Who is your dream client?

Who’s your dream client…can you tell me?

Most coaches have some vague idea about who it is they want to work with, but rarely do they delve into the nitty-gritty and really think about the EXACT characteristics of who it is they want to work with….EXCLUSIVELY.

Because the thing is…you get to choose who you work with….and who you don’t, which is almost MORE important, to be honest.

When most coaches start thinking about client attraction, they go straight for the strategy…the “how-to” of attracting those clients. This is better than doing nothing at all, I guess, but if you really want to make your strategy effective, there are a couple of steps you should take first.

But first, let me give you an example of strategy versus EFFECTIVE strategy.

The strategy of running Facebook ads to a lead magnet is a good one, I do it myself BUT you can either run your ad budget dry trying to figure out how to get in front of the right people OR you can do the work to fully understand what makes those dream clients of yours tick so you can target the right audience enabling you to reduce your ad spend AND put your ads in front of the right people.

A lot of coaches pull the pin on ads because they run out of money before they ever get a result.

I’ve asked clients to pull together target audiences for their ads campaigns only to find out they have no idea who they should be targeting in the first place.

Often, the coaches are so caught up in the strategy side of things that they forget the human element….they forget who it is they want to call in….and forgetting that we can be selective in who we target because of, ultimately, who we want to work with.

But that’s just one example….there are many….here’s one trap you can fall into by NOT being clear on who your dream client is.

I’m a skilled and experienced coach & mentor who consistently gets great results for her clients BECAUSE of who I choose to work with.

The quality of my clients directly relates to the quality of the results I help to co-produce.

I know that when I say yes to a client, it’s because I know that with my help, they’ll produce a result.

If you take on clients who aren’t a good fit for you you’re asking for trouble…this almost always results in poor results, clients who drain the shit out of you and before you know it you’ve lost both passion and confidence…not ideal.

One way to avoid that is to know who you want to work with…and, as I said earlier, who you don’t.

So…yes….there are lots of STRATEGIES for attracting your dream coaching clients…. I teach many of them….but UNTIL you know who that client is…you’ll be up against it.

When you nail who your client is, EVERYTHING is easier.

The programs you launch.

The messages you share.

How much to charge.

It all comes together because you know who you’re creating and writing and live-streaming FOR….specifically.

For coaches who are struggling to find ANY clients, the idea of turning away clients that aren’t a good fit just seems nuts…I know, I get it…I’ve been there but I promise that when you start saying no to the wrong clients the right ones start showing up.

If it’s time for you to start thinking about who your dream client is, I’d start with establishing some really clear boundaries around who you won’t work with… the stronger they are the better.

I like to start with who I won’t work with because, for me, this helps me get clear on who I will work with.

HERE’S WHO I WON’T WORK WITH:
Anyone in a scarcity or lack mindset.

Anyone who expects me to save their business from the ditch they’ve run it into within 5 minutes flat.

Anyone who complains about every coach they’ve ever hired (one common theme and all that).

Anyone I don’t think I can truly add value to.

Anyone I find abrasive or rude, and know I won’t gel with.

Anyone I don’t think is good at what they do.

Anyone who lacks integrity.

Anyone who is all about what they can get / not client-focused.

Anyone I know will watch the clock / making sure they get their “money’s worth”.

Anyone who can’t or won’t match my pace and makes excuses instead of being honest.

Anyone who is demanding/thinks I’m “the help”.

Anyone who thinks it’s ok to message me at 11 pm and expects me to answer.

Over the years, I’ve had many great clients, but also my share of clients who come to me in a state of panic and fear and lack and expect me to be the magic bullet.

If someone’s driven their business into a ditch or has left it too long to get help and their focus is on GETTING THE MONEY it never works because they’re so gripped by scarcity it gets in the way of doing the right work because it often takes time….I know that’s unsexy marketing but it’s true…it pretty much always takes more time and costs more than most people think to start making great money consistently.

It’s ok to want a return on investment as soon as you can make that happen (something I work hard to achieve for my clients), but there is a difference between that and a desperate, all-consuming need to make money yesterday.

SO…HERE’S WHO I WILL WORK WITH:

Big thinkers and big dreamers.

Coaches who know they have it in them to create incredible success, and they’ve been chipping away at it already.

My coaches don’t want to be spoon-fed, they have great instincts and a lot of knowledge and they want me to help them pull it all together…they want me to help reveal the next level badass version of who they are now…they’re not interested in paint by numbers….that would kill any sense of self and creativity.

They respect the rules of engagement and don’t overstep the boundaries I’ve clearly set out and they’ve agreed upon.

Even if they’re not rolling in money they don’t raise the issue of money in sessions if things are tight, they just get on with doing what they need to do to earn it – basically, they know how to hustle if they need to and they know I’ll help support them and show them how. Talking about lack and scarcity only attracts more of it, so we don’t do it.

They do what I ask them to do when I ask them to do it, if they have questions, they ask them and then get to work.

My dream clients usually know who I am because they’ve been in my community a while, OR they find me, consume everything they can and reach out to me ready to get started.

They make decisions quickly, and they follow through.

Another thing is that I really LIKE these clients, we have mutual respect, and we also have fun and a few laughs along the way.

It’s important to me that my clients take this shit seriously…they are in BUSINESS….this is not a half-assed hobby…we’re growing EMPIRES here…I need my clients to understand this and take the growth of their businesses and bottom lines seriously. In the past, my desire for a client’s success has been greater than they’re own, and it just doesn’t work.

HOW THIS WORKS IN THE REAL WORLD OF ATTRACTING YOUR DREAM CLIENTS ONLINE

It is about the way you communicate and how you position yourself….and the simplest and easiest way to do this is to just you…who you are is enough and will attract the right sort of people into your world.

You can see from the way I speak and the way I write that it’s pretty clear that if you’re a bit of a princess who wants someone to spoon-feed them step-by-step, I’m not the mentor for you. You can’t pay me enough to work with people like that….I’ve done it in the past, unwittingly, and now I can spot it a mile off, and it’s always a no from me because that type of work doesn’t excite or inspire me…I love working with my clients to create breakthroughs because I know these will stick.

I used to think I was a boring (hell, still do half the time) because my message doesn’t really change and is often really repetitive because I do 100% stand by my simple approach and the fundamentals I teach…they work so why would I change them?

I’m also not someone who “performs” or is outrageous or controversial for the sake of it, I just am who I am, and my people like me just fine.

The words I speak and write are things my people resonate with, the fact I turn up in workout gear and hair that needs washing half the time is also something they (you) connect with because this is real life and it gives them (you) permission to be real too.

I worked out a long time ago that I don’t need to “do” anything special…I just need to be me.

And YOU just need to be you…as you are.

In a nutshell, attracting your dream clients only happens when you’re clear on who that person is and when you’re being authentic SO you’re attracting people who love your vibe.

Most growth strategies will work for you IF you follow these 3 simple rules:

Know who YOU are and what you do well (your sweet spot).

And know WHO you want to coach (know them INTIMATELY) and why.

Know HOW you can help them…what problem are you solving for them?

THEN you can begin applying a growth strategy that aligns with those three things.

Make sense?

Understanding your diamond clients is at the heart of everything we do inside of S.H.E Mastermind, you can find out more about my mastermind here: https://www.michellehext.com/mastermind/

Mx