Struggling to attract your ideal clients and create your dream business? Here are 7 steps to attracting the right clients for your business.
In this episode of Authentic Influence podcast, we run through the 7 steps to attracting the right clients for your business.
Listen to the 5-minute episode now.
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7 Steps to attracting the ideal clients for your business
1. Determine your value.
Firstly, watch this 3-min video to understand the value creation cycle:
Secondly, read Breaking the time barrier to better understand how to price your product or service so that you’re pricing based on value, and not devaluing yourself and struggling from the outset (a common problem for new businesses).
2. Map out your business model.
Business plans take too long to write, are rarely updated, and almost never read by others. Seriously, who wants to read 30+ pages of a business plan? ?
However, documenting your business hypothesis is critical.
Lean Canvas solves this problem using a 1-page business model and it only takes 20 minutes to create.
Here’s what Uber’s business model looks like using the Lean canvas:
See how much easier it is to understand and give feedback on Uber’s business model when it’s laid out visually like this? Make it easier for the Uber team to tweak the business model and clarify their value proposition as they learn more about their ideal clients.
Download the lean canvas for free now.
3. Identify your ideal client.
Who are the right clients for you? Who are the wrong clients for you?
Here are 12 questions to help you clarify your ideal customer:
- Who is your ideal customer? Describe their demographics such as age, gender, location, occupation, etc.
- What are the specific pain points or challenges that your ideal customer faces?
- What are the goals and aspirations of your ideal customer?
- What motivates your ideal customer to seek solutions or make purchasing decisions?
- What values, beliefs, or interests align with your ideal customer?
- What are the common objections or hesitations your ideal customer might have?
- Where does your ideal customer spend their time online and offline?
- What are the key characteristics or qualities that make your ideal customer a good fit for your product or service?
- Who are your competitors targeting, and how can you differentiate yourself to attract your ideal customer?
- How can your product or service address your ideal customer’s needs and desires better than anyone else in the market?
- Can your ideal customer afford to pay for your product or service? What is their budget or financial capacity?
- Do you have the practical experience and background necessary to effectively solve the problems or challenges your ideal customer faces?
In addition to the above, it’s important to take into account financials. You do want your ideal client to be able to pay you what you’re worth right? (remember step 1 above?)
To make this process easier, grab our free Ideal Client Identifier cheatsheet and work through it.
4. Create an empathy map
How well do you know and understand what motivates your ideal clients?
You may have heard the phrase “people like to work with people they like, know and trust” before.
What that means is that your ideal prospects are more likely to hire you if and when they feel that you get them as a person and can empathise with their goals, frustrations and desires.
Creating an empathy map is a great way to do this.
You can grab our free template to create an empathy map just like the one above.
5. Create a 1 page brochure (or landing page) about your product or service
Using the business model canvas and empathy map you’ve created, put together a 1-page brochure (or landing page online) defining who you serve, what key challenge they face, and how you can help them, with a full plus introductory rate.
Don’t go for perfect. Just something to begin with and get feedback on.
When we started our content writing service, we did it with the following landing page. It only took me one day to get it up using a free landing page creator. Click on the below image to view the full landing page.
7. Validate your assumptions by getting in front of your ideal clients, and be open to being wrong and adjusting.
Where many entrepreneurs screw up is they make assumptions based on what they want themselves, but don’t verify with their target audience if that’s what they want too.
When I started 1 on 1 coaching, I was fresh out of my NLP practitioner training, and my trainer at the time suggested to our class that good coaches should aim to get 10 x $1,000 per month coaching clients.
Now that would work for an experienced coach and consultant like my trainer, but I discovered quickly that finding clients willing to pay that amount was extremely difficult. Furthermore, I didn’t feel like I had enough coaching experience and success to be awarded that rate.
There’s a better way…
Let the market tell you what they want, need, and are willing to pay for.
How?
Have 100 coffees in 90 days with people in your target audience.
This is a business validation process created by my friend Jenny Vandyke, managing director at Startup Adelaide.
As Jenny states:
These are not sales pitches, so be clear to them that you are wanting to speak to a few people who fit your target market to deepen your understanding of your market.
