Do you have a passion for one industry over another?
Answer those questions and you will be on your way to narrowing your ideal client down.
3 Tips For Finding Your Ideal Client
Once you’ve decided who they are, here is how to reach them.
Tell your business story. What makes you unique? What unique insight do you bring to what you do? Use your story to connect with potential clients and as a way to tell what you do without being overly salesy
What do you have that the competition doesn’t? What are your unique goods or services? What is your unique selling proposition aka USP? Know this and you can determine your ideal client — it’s the person for whom you can address a pain point with your goods or services
Delve into your current client base and notice any similarities. Notice whether you have clients that just don’t fit and ask yourself why you’re sticking with them? There could be definite reasons you are, but only you know. What are common characteristics your clients — share? This could put you on the path of understanding who your ideal client is
After you’ve uncovered your ideal client, you can focus your marketing and your efforts on that niche. You may find that once you have a niche you will begin thriving. For example, I have focused my business expertise on swimming pool construction and swimming pool service clients. Why? Because that is my area of expertise. What’s yours?
Can your business compete in the “Amazon” and “instant delivery” era? There are some businesses — thankfully in the pool industry with pool contractors and pool service businesses — that can compete but others struggle in the instant gratification era. Many businesses have struggled since the pandemic and because people came to rely on delivery rather than going out to stores. What your biz can learn from mom & pop shops is something Rex Richard and his Peak Dynamics team discuss when they strategize with their clients.
You can compete, you just need to know the “insider secrets.” I’d read an article about what independent bookstores are doing to compete and stay viable and thriving. These are a few lessons I gleaned that could help any small business owner who operates a brick and mortar.
What Your Biz Can Learn From Mom & Pop Shops
Community matters. To compete with the nameless, faceless big box stores, it’s all about community and building a connection with your customers. You don’t need a brick-and-mortar store to build a community. Look for ways to stay connected through emails and even by building an online group.
Be like Amazon and offer an “if you like this, you might like that” to introduce a customer to a new good or service you may have to offer.
If you have a retail outlet, is it appealing to customers when they walk through the door? If you have an online business is your website and online presence welcoming?
Small retailers can compete even with the big box guys. You need to help yourself and your business stand apart through customer service and connection and community building.
My team at Peak Dynamics has been remote before it became a trend during the coronavirus pandemic. I have long relied on technology to connect with my staff who is scattered across the globe. I couldn’t run my businesses if I didn’t have implicit trust in them to do what needed to be done. Do you trust your staff? If not, why do you have them working for you?
My contractors are hired for their unique skills and their dedication to what they do for me and for my clients. I vet them well and know they are dedicated to what they do for me, even if I am not their only client. Trust is a two way street. I trust them to do what needs to be done and they trust me to give them the tools they need to excel.
Sure, there have been some missteps along the way but because of those incidents, I learned what to look for and how to avoid those missteps in the future. It’s a live and learns and learn to let go and let your staff — whether they’re in the office or virtual — run with the tasks they’ve been given and become trusted members of your team.
Once I have a team member in place and trained to the unique way in which I do things in my Peak Dynamics pool industry marketing business (hint: hire people who have the skillsets you seek and you can train them to do the nitty-gritty that is unique to your organization), but you need to learn to trust your employees.
Do You Trust Your Staff?
Here are my tips for doing just that:
Provide training to do the job to the best of their abilities in the unique way you operate your business.
Set specific expectations
Set reasonable goals. Don’t be vague in what you expect because your staff/vendors won’t know if they’re attaining the goals you’d set if they can’t pinpoint a set point.
Have an open-door policy so employees know you’re available if they need help. Don’t make them waste their time going down the wrong path if they can just reach out to you for clarification.
Look for employees who show initiative.
Let them know you appreciate their efforts and what they bring to the team.
You may not want to completely change your business name, logo, tagline and colors or you could confuse your past clients. But if you’re expanding or changing or adding a completely new focus, then a new brand could be just what you need. There is no reason you can’t tweak your current brand to make it more current or relevant in today’s market. The last thing you want is for your brand to look old and tired even if the offerings behind it are current and relevant.
