627 - Your ideal client is Not everyone

I hear it over and over again. I used to say it myself.

When asked who my ideal client is, I would give the same answer many people give...

Everyone!!

That is clear as mud to the people you're talking to.

Imagine, Some people hear you say everyone is your ideal client and think, NO, I'm not your ideal client. I don't even know who you are or what you do.

They will have no desire to meet you and be subjected to being pitched by you.

You may not intend it that way but that's how it comes off.

Here are a few of the witty things I've heard people say when networking:

❌ My ideal client is anyone who breathes. (a wellness product)

❌ My ideal client is anyone with skin. (a skincare rep)

❌ I'm looking for everyone who wears glasses (an optician)

❌ I'm looking for everyone that has or uses a toilet. (a plumber)

You get the idea. They got a chuckle but that's about it.

Professing that anyone or everyone is your target client pushes people away.

The first thought a person might have could be, that person will try to sell to me.

There are many other ways to describe your ideal client so people will have a visual when you say it.

✅ The optician could say, I'm looking for people who squint a lot.

He created a visual.

Right away you are thinking of people you know who squint and may not be aware they need glasses.

✅ The next time, the optician could say, I'm looking for those people with bandaids holding their glasses together.

Again, you will start noticing people's glasses.

In one of my business networking groups in Michigan, the roofer got up one snowy winter morning and said, I'm looking for houses with bald spots on the roof.

The roofs were all snow-covered so bald spots would show a lack of insulation. I looked all winter for bald spots on roofs and reported each one to my networking partner.

Now that I live in Texas, I still find myself looking at roofs now and then in the winter. That guy's message stuck.

There was a time when I gave the worst examples of explaining who I was looking to meet with.

😱 ❌ I would try to cram it all into 30 seconds. I'd say something like, I'm looking for anyone who was born, went to school, has insurance, or drives a car.

I know I left many people shrugging their shoulders. 🤷🏻‍♀️

✅ Clarity is key in any networking situation.

If you are in a group that meets regularly, change your message to fit the diverse people you serve.

Don't try to describe them all at once so that no one understands who you would like to be referred to.

Who is your ideal client? Give a few examples, if you'd like.