia
Hi Tia:
Thanks for an awesome comment. But did you know, I think this about you.
“This girl is so young works so hard to go where she wants to go and she has so much wisdom and takes life experience as lessons learned to get better. She really has to be a legendary expert of some kind and then again she is so down to earth. In other words you have all great qualities”
If you can solve it then they are the ones for you. Don”t take on projects that are over your head because it just going to give you a bad reputation if you can’t get it done.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
Agreed! Working with a client who has problems that you can’t solve is probably the very worst situation you can get in. I have been there; it is not fun! Thanks for your comment!
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