Are You Talking to a General Audience or a Specific Individual?

I’ve been talking with virtual assistants this week about defining their ideal client. When I ask my coaching clients to describe their ideal client as specifically as possible, the descriptions are still very vague. They are something like this:

“My ideal client is a self employed entrepreneur in a service related industry.”

“My ideal client is a business entrepreneur in the professional services.”

“My ideal clients are solo entrepreneurs.”

These are very vague and speak to a general audience. Even once a coaching client understands the need to target a very specific audience, they tend to speak to the group rather than an individual.

When my partner Joel coaches virtual assistants to define their ideal client, he helps them get very specific. Rather than targeting a general audience, we focus on targeting an individual. Here are 3 simple ways to focus your marketing messages to an individual:

1. Write a detailed paragraph of your ideal client: their gender, age, occupation, likes, dislikes, family situation and other details.

2. Name your ideal client. Make this individual real to you.

3. Go find a picture of that ideal client in a magazine. Cut it out and post it where you can see it all the time. When you get ready to send out marketing messages, look at that picture and see if the message will appeal to that ideal client.

Now that you’ve put a name and face to your ideal client, it will be much easier to target your audience and direct messages to the individuals that need your services.

Are you talking to a general audience or a specific individual? Would you like some assistance in defining your ideal client. Contact us for your free 30-minute consultation.

Preparing for 2010 – Network Now!

As we near the end of 2009, it’s our tendency to slow down in our networking efforts. It’s a very busy time of year and we tend to feel we just don’t have time to attend one more networking event.  So stand out and take the opportunity to attend one more networking event before the end of the year.

Now is the time to prepare for the New Year. One of the best ways to market your business is to build trusting relationships. You build trusting relationships by networking and getting to know people and what they do. Take a sincere and personal interest in them. Find out who their ideal client is so you know who to refer to them.

Start planning today to grow your network so you can start 2010 on the right foot. Make it a point to connect with at least 2-3 new people and follow up in January over a cup of coffee.