Finding Your Ideal Client: 5 Questions That Can Help
When you start looking
outside your business
for the components that give your company the support it needs, you invariably conclude that the client is the glue that binds everything together. The epiphany when you discover who your ideal client is is an important moment; however, many companies can plod along for years without identifying who that ideal client really is. How do you identify the right client? Here are a few questions to ask.
Who Would You Like to Work With?
As simple as it sounds, asking yourself who you would like to work with can help you fine-tune your goals. It could be about who excites you, but it could also be to do with what makes your role easier. For example, you may have a process in place that you think makes life simpler for your back-office functions, such as MSP quoting software or CRM software. And if you have the right tools in place that make your life easier, but you also have a client that is effortless to work with, this can be a match made in heaven.
We need the right tools to function, but without the right clients, it is worth nothing. Therefore, understanding who you would like to work with may not be about your ideal demographic, but about someone who takes the pressure off and this can be reflected in how your business processes reveal themselves.
Who Will Waste Your Time?
You could spend a lot of effort finding your ideal clients by digging deep into demographics , but it’s just as important to understand who you don’t want to deal with. This is an often overlooked part of the process. When you are crafting a marketing campaign, you may believe that finding your imperfect client is a waste of effort. But it’s a form of self-preservation that you find the people who will waste your time and efforts.
There could be a number of factors at play here, for example, someone who is demanding you respond to them during unsociable hours. You might be strict about your work-life balance, and if you find a client that is messaging you at 5:30 on a Sunday morning, this may highlight them as having unrealistic standards.
Do You Understand What They Need?
Finding their biggest pain points is critical. You can identify what their desires are, but again like finding out who your ideal clients are not, understanding the biggest pain points can help you understand if you can solve their problems for them. You can do this by looking at their view of the world.
Sometimes we can find a client that we get along with because we are similar in our outlook. However, at the end of the day, you still need to provide a service that solves their problems for them.
What Is Your Current Client Base?
Sometimes the answer is simple. You can look at your current client base and you can see an emerging pattern. There could be specific types of people you don’t like working with either, due to specific demographics like age, or that they have an outlook that doesn’t tally with you.
Many organizations tend to use the sustainability prism as a way to find the right clients for them, and when you are finding people who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk, you can slowly streamline your ideal client base to a handful of people who are providing that symbiotic relationship. When you are looking for the ideal business client, sometimes, the solution can be very simple.
Can You Leverage for Quick Results?
The reality of the situation is that instead of finding ideal clients by yourself, you need to find partnerships that you are already working within other, less obvious, ways. Rather than just pitching to potential partners or focusing on your marketing, sometimes the solution is more about forming partnerships with others who have already got the clients that you want. This piggybacking method may seem underhanded, but this is where you’ve got to find an organization that compliments your business and you compliment them.
Finding another business that provides a service that is not the same as yours but can do an endorsement deal with you can benefit both sides.
Finding the right business client is about ensuring you have an understanding of what you want first of all, but also if this relationship is worth your while. Relationships should be easy and effortless.
