Your Ideal Client – Find out how

If this does not resonate with you, than you have 50% of your marketing problems solved. I just simply struggle with this subject more than any other, when I am implement a marketing system with a client. Finding Your Ideal Client, what is so tough about this? Can you define yours? If you have a group of clients, what is the difference between your successful ones and unsuccessful ones. I am defining success is your ability to work with them and produce results.

But many of my clients come to me because they are in trouble or starting up. The first question I always ask is, Who is your ideal client and What is your target market? The second question – Who is not and What is not? After that, I know if I can help them or not. If they cannot define either question, we are in trouble, because I must convince them it is not everybody.

However, I ran across an exercise the other day through a nonprofit site that I thought was excellent. Now, I have modified it and have given credit below but take a look at this process and see if it helps you:

Accept that your target audience is smaller than you think: That’s right, just accept the fact that it is not the world. Maybe, if you are limited geographically that would be start. But acceptance is the key right now.
How many people do you need: Do you need all of China or just one province. What will it take me to be successful? If it is just 1 new customer a week that would mean a certain number of contacts per week would be needed. Looking at your sales cycle, think through the process. If to get 1 customer it takes 5 presentations a week. To get 5 presentations it takes 25 direct contacts a week which takes activity of 100 leads per week. You are just taking a simple sales cycle, putting numbers and time to it.
Focus on the ones you can persuade: Start looking at the people that will buy into your product or service. Lets face, trying to sell something to someone that is going to make his life/job more difficult is tough. Pick you battles with the people that have the most need for your product.
Segment till you can’t segment anymore: What is important? What is not? As you segment, peoples buying patterns become very apparent. I always find this part of the exercise fascinating. You start creating the actual value that you give to a customer in this segment. But on the other hand, you may actually see where certain segments that seemed completely different actually have commonality.
If not the same person, target audience with most influence over decision maker: Sometimes early in the process, you cannot reach the decision maker effectively and must start with another person. Of the people you could start with, which one will eventually have the most effect over the decision maker? Why not start your marketing efforts here?
Find distribution sources: There is nothing that can bring numbers more quickly to the table than distribution and affiliations. We could include networking into this group but my experience is that networking does not bring large numbers and really fits more into the channels above. Distribution and affiliation is where the true mass of numbers are. Consider who has the contacts to bring you the type of customers that you have described above.
Find an audience that will show and voice support: Are there certain groups that may have a strong reason to support your product or services. Should they be marketed to in a different manner than an individual or organization that intends to purchase the product. These groups could prove very powerful for you or even someone that could influence regulation or public support.
Test target before launch: Your perception may be wrong. Don’t build an entire marketing plan and strategy around your perception or your team’s perception. You must go out and test the waters. Try your theories out, now is the time to be wrong. Offer some incentives that could accelerate people through your marketing cycle so that you can gauge your end result.

This information was based on a study I read that was a combined effort of the Communications Leadership Institute, www.communicationsleadership.org and the Spitfire Strategies, www.spitfirestrategies.com.