Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

February 2, 2010

Want More Ideal Clients? Five Simple Steps

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:52 am

“Give Me Ambiguity or Give Me Something Else!!”

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A potential comes to you with a problem. The person you meet is your perfect “work soulmate,” but for some reason you don’t get the job. Why is that?

Could it be that you’re ambiguous — that you’re just not clear?

When it comes to hiring people, potential clients want to know exactly who we are and what we can deliver. They also want to whether their work will be safe in our hands.

That’s why it’s critical when people ask, “What do you do?” that we have a strong answer that invites them in to ask you more.

I say, “I use traditional and new media strategies to show micro and macro businesses easier, faster, and more meaningful ways to reach, connect with, and create thriving communities of brand-loyal fans — online and off. ”

Chris Brogan says, “I use social media and technology to show businesses, organizations, and individuals how to build authentic conversations between coworkers, customers, and even competitors.”

Do we all do more than that? Of course we do, but we’re clear, concise, and unambiguous about where our focus is. Potential clients know our work will always be founded upon what that statement says.

Want More Ideal Clients? Five Simple Steps

Ideal clients are partners that we select. The straightest line to them is to understand who will respect our thinking and value our work. To make long-lasting relationships like that takes an upfront investment of five simple steps.

  1. Write a single statement to describe your best work. What is the highest level result you deliver consistently? What quests and problems bring out your best thinking? What do people often ask you to help them with? Start with those. Read your statement and tweak it daily until it sounds exactly like what you want your business to be.
  2. Define your irresistible offer. Research it’s value to your clients. Find out what the work is worth in hard currency. Articulate in words how what you do takes a serious problem off the desk of your client group. Explain how what you do will make their life easier, make their work more efficient, and make them a hero because they let you do that
  3. Define the best client fit for your work. Develop a prototype of the ideal customer-partner. Know what every client value set must include. Know what every client match must be without. Be sure the definition includes “communicates openly and can afford to pay you.”
  4. Do your homework. Don’t be tempted to convert everyone you meet. . We can’t work with everyone. Not everyone is a match. Rather than trying to convince a potential client to think as you do, invest that time in identifying clients who want to learn how you do it.
  5. Keep asking potential ideal clients what they need most. Talk to the folks you’ve identified as the best fit about their goals. When you hear a way you might help, tell them what you do.

So often the issue of business development is not one of what we can deliver, but how well we talk about it. When we have seriously thought through what we do best and where we best fit, the result is an irresistible offer that is clear, concise, and unambiguous. It’s easy to say and easy for fans and friends to pass on for us.

It’s much more fun to be able to say who we are and what we clearly offer to someone who is a perfect match for our work.

How will you move toward finding your ideal client today?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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17 Comments to “Want More Ideal Clients? Five Simple Steps”

  1. February 2nd, 2010 at 9:30 am
    Sales Cooke said

    Great points. Working with clients to define where they want to be successful and where they have been successful is always an interesting drill. Your five points provides great insights and a concise, simple process. Thanks.

  2. February 2nd, 2010 at 12:22 pm
    Bob Levin said

    Thanks for sharing this great info…

  3. February 2nd, 2010 at 2:33 pm
    Shirley George Frazier said

    These tips are invaluable, Liz, and incredibly beneficial whether you’re starting a business now or re-positioning it for the future.

    The 15-second pitch is one that many of us haven’t yet mastered. I learned about it in the 1990s and continue to review and refine my description before meeting new people worldwide.

  4. February 2nd, 2010 at 6:08 pm
    Gordon Mullan said

    Great post - it’s always good to be reminded of the fundamentals.

    I definitely think the “who you do it for” is a key part, and figuring out early whether the suspect/prospect is actually someone you’ll enjoy working with, and vice versa.

    As I say on my site, “Get more business, more easily, with more fun, by being 100% YOU”…

  5. February 2nd, 2010 at 8:33 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Bob!
    Welcome!
    Thank you for saying that!

  6. February 2nd, 2010 at 8:34 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Shirley,
    It’s always good to hear from you.
    I’m not the best at the 15-second pitch. I want to tell that individual how I can help him or her exactly that ties me up sometimes. I need to work on that all of the time. :)

  7. February 2nd, 2010 at 8:39 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    What a great statement, Gordon!

    I repeat!! “Get more business, more easily, with more fun, by being 100% YOU”…

  8. February 3rd, 2010 at 6:34 pm
    Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. said

    Who will respect our thinking and value our work? You have hit on the key to recognizing and attracting our ideal clients.

    Thank you for this article, especially stressing that we must not be tempted to convert everyone we meet.

    I have written down my ideal client. Now I’m going to add “communicates openly and can afford to pay you.” Yes!

  9. February 4th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
    joyce griggs said

    Love the tips esp assess the potential client–is that client right for you? Choice

  10. February 4th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
    Sylva Wilson said

    Liz,

    Thank you so much for this post. As marketers, sometimes we forget the most important part of selling our business which is to communicate what the heck it is we do! Taking a few moments to re-discover the best way to do this in “common speak” will help us all gain the customer base we need.

    Thanks again!

  11. February 4th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
    Diane Rines said

    Good points Liz!

    To summarize, I am a “Connector promoting career and business opportunities in Greater Phoenix.”

    Cheers to your success!
    Diane Rines, Wise Career Move LLC

    P.S. I love taglines and brands. Have you tried “Work with Liz on your biz”, or simply “Liz for your biz”.

  12. February 8th, 2010 at 11:24 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Flora,
    I love the name of your blog and that you are so fully expressed in what you do. It’s irresistibly attractive. Yeah, those two qualities are key … We really can’t afford to market to hermits who have no money. heh heh

  13. February 8th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Thanks Joyce!
    The wrong fit with client always ends up costing more than it earns. Don’t you think?

  14. February 8th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Sylva,
    Learning to use the words our customers use, rather than try to teach them ours is such a good point. It shows we know and respect them. I’d much rather work with someone who took the time to know me. Thank you for saying that!

  15. February 8th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Diane!
    Thanks for sharing your statement.
    I already have a tagline … you’re only a stranger once. :)

  16. March 23rd, 2010 at 1:55 pm
    10 Steps to Attracting Ideal Clients | Walt Goshert said

    [...] Want More Ideal Clients? Five Simple Steps (successful-blog.com) [...]

  17. April 15th, 2010 at 9:19 am
    How to Discover Your Winning Difference | Walt Goshert said

    [...] Want More Ideal Clients? Five Simple Steps (successful-blog.com) [...]

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