How different would your business feel if it was filled with your dream clients?
With some work on your part up front, this can be your reality! Which is why I’m sharing my 4 favorite tips for finding your dream clients.
When I first started my business I was just thrilled to get on a discovery call with a business owner who wanted to work with me. This left me with clients who were sometimes an incredible fit and sometimes would have been better served by someone else—someone with a different specialty or a different personality.
This changed when I really dug into who my ideal client is. The clearer I got on who I was obsessed with working with, the more those clients and I found each other! And the easier it got to say “Thanks, but no…” to potential clients I knew wouldn’t work out in the end.
So how do you fill your business with incredible clients that are as excited to work with you are you are with them?
#1 Know where your ideal clients are hanging out and find them there
This may sound basic but knowing who you want to work with (and how to speak their language) is critical to finding more dream clients.
Is your dream client a local brick and mortar business and you are spending your day hanging out on Instagram? Or are your client’s free-wheeling, 20-somethings living the laptop life and you are spending most of your time in LinkedIn groups?
If you’re spending your marketing time and efforts in the wrong locations you’re going to find potential clients that aren’t a good fit for your personality or your business.
Even years into a business your ideal client research and refining should never stop. This has to be an ongoing process of refinement and understanding. If you’re not getting on the phone with your ideal clients, start here!
And when you do get on a call with a potential client, ask them questions! What do you need to ask them?
#2 Research and be curious
Once that discovery call is booked, now is the time for you to get curious about this person. A solid questionnaire filled out when an appointment is scheduled will save you and the business owner valuable time when you actually meet. They will know up front that you take their time and yours seriously.
Some great questions to ask in this form include:
- What exactly they want to hire you for?
- Are they willing or able to spend the money they need to get the results they want?
- Have they hired for this position before?
In this day and age of digital media, it can be easy to learn about someone, especially if they showcase their business online.
You can search on all the major platforms, find out the questions they have been asking in Facebook groups or perhaps even find them in an iTunes podcast search.
Doing your homework means you’re able to ask the questions and lead the conversation. And this is important! A client is looking for you to take on some of their workload, and leading the conversation shows that you can take charge, make suggestions, and show up as an expert in what you do.
#3 Add Value
People can have majorly different views on this but I’m a firm believer that what you put out is what you get back. I also want people as clients who value collaboration over competition, so if someone takes a small piece of advice I give them and runs, they were definitely not my ideal client!
This not only provides them immediate value and keeps you top of mind, but the potential client will also know when they work with you, there is more where that came from. Obviously you’re not going to lay out your entire strategic plan. But if you can solve a small pain point and offer some immediate value, you can bet they’ll be appreciative, you’ll stand out among the others they interview, and it sends the message that you’re ready to get to work and become a valuable asset to their team.
#4 Pay attention to red flags
This is a lesson we may all have to learn the hard way—no amount of money is worth a crappy client! Seriously.
If you’re being micromanaged over every little detail, if you’re chasing your client down every time an invoice is due, or if you just walk away from your interactions feeling less-than—it’s just not worth it!
You didn’t start your own business to not get to pick who you want to work with and for!
Also, by letting these clients go, you will immediately free up space to bring in more of what you do want. And nothing is a mistake if you learn from it and apply those lessons to the next client.
So to recap those dream client tips…
- Know where your ideal clients are hanging out and find them there
- Research and be curious
- Add Value
- Pay attention to red flags
Now go out there and find other awesome sauce people you want to work with! Only you are in charge of your own business!
What are some of your tips for finding that perfect client?
