Before you can effectively market your business it’s important to know exactly who you’re marketing to. Who is your ideal customer? What sort of people are you selling your products and/or services to?
When I ask this question, so many business owners answer that they are marketing to ‘everyone’.
“Whoever wants to buy my product is welcome to,” or “We provide cleaning services to anyone and everyone.”
But the thing is, not everyone is likely to buy your products/services and you can’t effectively market to ‘everyone’.
It’s much better for you to work out exactly what sort of people are your IDEAL or TYPICAL customers. That doesn’t mean that you can’t provide your products to those who don’t fit that category – just that you now have more direction in whom you’re marketing to.
For example, a friend of mine consults in a particular industry but specialises in working with beginners … the newbies to the industry. He is very patient and loves being able to help his clients with the fine details. He has become well-known within the industry for being the ‘go-to-guy’ for beginners.
Meanwhile, another colleague who’s been in the same industry for years and is very successful gets incredibly frustrated when people don’t understand his training or when they ask questions about the more basic aspects.
During his first year training others, he received a lot of complaints. People felt they weren’t ‘getting it’ … nor did they feel they received the help they needed. Towards the end of that first year, the trainer was not enjoying what he was doing anymore. He was so frustrated and constantly whinging about how some people just couldn’t keep up and was ready to give up training others then and there.
But he decided instead to only work with more advanced students. Before he agrees to train them, he has a one-on-one consultation to find out more about his potential client, their background and experience and their goals. And he decides from that whether he takes them on as a client. He also encourages them to use the session to question him to be sure they feel comfortable working with him.
The result? Both the consultant and most of his customers are much happier and get the results they’re looking for.
But also, both of these consultants have helped define their difference from other consultants and trainers within their industry too. They are now more refined in how and where they promote their services and are seen as leaders within their particular niches.
By being clear about the type of people your product/service is best for you may find that you have less complaints or refund requests, and more satisfied customers who are keen to recommend you to others.
Plus, it makes creating an effective marketing plan much easier. By knowing what sort of people your product/service is helping, you can now get a better understanding of this market and how to show them how your products/services can benefit them.
