3 Steps to Identifying Your Key Customer
When I coach my clients, and I ask them who their ideal client is, they usually say, “Everyone.”
That’s because they honestly believe that their message can help everyone.
And it probably can.
The trouble is, the market doesn’t like solutions that appeal to the masses. They want their own customized solution, or at least someone who is an expert in their industry.
There isn’t a prospect alive who hasn’t said to you, “But my business is different.”
The key to winning that business is to focus on the prospects who are your best fit.
Here are three questions I ask my coaching clients to explore so they can find their best prospects and their idea customer.
Question 1. Who do you like to work with? Yes, it is all about you. Why shouldn’t you work with people you want to work with? People who get you and understand you? People you like and understand? What could be worse than dealing with a person who is the epitome of everything you hate? If that’s the case, you might as well get a job.
Question 2. Who are the people who like to work with you? Let’s face it. We’re not a perfect fit for everyone. Some people don’t like the fact you won’t work past 6 p.m. at night, won’t take business calls on weekends and won’t cut your rates to rock bottom just because they asked. Who needs them? I’m sure you can find lots of other attributes you hate in clients (i.e. Type A personalities, people who can’t make decisions, people who don’t pay their bills on time, people who see the negative in everything, people who don’t praise your work. You get the idea.) Who needs them? Life is too short to work with jerks.
Question 3. They can afford to pay you. Just because you can help everyone in the world doesn’t mean you have to help everyone in the world. Some people will not want to pay your full fee or can’t afford to hire you. Your skill set might help the help people just out of college, as well as helping the vice president who wants to get move into the president’s office. Who has more money to pay you? Unless your passion is to help people just out of college, go for the gold. And there’s nothing wrong with wanting to help the college student if that’s where your heart is. Follow your heart and you’ll feel fulfilled, which might be better than money.
Helping people who want you to help them and get paid a fair wage – Isn’t that what running your business is all about?
To see how I pre-select my clients, check out my coaching services page at http://www.PublicityLeadstoProfits.com






2012 Marketing and Publicity Trends Predictions
I’ve been correctly predicting Internet marketing trends since 1994 when I wrote one of the first books on Internet Marketing. I’ve been right before so there’s no reason to think I won’t be right again. You can bet the farm on most of these trends and get even money on the others.
1. Mobile marketing will take off in ways you never imagined.
2. People will be saying, “Visit my app,” in addition to – or instead of - “Visit my website.” The app will be the brochure, website, and starting point of interactivity.
3. Small businesses on Main Street will have apps that provide basic info and coupons – even if they don’t have a website.
4. Doctors, dentists and other appointment-based businesses will rely on text messages and other mobile communications to confirm appointments so they don’t lose money on no shows.
5. Your prospects will think all types of written or spoken intellectual property –ezines, books, articles, webinars, teleseminars – ought to be free.
6. You will think that all information ought to be free – except your information, of course.
7. It will be harder and harder to convince people to pay for intellectual property that is available online. They will pay for customized services specifically for them. Start planning your services menu accordingly.
8. Entrepreneurs will finally heed Michael Gerber’s mantra to work on the business, not in the business. But they will take action by HIRING outside professionals who can do the work for them instead of waiting to do the work themselves. Productivity and profits will increase while procrastination will decrease.
9. This phrase will be on everyone’s lips and t-shirts: “If you get something for free, then you aren’t the customer. You are the product.” I didn’t make this up. I wish I did. Think about it. We aren’t Google’s customer, or Facebook’s customer. We are the products they are selling to advertisers. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being considered an “eyeballs.”
10. Spam will invade social media sites in overt and covert ways, making visits to those sites less enjoyable.
11. There will be more people showing you how to sell speaking services than there will be companies who can hire speakers. Okay, that one was low. <g>
What are your predictions?