So I’m guessing you’re here for one (or more) of a few reasons:
- You’re tired of saying “Yes” to everyone who asks for your help, even if you aren’t excited to work with them, just because you’re scared of having no clients
- You’re having a hard time filling your schedule or finding any new clients
- You’re booked out, but the clients you’re working with just don’t make your heart sing the way they should
Whichever reason applies to you, well you can unclench, because I’m here to help.
The problem with taking on everyone who asks for your help, is that they’re taking up space that you could be filling with clients that make you feel excited to go to work everyday. I mean, heck, you should be excited to go to work everyday.
So, let’s start with figuring out who your dream clients are. These are the clients that you truly love to work with, the ones that you look forward to, that take your advice and run with it. You know that client that you give your program to and they execute it perfectly, and they get the exact results you planned for? The one that loves to have a laugh during your sessions and they start to feel more like a best friend than a client.
The client that you could work with all day, every day and you would never get tired of them. Not only that, but they support your business, they help you reach more success. They have no problem paying your rates and they are also your biggest cheerleader, they rave about you to everyone they know and give you those testimonials you could only dream of.
I bet you already have someone in mind, don’t you? Whether that person exists right now or not, we’re going to figure out what makes them tick, so that you can connect with them and bring on more clients just like them.
Now that you have someone in mind, let’s get to know them. I always like to rattle off everything I can think of about my ideal client before I get to the specifics. What are you waiting for? Start scribbling out those thoughts that are popping up.
Next, we’re going to kick off with the basics like demographics. Answer the following questions as best you can:
- What sex are they?
- What’s their age range?
- Where are they from?
- Where do they live?
- Do they rent or own their property?
- What formal education do they have?
- What do they do for a living?
- What professional responsibilities do they have?
- What’s their annual personal income?
- What’s their annual household income?
- What’s their marital status?
- How many children do they have?
- What languages do they speak?
Then we’re going to dive a little deeper and take a look at their psychographics:
- What sports do they enjoy or play?
- What do they do for recreation?
- What music do they listen to?
- What books have they read?
- What car do they drive?
- How do they dress at work?
- How do they dress on the weekend?
- Where do they shop?
- What do they do with most of their free time?
- How Often do they go on holidays?
- Where do they go for holidays?
- How do they like to travel?
- What hotels do they like to stay in?
- What social platforms do they use?
- What are their favourite news sources?
- What magazines do they read?
- What is their political affiliation (if any)?
Next up, we look at their dominant personality traits:
- Most passionate about professionally?
- Most passionate about personally?
- Why are they so passionate about this?
- What reputation do they have at work?
- How do their family & friends describe them?
- What obligations do they dislike?
- What are their core ethical values?
And finally, let’s find out what makes them really tick. Starting with their goals and desires – what they really want out of life and from you:
- What’s their primary personal goal?
- What’s their primary professional goal?
- Do they want to get promoted?
- What secondary / someday goals do they have?
- How will immediate success make them feel?
- What do they want to achieve in the future?
- How will future success make them feel?
- What are the rewards for success?
- What are their core desires?
- How will success impact their overall life?
Now their fears and challenges. You need to find out what is stopping them from achieving their goals:
- What’s standing in their way of their goals?
- Why is this a problem?
- Do they have external pressure? From who?
- What impact do these struggles have on their lives?
- What are the consequences of failure? How will failure make them feel?
If you can answer all of these questions about your ideal client, then you are one step closer to having a schedule full of clients that you ADORE! But don’t let that fool you into thinking that’s all you need to know. Now that you know who your ideal client is (like, you really know them, right!?), you can begin to connect with them.
I could probably write a whole other blog post on how to connect with your ideal client once you know them, but for now I’m just going to give you a few quick tips.
1. Meet them where they’re at
If your ideal client is 50-75 years old, it’s a fair assumption that they’re not hanging out on instagram right? You need to figure out where your client is spending their time, where they go when they need the kind of help that you provide. That will help to inform your marketing strategy. If your ideal client is 50-75 years old, they probably prefer to find their health professionals through referrals or word of mouth. This is where it might be beneficial to set up a referral partnership with other health professionals that compliment your service. For example, personal trainers who specialise in pre/postnatal training would probably benefit from a relationship with midwives, women’s health physios and other allied health professionals that are involved in pre and postnatal care.
Don’t waste time advertising on platforms where your ideal client isn’t present.
2. Use language that connects with them
It is my biggest pet peeve in the industry when businesses use overcomplicated language when connecting with their audience. I find it manipulative and just down-right dirty. Your audience should feel like you’re speaking to them, they should feel comfortable in your presence (whether in-person or online) and it’s hard to feel comfortable when you don’t understand what is being said. So, instead of using industry jargon, like “depress your scapula” just say “pull your shoulder blade down” for heaven’s sake (sorry, this topic really riles me up). If your audience doesn’t understand you, that’s on you, not them.
This is where knowing your ideal client comes in handy. If they’re an industry professional, then by all means, use the technical terms. However, if your ideal client hasn’t opened an anatomy book since grade 12, cut them some slack, use language that they’re familiar with. They will love you for it.
3. Address the problems they’re facing and the outcomes they desire
Do you remember the last movie you watched? Was there a particular character that you followed, or that you really connected with? I bet their loss and/or success hit you a little harder than other characters, right? As emotional beings, we love to see ourselves in stories, that is how we connect with them. This applies to consumer behaviour as well. When we see a product or service that addresses a specific problem that we have or achieves an outcome that we truly desire, we become emotionally connected to the solution, which makes the purchase a simple decision.
4. Use visual elements that appeal to your ideal client, not you
As much as I love developing a visual identity that my clients love, it is way more important that their visual identity connects with their audience. In the end, they’re the ones that need to feel connected to the visual identity. The purpose of your visual identity is to have your audience feel the way that you want them to feel throughout your client experience. Whether you want them to feel energised, or supported, or inspired. Your visuals should support that feeling.
By now, you should have enough information in that big ol’ brain of yours about your ideal client that you’ll be jumping into action the second you close this window. You should have your ideal client nailed down, and you’ll be able to start connecting with them.
So, what are you waiting for? Go out there and start bringing in more of the clients that you cannot wait to jump out of bed for, every dang morning.
15
Nov
