~by Haley Lynn Gray~
In almost every single business, there is an image of who the ideal client is. In my home care agency, that may be someone who needs a moderate amount of care – say 15-20 hours per week, is about 80 years old, and likely female. For my business coaching, my ideal client is different – usually a woman, about age 45 who wants some help with a business that she’s starting, or has just started, and needs help getting it off the ground. She is likely well-educated, and has a ton of fantastic experience, but not necessarily experience with entrepreneurship in particular. Every business has their ideal clients.
You should know exactly who your ideal client is.
Who’s your ideal client?
What does your ideal client like? What are their hobbies? Where do they hang out? What is their income, education, and what are their demographics? Is your ideal client male or female? Are you going to be dealing directly with the client? Or will you have to deal indirectly by dealing with the client’s children? Knowing that information about your client will give you clear clues on where to go to find that person.
One really good example that I can give you is that in my home care business, many of my ideal clients live on Facebook. They don’t live on Snapchat. So, of course, I’m not going to spend my time on Snapchat. I also know that I’m likely to find them online, so I make sure that I have a strong online presence for my business. In fact, I believe that if my ideal client is given a referral for my services, they will in many cases go and Google my company and look for reviews online. In order to have credibility with that audience, it’s necessary to have a significant presence online, or we might as well be invisible.
Try to get inside the head of your ideal client, and understand who that person is, and what they want.
It’s even better if you understand WHY they want something. Know why they want to be able to find you online. In my case, it’s because most women are super, super busy, and just don’t have time to go around looking for things. And if they pick up the phone, they are likely interested in doing business – because Generation X doesn’t pick up the phone unless they’re serious. I know that the phone must be answered, because they’re going to go somewhere else if I don’t answer that phone. (I work with a great answering service, so we don’t miss any calls!)
So many pieces of information are available to us, and if we think through who our ideal client is, and why they do things, it becomes easier to sell to that client.
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Meet the Author: Haley Lynn Gray
Haley Lynn Gray
Haley helps female entrepreneurs create a strategy plan for their businesses – so they can make enough money to spend quality time with their family, pay for their children’s dance lessons, pay bills – and not worry about where the next client is coming from.
Haley is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Leadership Girl. She offers Business Coaching, Business Plan Development and Strategy Sessions for entrepreneurs. Whether you want to get a new business off the ground or expand an existing business, Haley can assist you.
Connect with Haley:
- Work with Haley: https://leadershipgirl.com/work-with-haley/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Leadershipgirl
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haleygray
