I have long been a proponent of clearly articulating your ideal target market, and crafting your message to appeal only to them. Clients have resisted, saying they don’t want to ‘miss’ potential work from less-than-ideal-clients. My response has always been that if you craft your message tightly enough, those people who sit on the edge of your ideal will step-up to make the grade. It works. Over time, what comes with this tightly crafted message designed purely for your ‘ideal’ target market is you, the business owner, start being more vibrant and visible to those clients you want to work with. And, you become less relevant to the people you don’t want to work with. I know this, yet recently I was disappointed at the lack of after-session interest in a presentation Keith (my husband and business partner) gave at our local Chamber of Commerce. He delivered a great presentation, but only 2 of the 18 attendees took him up on the offer for a chat. “What’s wrong?” I wondered, “why didn’t he convert more of the audience?” It took a couple of days to click – those two who followed up are perfect potential clients. They’re ready to start working with Keith, they are hungry for his advice and insights, plus their businesses are at a level where Keith can make a solid difference. In other words, his ideal clients. The other audience members aren’t ideal. Some of them might be in the future, but right now they’re not. Whilst all 18 people in the room that day listened to Keith’s presentation, 2 heard him … and what he could offer. He wasn’t talking to his market – he was talking to individuals who wanted his services.
Rather than trying to communicate with a faceless mass audience, define your market of one. Who is your ideal client? Think of them as a person, not a market. In every marketing and sales interaction you want a person to buy – not a market to buy. And if you can articulate this’market of one, you’ll find your marketing message is more clearly articulated and therefore hits the target more effectively.
