We all want great clients, right? But how do we find those great clients that just make you want to do your best work? Do we just hope and pray they come along? Is it just luck? It really isn’t about luck but a tried and true method of finding your best client. In this blog post I’ll cover 4 things you can do to find that ideal client.
1) Map out your ideal client – I have seen this done many ways. Some businesses build an “avatar” that represents their ideal client while others simply map out information that describes the client they want. I found that I sat down and listed what types of characteristics I would want in a client, what type of business or industry, size of the organization, growth cycle of the organization, etc.. What resulted was a more specific representation of the client that I wanted. I was able to rule out certain industries, example: restaurants, as those are not in my expertise. I ruled out most large companies as they need more than I can deliver. By listing the things you want and don’t want you shape the image of your best client. This serves as a measure of whether or not you should except an engagement.
2) Don’t take every client that comes along – Clients need to be the right fit for your company as well as you need to be the right fit for them. There is nothing wrong with discovering a client is not a good fit and that they could be better served by someone else. I would much rather refer a client to a colleague that fits for them than take them on and we both end up disappointed and unhappy. I believe in serving and to do that sometimes we must let prospective clients know they are not a good fit for us or they would be better served with someone else.
3) Spend the time to know your value – This isn’t something you usually develop in one day but it evolves over time. What do you bring of value to clients? Where is your expertise or your niche? If you don’t know, take the time to figure it out. The best way to provide value to clients is to know how you plan to serve their needs. This goes along with knowing if you are a good fit. If you don’t know what services you can provide well, how you can provide value or where your expertise lies then you won’t be able to find your ideal client.
4) Review your current clients – Once you have mapped out your ideal client use it to gauge the clients you are working with now. Do they fit your ideal client? If not, why? Is there something you could do to bring more value to the table? Do you need to revisit the engagement? Pull your current client list and rate each client with a scale of 1-10 on different areas (you determine the areas). My examples are: Ease of work, Ideal Client, Paid fairly for my work, Problems/Issues, etc. Then once you have ranked your client list see who is in the bottom of the list. If there are issues you can fix or things you can change to turn them into your ideal client then do so. If not, it may be time to think of letting them go so you can make room for your ideal client.
If you find you are having trouble defining your ideal client or maybe you just want to learn more strategies for creating the business you want then click the button below to set up a free consultation with me.