figuring out your ideal client

Figuring Out Your Ideal Client

#SageSummit @LeadingResults

Leading Results Core Marke7ng Mantra

•  Don't talk about the products you sell; talk about the problems you solve.

•  Then talk about the remarkably different way that I will experience working with you as you solve those problems.

•  Be sure you tell me what I get; NOT what you do. Because I don't have 7me to figure out if what I need is what you do.

Defini7on of Marke7ng

Know Like Trust Buy Repeat Refer TRY

Marke7ng is a System 1.  Strategy before tac7cs 2.  Fill your marke7ng hourglass 3.  Publish educa7onal content 4.  Create a total web presence 5.  Use a lead genera7on trio 6.  Make selling a system too 7.  Live by the calendar

Strategy before tac7cs

•  Define your Marke7ng Purpose •  Narrow your focus •  Differen7ate and dominate

Narrow your focus

Why Narrow Your Focus?

•  Profitability •  Customer Sa7sfac7on •  Employee Sa7sfac7on •  Referrals •  Reduced Cost per Customer Acquisi7on

I am NOT saying…

…Don’t sell to someone who wants to buy

Ideal Customer (aka: target market)

•  What it should not be: »  Anyone with money »  Anyone in a certain city or town »  Anyone that wants to buy x »  Anyone….

What is ideal? •  Values you •  Profitable •  Refers

It is easier to do business with people who believe what you believe

Get to the Y

Take minute – write it down

Clarity becomes strategy

@LeadingResults!

Passion ques7ons

1.  What do you want in your life? 2.  What don’t you want in your life? 3.  What are you willing to give up in order to have

what you want?

Passion Purpose

[Value] Proposi7on Personality

“A ship in port is safe but that’s not what ships are built for.” ~ Grace Murray Hopper

“Each time you see a successful company, tell yourself it’s because someone in the company took a brave decision.” ~ Peter Drucker

“Lead with why and let those attracted to that why create their own deEinition of what.”

“Live by a tangible set of daily habits and processes that offer proof of purpose.”

Ques7ons to be Asking

•  What do you want in your life? •  What don’t you want in your life? •  What’s really holding you back? •  What’s your superpower

Passion ques7ons

Purpose ques7ons •  What’s your purpose story? •  Who do you want to see your business as a hero? •  How can your business serve your (team’s) passion? •  What are the 2-‐3 highest payoff ac7vi7es? •  What do your clients tell you they value most?

[Value] Proposi7on ques7ons How do we find a unique posi7on for our business.. •  doing something that nobody is doing? •  solving frustra7on of our customers? •  by crea7ng an obvious innova7on? •  by crea7ng a totally unique experience?

Personality Ques7ons •  How do we want our customers to experience us?

•  What words do we want them to use when they talk to colleagues?

•  If my company was a person, would I want to be friends with it based on the exhibited traits?

Being Inten@onal about:

u  Passion u  Purpose u  [Value] Proposi7on u  Personality

….Leads to Clarity

Culture is clarity amplified

•  Shared stories •  Shared beliefs •  Shared plans •  Shared planning •  Shared outcomes •  Shared ownership

Clarity communicated leads to Community

Clarity is focused strategy Culture is clarity ampli2ied Community natural outcome of clarity communicated

Focus on the ideal client

Profitable Not profitable

Don’t Refer

Refer

Ideal customer •  Demographics •  Psychographics •  Geographics •  Behavior •  Triggers

Demographics

These are the sta7s7cal characteris7cs of: •  Gender •  Race •  Age •  Company type •  Company size •  Employee count •  Industry /type of business •  firmographic variables (such as industry, seniority, and func7onal area)

Psychographics

These are any ajributes rela7ng to: •  Personality •  Values •  Aktudes •  Interests •  Lifestyles •  Usage rate •  Loyalty

Geographic

•  This is where your ideal customers are located »  Actual address/city/town

•  Style of building (office park, strip mall, and so forth)

Behavior

•  How do your ideal clients act? »  Use Credit/Lease or Pay up front »  Focused on return or cost? »  Peer Influenced » What is their company culture? »  Their aktude toward employees? »  Their aktude toward customers? »  Their aktude towards technology?

Triggers

This is what causes them to take ac7on Examples:

»  New CFO/CEO/VP Sales »  Genera7onal Shin »  New Product Line/Product mix change »  Other Management change »  Regulatory change »  Geographic expansion

Finding More Ideal Customers…

You have to know more about them.. 3 groups of ques7ons which will… …uncover your uniqueness (or lack of) …help iden7fy market(ing) opportuni7es …help inform on internal alignment issues

Ask Your Ideal Customers -‐ Uniqueness…

•  Why did you chose us in the first place? •  What are our strengths? •  What do we do that others don’t or didn’t? •  What is the biggest problem we have solved for you? •  If I were to ask you one word that best describes us what would it be?

•  Would you refer us and what would you say?

Ask Your Ideal Customers -‐ Opportunity

•  What changed that made you want to contact us? •  What frustrates you about _YOUR__ industry as a whole?

•  If you were going to go out to the internet today and start looking for __YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE__, which search engine would you use and what would you type in that you are looking for

Ask Your Ideal Customers -‐ Alignment •  Where have we let you down? •  What types of communica7ons or interac7ons with us do you think would make your job easier and increase the value of the rela7onship between our companies?

•  What 3 things would you tell another business person that is looking for ___YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE___ today to make sure they understood, before they bought.

•  If you ran our business, what would you do differently?

My Ideal Client – Autobiography Intro, Timing, Frustra@ons, Solu@ons, Benefit Paragraph one -‐ Introduc@on Hi my name is (and then talk about some common characteris5cs such as, demographics and geographics)

Paragraph two – Timing What was my 5ming trigger that set off my need to look for your product or service? What solu5ons/benefits am I now seeking?

My Ideal Client – Autobiography

Paragraph three – Frustra@ons What are frustra5ons am I’m having as I search amongst your compe5tors, what do they ALL say…. what don’t ANY of them say that I would really like to hear

Paragraph four -‐ Solu@on In other words what I would really like is a company or someone who can ______________________

Paragraph five -‐ Benefit Because if you gave me this, it would allow me to __________

Picture This

Can you put a customers picture on a wall and put the autobiography under it?

Leading Results •  Marke7ng services agency – coaching, consul7ng and doing

u  1:1 Coaching & Consul7ng, Group Coaching u  Frac7onal VP of Marke7ng u  Public Rela7ons & Social Media Consul7ng u  Referral Marke7ng Coaching and Strategy u  Leading Results Sales and Marke7ng Academy u  Hubspot Cer7fied Partner

•  Authorized Duct Tape Marke7ng Consultants •  Offices in Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia and Charloje •  Clients through 14 7me zones •  Our clients put POWER in their WOW

(process, organiza7on, why, exper7se, referability)

Your ideal customer profile will…

•  Be easier to market to (you know them) •  Be easier to sell to (you understand them) •  Appreciate you more (and pay a premium) •  Be a pleasure for your staff to work with •  Refer you •  Help you grow your business long term

Offer Customer Autobiography

Worksheet

We help small businesses stop was7ng money on marke7ng

Contact Us Web: www.leadingresults.com Email: [email protected] Phone: 704-‐875-‐1188 Twijer: @LeadingResults FaceBook: facebook.com/DFKraus LinkedIN: linkedin.com/in/LeadingResults

figuring out your ideal client

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targetmarket whatitshouldnotbe

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