Who are you looking for and why is that important?
To watch the video about this topic, click here.
Who is your ideal client?
If your answer is "every client is an ideal client" or "I don't know," you are probably wasting a lot of time trying to find a good client. We need to know with some manner of precision who we are looking for as we go about looking for clients. Not only does this minimize the actual time we will spend on clients that are not a good fit, but it will also influence everything from the platform we choose to the materials we present to the skills we highlight. See, if we really learn about our ideal client, we can start to speak to them more directly.
Nailing Down Your Target
There are tons of people looking for your services but that doesn't mean they're all a good match. All business is not necessarily good business. To narrow down your client search there are few things questions you should ask. You need to know who requires your service(s) and where they are. You should try to learn everything from where they live to the groups that they participate in.
You need to know a bit about the financial situation - are they bootstrapping or do they have access to funding? Either way, can they afford your rates?
Who?
Honestly, when I started my business, this was one of the things I actually did. I identified my ideal target client based on who and what I thought they should be. Actually, I just used the boss at my job as my ideal target client. I mean he hired me for that job, right? Wrong! In the first few months, to my surprise, my initial target client was not, in fact, my ideal client. But, it was by going through this process that I discovered that quickly (thank goodness).
The What Will Help the How
These questions should definitely be answered from the perspective of your potential client. You have to reverse engineer your marketing in this way. Get them from what they think they need to what it is you offer to meet that need.
What do they think they need? More speaking engagements?
Great!
What are they doing now?
Local engagements?
Great!
Are looking to reach out to national conferences to book speaking engagements?
Great.
So you can help pitch conferences? Or help them better utilize their CRM? Or... whatever.
You see where I'm going with this?
If your ideal client is a speaker you'll need to know what speakers need - Speaker-One-Sheet, Speaker Reel and the hottest conferences... for them. You'll need to know the tools they use most frequently. And when you get really good, you'll begin to know where they are in their business by the request.
Where Are They, Already?
Time is money, right?
And while money is not everything, we sure don't have time to waste it.
So again, the straightest, most direct route to finding your client, your ideal client, is advisable. And more often than not, that's going to be on Virtual Assistance/Freelancer platform.
There, clients will list their needs and requirements (skills, time, commitment, etc). And you, knowing who your ideal client is, can tell much more easily which openings you will apply for because you already know;
Here is an image of a job I posted for a year ago on Upwork.
As you can see, I've included an overview of the tasks, skills, duration, start date, and other key information that makes it so much easier for my ideal assistant and I to find each other.
Below are three other places you can search for clients:
- We Work Remotely
- Remote Co
- People Per Hour
Want More Help?
Next month I'll be launching a VA Client Intensive program that will focus on specifically helping you learn how to find your ideal client.This 4-week program is specifically focused on helping you find clients!⠀
We will be jumping right into the heart of finding clients from the start, but we're not stopping there.⠀
Each week will highlight:
👉🏽 Real VA Opportunities ⠀
👉🏽 Learning materials (webinar, eBook, etc)
👉🏽 Live Q&A
👉🏽 and more...
But... I will only be accepting 10 applicants into this program, so apply today. Please note, submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
And to help jumpstart your success, don't forget to grab that free workbook below.
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