Why Is Knowing Your Ideal Client Such A Big Deal?

 

Many business coaches and consultants (including me) teach about how important it is to identify your ideal client first.

It’s step one when building a website.

It’s step one when you want to start a podcast.

How can you know what networking events or online groups to join without knowing who they are?

Your logo designer will ask you.

A business coach will want to know.

So will someone who wants to interview you, guest post on your site, invite you to speak at an event, etc.

It’s a BIG deal.

But for many of us, it’s hard to capture. The helper in us all wants to say everyone – I help everyone. The business person in us wants to say people who have the same values and can afford to pay me.

Some people tell you need to know everything about your target audience. Where they go, what they do for fun, demographics info like are they married and do they have kids.

Others will tell you to be ultra-specific. But how can you be specific if you’re new to all of this? How are you supposed to know?

And that's why I help my clients with this!

I have long asked how you can have a meaningful conversation if you don't know who you're talking to. It's kind of like randomly talking to people in the hopes of “finding” a few “right” people in the process. Imagine what a greater impact you can make if you are purposeful and are calling out your audience by name, where they hang out!

Think of your marketing as a conversation. I’m sure you’ll agree that the way you’d talk to a young woman in college and a woman at the top of her career would be different – even if it’s about the same subject.

Both women may use what you’re selling but they’ll likely think about it in different terms. The benefits may even vary.

For example, if you’re selling yoga classes – the benefits for a college student might be less stress, reduced anxiety at test time and better focus when studying.

For our career woman you might focus on less stress (because that seems universal) improved flexibility and enhancing the ability to relax and get a good night’s sleep which allows her to be more productive at work.

If you haven’t done this all important step one, or if it’s been a while and you feel like you’ve changed who and how you want to reach people, then take some time today to find out more about your best potential client.

Need help? Schedule a time to meet with me and see if we can work on this together.