Avoid saying, “can I buy you a coffee” or “can I pick your brain.” These phrases raise massive red flags for busy (time-poor) people.
Use your 100 coffees to build a deep understanding of your clients, their needs and wants, their pains, and the language they use when speaking about your product.
If you’re building a location-independent business like ours, you could conduct these “coffee meetings” over Zoom or Google Meet. The main thing is having actual conversations (also known as “in-depth interviews”) with people and not just sending out a survey.
Show each person your 1-pager (and your Lean Canvas if they prefer a visual model).
Refine your pitch and business model as you gather more feedback.
Jenny recommends the following approach to get started:
Start with 3, then at the end of those 3 conversations, ask each to introduce you to 2 people they know who would be a good fit for your product. Don’t know 3 people? Find the 3 people in your network who know your market, can advise you on how to proceed, and who could introduce you to 2 potential clients.
– Jenny Vandyke
Essentially, by meeting with 100 people, you’re building your network and list of contacts in your target audience. Before you end each meeting, I highly recommend that you ask the person if they’d like to be added to your email list so you can notify them of updates to your project.
You could then use a tool like Convertkit to send regular newsletters/updates.
If you want a more sophisticated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool to track all the conversations, we recommend you use something like Salesflare (in addition to using a newsletter tool like Mailchimp to send emails to everyone on your list at once).
8. Follow up with anyone who expresses interest in what you’re building.
Once you’ve had enough conversations, you’ll have a revised pitch based on actual feedback from people in your target audience.
It’s important then to follow up with anyone who has expressed interest and see if they’re ready to work with you.
You can give them the urgency to act by letting them know your capacity, i.e., how many more clients can you take on before you’ve got a full plate?
You’re on your way once you’ve got ideal clients paying you! Your responsibility from then on is to deliver remarkable quality work so that word of mouth starts to spread about the great work you’re producing.
Remember – your clients are the heroes of your business, so make sure you share their wins along the way.
Ideal clients FAQ
Is it necessary to niche down and focus on one ideal client/target audience?
Absolutely! Here are the reasons why:
1. By narrowing down your target audience, you can focus your efforts and tailor your messaging to attract the right customers.
2. Understand their needs: Choosing a specific niche allows you to better understand the pain points and challenges of your target audience. This understanding helps you provide relevant and valuable solutions.
3. Build credibility and expertise: Specializing in a particular niche positions you as an expert in that area. This expertise builds credibility and trust with your audience, making it easier to attract clients who are specifically looking for your services.
4. Streamline your marketing efforts: With a clear target audience, you can streamline your marketing strategies and tactics. You can create content that directly addresses their needs, engage in relevant conversations, and participate in industry-specific events or groups.
5. Increase conversions and ROI: Directing your efforts towards your target audience increases the likelihood of attracting qualified leads and converting them into clients. This targeted approach ensures that you are focusing your time and resources on the right prospects, maximizing your return on investment.
In summary, niching down and focusing on one ideal client/target audience is crucial for attracting the right clients, establishing expertise, streamlining marketing efforts, and increasing conversions. Regardless of the industry you choose, understanding and catering to the specific needs of your target audience will lead to greater success.
Can I target multiple niches or audiences?
While it’s possible to target multiple niches or audiences, it’s generally more effective to focus on a specific niche initially.
By concentrating your efforts on a defined group, you can better understand their needs, create targeted marketing campaigns, and establish yourself as an authority in that niche.
Once you’ve successfully penetrated one market, you can expand your reach to additional niches if it aligns with your business goals.
What if I haven’t chosen a niche yet?
If you haven’t chosen a niche yet, conducting research and reflection is essential to determine where your expertise and passions align.
Consider your strengths, experience, and the problems you enjoy solving for clients. Choosing a niche helps you stand out from the competition, focus your marketing efforts, and provide tailored solutions to a specific target audience.
It’s never too late to start honing in on your ideal client and refining your niche as you gain more insights and experience.
Now it’s over to you…
What did you find most valuable about this podcast episode/blog post? Which action step are you going to take next? Let me know in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this podcast episode, please leave a 5-star rating and a comment on itunes or your favourite podcasting app. That would absolutely make my day.
