Attracting your ideal client

By:  Lori T. Williams, Owner/Managing Attorney of Your Legal Resource, PLLC

About a year ago, I reconnected with Copywriter Jen Viano, who was just launching her own business after years of leading, marketing, and growing nonprofits in Metro Detroit.  Jen and I instantly hit it off because we have similar values, and passion for our work, and work ethic.  We caught up recently for a "virtual coffee" by phone, and out of our chat came some great marketing lessons that I thought I'd share with you.

I was congratulating Jen on recently zeroing in on her niche market.  Not surprisingly, Jen will be specializing in serving the nonprofit sector.  She is in the process of a rebrand and will soon launch "Jen Viano Nonprofit Communications". Jen gave herself about a year of working with various types of businesses, providing them with copywriting services and marketing consulting.  From that experience, she recognized her true calling and honed in on who she can provide the most value and help to: nonprofit organizations that want to more successfully attract donors and grow revenue.

This process is similar to what many professionals face when trying to decide who their ideal client is. Sometimes fear or lack of immediate revenue gets in the way of professionals serving their "ideal" client, and they'll settle for working with "whoever walks in the door that can pay them".   In the end, the professional doesn't feel the same satisfaction from their work when the client isn't the right fit, and usually the client doesn't have a great experience either. We've all experienced service from someone who clearly loves their work, and someone who is just showing up for the paycheck.  Which one did you enjoy more?

Jen noted, "just because you specialize in one area doesn't mean you are restricted by it.  Someone outside your target market may also resonate with your service and contact you."

If someone outside your target market contacts you for your services, you get to choose if you would like to help that client or not.  In some cases, you may say, "I'm afraid I'm not the best fit for you, but I know another lawyer (or CPA, or copywriter, etc.) who might be."

You can refer them to another respected professional who you believe is a better fit for them.  The client will appreciate being guided to the right professional more than if you both suffered through the experience knowing you weren't right for each other.

I often suggest to the solo and small firm attorneys I provide consulting services for that they can focus their marketing dollars in one area of law that they are passionate about, and if it attracts clients for other services they also provide but aren't marketing, they can choose whether or not to help that client or refer them elsewhere.

It's better to focus your marketing to one target client niche, than to try and capture all clients in need of all the legal services you could provide, but don't love handling.  The "niche" is the target client market you wish to serve.  The lawyer's area of specialization is the area of law he or she chooses to practice.  A client in need of estate planning for retirement might be a niche market for an estate planning attorney.  Or that estate planning attorney might choose to focus on another niche such as "business owners" or "young professionals" in need of estate planning services.  You can also select your niche market based on location (Oakland County, or Metro Detroit, or Mid West), or client demographic (women, singles, professionals age 25-40, etc.), or interests of your client niche (loves tennis, red wine, yoga, etc.)  The more you have in common with your niche market, the more you will both enjoy working together.  I found Michael Port's Book Yourself Solid book to be helpful in determining the ideal client for service professionals.

Jen noted that "by getting very clear about who your ideal client is you can build an effective business model and communications platform that is engineered to attract the clients you can best serve and bring results to. In the end, this will make your work more enjoyable and profitable."  

Jen recommends the following resources for selecting your niche and attracting your ideal clients:

• The Power of Claiming a Niche by Michelle Peterson

• How to Get Kick-Ass Clients by Art of Clients  (Note: by clicking on  How to Get Kick-Ass Clients, you can choose how to receive the complimentary article: pdf download, mobile, etc.)

Jen also shared these valuable tips for professionals to help them attract their idea client:

• Work on your mindset, emotions, and feelings.  Be confident of the value you provide, and the fees you charge. This is an attractive quality that will make people gravitate toward you.
  
   

• Commit to your niche and aim to be valuable first, by providing helpful content and highly actionable tips and resources that will begin to help solve your ideal client’s problems. So, for instance, if you’re specializing as a divorce attorney, offer a free report with your email sign-up that helps address one major pain point that you know your ideal client is having as a result of this tough time in her life. You’ll build your know-like-trust factor and, with continued consistent communications, your ideal client will be more inclined to call you to handle her case.
  
   

•  Use marketing testers before launching any big marketing campaign or new service offering.  While this may seem obvious, few people actually do it.
  
   

Jen has been doing some testing of her new tagline, website home page copy, and product offerings. When testing her tagline, for instance, her test group gave her valuable, honest feedback about whether the wording resonated on a strong emotional level...or not.  After a few rounds, Jen had a tagline that she knew her ideal clients "instantly got" and it was especially fun to receive feedback like "I LOVE IT!!!"

If you think testing will make you vulnerable, think again.  This is a fantastic way to be smart about your marketing messages and product creation, while planting seeds with potential ideal clients.

What has been your challenge when it comes to identifying and marketing to your ideal client?

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Jen Viano helps nonprofits attract donors and grow revenue. As a copywriter, content writer and consultant with Jen Viano Nonprofit Communications, she helps build strategic marketing systems and communications that attract and develop loyal donors who love the nonprofits they support. Contact Jen at Jen@JenVianoCopywriting.com to connect and sign up for her free e-newsletter The Donor Attraction Letter.  

Lori T. Williams is a 23 year attorney based in Birmingham, MI. She owns a legal referral and legal consulting business called Your Legal Resource, PLLC. She assists individuals and small businesses in need of legal advice or representation by connecting them with the right legal specialist for their situation. She also provides consulting services for attorneys and other professional service providers on how to generate more business through effective branding, marketing, networking, and by creating strategic partnerships. For more information, visit www.bestlegalresource.com.