May Bulletin - Who is Your Ideal Client?

Welcome to the MalcolmFord.net Marketing Bulletin - a series designed to get you focused on building your business.

I'm going to start off with a question which you probably assume you know the answer to; but do you really?

Who Is Your Ideal Client?

Until you know who your ideal clients are, where they live, work and what they want, you can't even imagine how begin to develope your marketing. You must shape your marketing strategies specifically to suit your target audience, so you need to identify them first.

There are 4 basic questions you need to know the answers to.....

1.  Who are your potential clients?  
Are they men or women or both?  How old are they?  Where do they live?  What are they looking for?

Write down a profile of your ideal client.  Be specific.

If you're a plumber - don't just write "every home owner". It's too broad. You don't want every home owner in Australia. Most of them are outside of your geographic region and some of them may not have the money to use your services.  Eg. you may be better off targeting "home owners who are renovating" and "new home builders" in the postcodes of 1234, 1235 and 1236.

They may be looking to fix an immediate problem eg. "leaking sewerage or pipes", or they may need a long term life style solution eg. "being able to top up the pool or water the garden while adhering to water restrictions", etc.

2.  What are their REASONS for buying? 
Do you have a good handle on both the emotional and logical factors that may influence their decision?

The emotional factors (E factors) that motivate people to buy are fear, love, greed, guilt and pride.  The most powerful of these is FEAR!  Your goal should be to hit the E Factors during your marketing and sales process.

So for example, if you're a landscaper the emotional factor will probably be pride. If you're an accountant the emotional factor will probably be fear - fear of being targeted by the tax office or fear of paying too much tax.

Logical factors (L factors) will be price, location, reputation, services offered etc.

3.  Where will you find them?
Where do they live or work, what do they read, do they search for your services on a computer? Canvass your existing clients and find out how they found out about you, or ask your family and friends how they'd go about finding your service. You might be surprised by the answers, because they're bound to be different to what you'd do.

Also, think about who else may already have your potential client demographic?  Eg. If you're a beautician targetting women over 40 - then think about all the related services which may already have client lists you could tap into. Hairdressers, wedding organizers (brides' parents), specific clothing stores, health and fitness centers, etc.

4. How will you target them?
Once you have built a profile of your ideal client, it's time to start preparing your marketing message (what you're going to say) and your distribution method (where you're going to say it).  You can't complete either of these steps effectively until you've targeted your market properly.

Best wishes for success with your marketing

Malcolm Ford

PS: If you'd like step by step coaching and support with your marketing campaigns, visit http://www.malcolmford.net/Coaching_Options.htm to find out how.