Does Your Business Brand Need A Refresh?
You’re offering new and completely different services or products.
The business model has changed and you need a new and different logo to reflect that change.
The business management team has changed. You want a new logo to set yourself apart with a new identity.
If you are pursuing a new target audience, your brand should reflect that.
Does your old logo look tired and dated? Does your brand reflect a fax machine or a beeper? LOL, if so, you should definitely upgrade and update. If you are taking your business in a new direction and targeting a new audience a new logo or brand identification might make sense.
If your old logo simply looks tired or the colors look dated, you might want to freshen it up with new colors.
Use your new branding as a way to garner new and fresh excitement in a social media campaign.
Know what you want. If you’re taking on clients or tasks that you don’t want or that aren’t your area of expertise you go off on a path that is a slog in your business. You need to know your area of expertise and stay in your lane. If you want to expand, consider hiring contractors to fill the gap.
Where will you work? A separate room in your house? A corner of the kitchen table? A coffee shop? If you’re just starting out and if you’re not welcoming clients into your workspace, find a place that suits your needs when you’re in the start-up phase. In the future, you may find you need, or want to rent a space or find a co-working situation. You may want to rent a PO box or rent a box at a UPS store that provides a street address – this amps up the idea to clients that you are a thriving entity.
Keep moving forward. It’s easy to throw your hands in the air and give up, especially if you lose a client or don’t sign the client of your dreams. What will separate you from other solopreneurs is your ability to keep moving forward and overcome challenges.
Network with others in your situation. It’s easy to give up if you feel as though you’re the only one doing what you do. That’s why a co-working situation is ideal for some. Network online or attend in-person events.
Make sure you have a business plan. It doesn’t need to be hundreds of pages long, but it does need to have your financial goals written down, it should have a plan for ebbs and flows in business. It should have your mission and vision statement, the ideal client for you and your area of expertise and even a statement of those clients with whom you don’t want to work.
Don’t skimp on the tools you need. If you’re going to be in front of the computer all day you need to have a computer that will perform the tasks you need. You will want an ergonomic set up. Don’t invest in low end products because you will eventually need to replace them and it will cost you more in the long run.
Automate the tasks that you do repeatedly. Don’t waste time on duplicate efforts and tasks.
One of the benefits of being a business owner is the freedom that comes along with it. It is easy, though, to take too much of that freedom and put yourself behind the eight ball and on the verge of missing deadlines. Enjoy being your own boss but keep your eye on the prize — a successful business.
Have you ever wondered what to call yourself when you’re at a networking event? Are you a solopreneur or an entrepreneur? There are subtle differences, but there are also similarities for anyone who wants to run a successful business.
At its core, a solopreneur is an individual who runs his or her own business and “does it all.” A solopreneur doesn’t have partners and typically doesn’t have any kind of support staff unless they hire contractors for specific tasks. An entrepreneur may have partners, a team and leverages capital to achieve business growth.
Are You A Solopreneur Or An Entrepreneur?
A solopreneur wears all the hats. They are the boss and the employee. They are typically the one who has all the interaction with their clients. Not all solopreneurs know how to do everything, and the savvy ones will hire out and delegate those tasks in which they don’t excel. An entrepreneur hires staff so he or she can focus on business growth.
A solopreneur holds all the financial risk, but they typically start smaller so their risk may not be as great as an entrepreneur who is hiring staff, renting space and more.
A solopreneur typically focuses on one specialty. An entrepreneur has a specialty of business growth and hires staff or contractors to bring that growth to life.
A solopreneur may start as a side gig with the idea of growing into a full-time business owner. An entrepreneur typically jumps in with both feet and seeks fast growth that is as profitable as possible as quickly as possible. This is not to say that solopreneurs cannot take their solo endeavor to full-time and more than a profitable business.
Both solopreneurs and entrepreneurs need to bring in customers. Without customers, there is no business.
Regardless of whether you’re a solopreneur or an entrepreneur, you could benefit and thrive under the tutelage of a knowledgeable business coach. If you’re looking for higher growth, are stuck in a rut or simply want a sounding board, reach out to Rex Richard and his team.
