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Robin Harris

Robin Harris is an e-preneur, trainer, and and coach. She offers resources and support to emerging business builders. Visit www.marketing-with-a-story.com to find out how to use your story and expertise as a marketing tools. Sign up for free eCourse on using teleconferences and creating eProducts as part of your marketing strategy.

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Your Ideal Client Is Easy To Market To

Robin Harris

August 18, 2006


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Many times people begin their business with very loosely defined concepts about who will gladly buy what they are selling. This vague and ambiguous approach to business can lead you into a marketing maze that has the potential to drain you financially and emotionally.

If you don’t have a clear understanding of your ideal client, it’s time you went back and laid a solid foundation for building your business. Answer these three questions and you will have the knowledge you need to design and effective marketing strategy.

1. Who is your Ideal Client (IC)?

The more you know about their distinguishable demographics, psychographics, and consumer habits, the better. You should be able to describe your IC as a specific type of person with a specific need. You should be able to describe their likes, dislikes, and their pattern of seeking out resolutions and opportunities as it relates to what you offer. Take the time to know as much about your IC as possible. The insider’s view will allow you to speak their language and feel their pain in a way that leads to empathetic marketing.

2. What problems and/or desires does your IC have that will inspire them to do business with you?

Your solution needs to perfectly answer the question they are asking. If your IC is not asking a question you will have to work too hard to make a sale. Your IC should be asking questions such as: How can I solve this problem? How can I achieve this goal? How can I do this quicker, faster, better? There has to be sufficient motivation to buy and you need to know what it is so that you can market to the motivated buyer.

3. How can you reach them en masse and what’s the best form of communication?

Most businesses need more than a few clients and most need to constantly add new clients in order to sustain and grow. Reaching ideal prospects in sufficient numbers is necessary to get the number of IC(s) that will be the basis of your revenue. Large ticket products and services do not need as many clients as smaller ones but here is the trap with large ticket items: having only a handful of high paying clients can be risky if one or more should stop doing business with you.

I have seen small and large corporations draw their income from one or two Fortune 500 Companies and consequently experience extreme adversity when the Fortune 500 Company reduces their business needs or stops buying altogether. That is exactly what’s happening with automotive suppliers. They depend on a small number of auto companies and their survival is at risk every time the industry takes a turn for the worse.

Don’t make the same mistake; keep your marketing pipeline full of new ideal prospects and gently move them down the pipeline to become IC(s). Do this while continuing to enrich your relationship with your current client base and you increase your chances of sustainable profits. Once you can answer these three questions, you can create an outreach strategy that positions you and your product/service in a way that is likely to get your IC’s attention.

Unless you have deep pockets and a vast supply of patience for taking the slow and tedious path, forget brand marketing and marketing to the general public. If you are in a network marketing business, forget duplication and recruiting until you, yourself, know how to acquire loyal customers. Your ability to connect with your IC is the one of the first things you need to master.

When you have become proficient at it, you can grow your business wide and deep and duplication and expansion become possible. Don’t waste time or money marketing to anyone who does not fit the profile of your ideal client. Your #1 job is to serve those you are qualified to best serve and if others find their way into your store and make a purchase, that’s fine but don’t invest energy in seeking them out.

When you connect with your ideal client and your marketing message is directed to them, you won’t have to work hard for the sale. You can focus on creating affinity, trust, and contribution. The selling process becomes a natural communication process that is much more agreeable to the seller and the buyer.