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Recently I met with a prospect and we talked about her clients. As we explored her business and her clientele I realized that she was focused on the obvious client to the point that she was missing out on the not so obvious clients that could propel her business a lot further than the obvious clients could.
When you develop a client profile, its important to think about who that client is and really get to know his/her likes and dislikes. But its also important to consider that the obvious client may not be the only client or even the best client. Case in point, I never would have thought of accountants or bookkeepers as potential clients, but I’ve actually found that they are good clients. They weren’t the obvious choice, but in choosing to consider who might not be my obvious client, but nonetheless could be a client, I kept myself open to working with people that didn’t immediately fit my target client profile.
I’m a big advocate of creating target client profiles, but I also believe you should never get so caught up in a tool that you don’t entertain and explore alternative perspectives or experiences that counter what you’ve developed. And there is also something to be said for recognizing that you may have a very specific idea of who your ideal client is and nonetheless discover that your specific idea isn’t as accurate as you thought it was.
Don’t settle for the obvious client. Challenge your perceptions about who your client is and take a risk to see if your client is someone else. You may discover a clientele that wasn’t as obvious, but needs your services just as much, if not more, than your ideal client does.
