We’ve all been there as business owners, battling against bad clients.
Bad clients come in many forms. Bad payers, the unfocused, the unreasonable, those with unrealistic expectations, the goal post movers, those you don’t get along with, and those that simply aren’t a good fit for your business.
We didn’t go into business to work with people we don’t like, and we didn’t go into business to have unfit clients take away our precious time.
It’s time to start finding and signing the customers you want to work with and those which are good for your business. To do this, you need laser-like precision when it comes to recognising what these customers look like, and who you are as a business so that you can attract them.
So, I’m going to share something of huge value with you which would usually require a consultancy fee, but hey, we’re coming out of the most challenging period in our recent history and we need to help each other.
Welcome to The Pearson Brown Fact Find. The process I go through with new clients to help them achieve what I’ve discussed here. The process that if completed will shape all your future marketing communications and help you start attracting the right clients.
Complete these in as much detail as possible. They’re simple questions but very difficult to answer if you’ve not done this sort of thing before, so don’t worry about doing this in one sitting. It needs conscious, deep thought and it needs to be right, so take your time.
Here goes…
1) What is your tone of voice as a business?
(If your business was a person, what would it be like? Funny, witty, sarcastic, blunt, quiet, geeky, technical, authoritarian?)
2) What do you stand for?
(What aspect of your offering do you want your customers to take on board and believe in as much as you do? What makes you unique, quirky, and just downright better? Why should they choose you?)
3) Describe your target customer, giving as much detail as possible
(Age, gender, fears, frustrations, hopes, inspirations, dreams, social standing, job title, industry, income, net worth, how they spend free time and where, style, personality, lifestyle, beliefs etc. or if it’s a business itself, their firmographics – number of staff, turnover, location, industry, structure, background, with a specific problem/need, age, culture etc.)
4) What problems are you solving for them? How do you make their life better? Again, please provide as much detail as possible
5) What are your passions as a business, why do you do what you do?
Change the course of your business
Take this, use it, refer to it, and re-do it every six months or so as your business changes and develops.
If you want some help with this we can go through it together, email me on matthew.brown@pearson-brown.co.uk to arrange a 1-2-1! In the meantime, check out our marketing services that we can use to communicate your new, on-point messaging to the right potential clients.
Speak soon. Stay well.
-Matthew Brown, director and founder
