How to Identify and Attract Your Ideal Client

Without customers you have no business. Okay.

But I consider there are three forms of clients: ideal clients, clients who help pay the bills, and clients who need to be dismissed. I know what you’re pondering. It’s hard to be picky when a startup or even an established company is facing tough times. I agree, but with a little effort and thoughtful planning, you possibly can get more of those ideal clients and spend less time on work that doesn’t align with your organization’s goals.

When I used to be first starting out in entrepreneurship, I made the classic mistake of taking almost every client that got here my way. I turned a few away because the projects were tasteless, had budgets that were like giving freely work for free, or the people didn’t seem trustworthy. I regret taking projects like cheesy automobile commercials and ballet recitals.

Don’t get me improper, these projects were essential to the client; they only didn’t fit the form of business I used to be trying to build. And here’s the bottom line. The form of work you do starts to define you. You find yourself attracting more of what you already have because that is what people see and what you are known for.

How do you begin finding your ideal clients on a budget? Can you do it yourself or do you would like help? How long does it take to weed out clients who don’t suit your ideal profile?

Here are some practical suggestions to provide help to get began.

Be “picky”

The first step is to make clear who you don’t want to serve. In my case, smaller, one-time opportunities didn’t have the potential to turn into a long-term business. Look at your client list and see if there are organizations or individuals you just don’t like working with.

Maybe it’s the actual work that doesn’t fit into your portfolio. Is it a financial issue? Are customers not willing to pay a reasonable rate for a product or service? Serving customers takes time and money. If there’s no reward, it’s time to determine how to make it value your time or gracefully send customers away.

How to Identify Your Ideal Client

There are many different approaches to defining your ideal customer. You can create a checklist that features industry, worker size, location, and other demographic or psychographic data. I find an easier way is to select your top three customers—the ones you serve on the deepest level. This puts a “face” on the process and helps you visualize the great relationship you would like to build. Now ask yourself:

• What is their industry or business activity?
• What problem or need do I want to solve for this customer?
• What do they like about doing business with us? What do I like about working with them?
• Why is a relationship good? Is there trust? Good communication? Mutual respect?
• What are some of the tactics we use to “sell” them? What do they respond to?

Now you have a picture of your ideal client and what they need. It’s unrealistic that all your clients will probably be ideal, but if you create a checklist based on what you’ve learned and the prospect has many of the characteristics, then they’re a good goal.

Can you create the perfect list on your personal?

There are mixed opinions on this. Professional marketers have the tools to provide help to through this process quickly and efficiently. They have templates and, frankly, time to get the job done. They know what works and what doesn’t. But I don’t think anyone knows the business like those on the front lines. A whole lot of the initial work could be done by a disciplined internal team. When I’ve used outside resources, they’ve helped us refine our work and fill gaps where we wanted help, like social media strategy or website positioning.

Another good thing about doing this job is you could ask customers directly why they do business with you and what they need to see in the future. You’ll learn a lot when you include them in this survey, and they’ll feel valued. And don’t miss the opportunity to ask them who else may gain advantage from working with you. Referrals have been our greatest source of recent, ideal clients. That’s because great corporations tend to partner with other great corporations. Most of my ideal clients come from referrals from individuals who have been customers for many years and consider us a part of their team.

Continuous effort

As you start working on your ideal client portfolio, the reality is that in order to attract latest clients and do the work you’re excited about, you might have to turn away clients who not suit your profile. This is all the time tough, especially if they’ve been with you for a while — break through. Start talking to them and set a generous timeline for when you intend to end their service. Be direct but kind, and help them transition to latest vendors.

Don’t be surprised if things get tense and downright ugly. Having a client want to fire you is one thing. Having you would like to fire them is one other. Don’t shirk the task. Remember what you’re trying to do: get the best possible customer list. Even ideal clients can turn into lower than ideal as circumstances change. Be vigilant. Go back and review your ideal client checklist usually. Your profile may have modified or expanded. You’ll have to adapt. One thing’s for sure: finding your ideal client is an ongoing effort throughout the lifecycle of your small business.