by Angie Weber | Featured Contributor
Who do you want to help?
Too often when entrepreneurs get asked this question, their first instinct is to say, “Everyone!” Wrong.
Okay, maybe that was a little harsh out of the gate. Let me explain.
When you try to help everyone, you end up helping nobody.
And I know this, because- well, heck- I wanted to help everyone out there, too. When I would go to networking events, I would say that I want to work with any and every small business. If I would have done some fact checking, that would mean the potential number of small businesses I could help would have been over 27 million. Cha-ching!
Awe- as great as the thought of cash just rollin’ in is, I have to poke a few holes in this theory. Sorry- it’s what I do as an implementer.
The truth is, we would have never been able to help 27 million businesses.. and we wouldn’t want to! Sometimes people aren’t a good fit and in the end it’s better to pass them by. Whoa– I can feel the resistance from here as you read that last statement.
I know what you’re thinking, “But what about the bills that I have to pay?! Starting a business cost money and I’d rather have any clients than no clients.”
All very true. And I’m asking you to take a leap of faith with me here- because remember, I’m talking for total experience. We kept reaching out for any client we could, bending over backwards, and being too afraid to say no, leaning on the ol’ fake it till you make it mantra.
It left us feeling like we were constantly chasing after something and down right frustrated- and we knew some of our clients felt that way, too. Not good.
So we decided to start getting serious about who we wanted to work with. We created our client avatar and the craziest thing started to happen- we started growing and we were working with some totally kick butt clients (a.k.a. the ones we wanted to work with).
If you have not created your client avatar yet- get your pen and paper out, ladies! Or better yet, grab that poster board + marker- you are going to need some space.
I have some questions below to help you start creating this avatar. Disclaimer: while doing this, you might have some resistance. “But I can work with men and women!” “I work with stay at home moms AND high profile corporate women!” “Just one age? They can be anywhere from 18-65!”
My advice: pretend this person is your BFF and sitting right across from you. And just because you have a Barb as your perfect client, it doesn’t mean a Bob or Jane won’t come knocking at your door.
The beauty in all of this is that when you know your avatar in-and-out, you can start speaking directly to them! This will make them feel more connected to you + start creating that relationship that is oh-so important.
So, start with these questions, but don’t stop there. Put down as much as you can about this client.
Name?
Age?
Occupation?
Marital Status?
Kids? Pets?
What are their beliefs?
What brands would you find around their house?
Where do they shop?
What are their guilty pleasures?
What books/blogs are they reading?
And the most important thing to know…
What are 3 things that keep them up at night?
What can you do to help them sleep better?
I would love to hear all about your client avatar- because even if I’m not him/her, I could be a totally awesome referral partner for you! So comment below who your number 1 client is.
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After time spent searching for the perfect job and having no luck, Angie Weber was introduced to tena.cious. Not only did she find her passion for small business, she also discovered one very important thing about herself- she is a true intrapreneur. (You know, those people who act like entrepreneurs, but don’t have as much risk in the game?)
While she co-runs tena.cious and helps clients showcase their personalties online, she also spreads awareness about intrapreneurs- the good, the bad, and the ugly awesomeness. If you want to get an inside look on intrapreneurs, check out here podcast, The Intrapreneur Life.
