Marisa Smith began her talk at LA2M on March 14 by asking the audience if they sometimes want to avoid phone calls when their caller ID tells them which of their clients is calling. Dodging phone calls and not following up on emails with the same clients over and over may be a sign that your business and that client aren’t a good fit.
Smith pointed out that not all clients are the right match for your business. She said it was that realization that caused her company, The Whole Brain Group, to evaluate their customer base and product line up.
Smith detailed some characteristics that can make a client a “Bad Fit” for your business. How different clients match with your business depends on what works best for your company and team.
Speed or turn-around time can be frustrating with a large client compared with a smaller business, Smith explained. Culture and style can also be a stumbling block. If your business is innovative, then a client that doesn’t want change wouldn’t harmonize well.
Some clients may also expect to talk with the business owner all the time when your company works in a team atmosphere. Smith said budget is another area of differences. Some clients want or expect fillet mignon on a Big Mac budget. She said, “Everything is a major ordeal,” when a business and its clients don’t mesh.
The first step toward attracting your ideal customer is to define the characteristics of the right client, Smith said. She suggested starting by writing down client attributes that you like and “what drives you crazy about some customers.” Smith asked the audience to share client characteristics they like and dislike. Comments ranges from “goal oriented” to “indecisive”, as well as “value your opinion” to “don’t know how their own company works”.
Once a business has a defined profile of their ideal client, it’s time to examine services offered to see what can be improved, eliminated or added, Smith explained. “It’s important to know who you are and what you do and what you like to do. Then you can look for the customers who are looking for that. Don’t try to be something you’re not and don’t try to make them be something they are not,” Smith said. Smith pointed out that a written “value proposition” defines what makes you different and identifies your key messages.
The Whole Brain Group value proposition follows.
Our favorite clients view us as a partner in their growth, because they know we are passionate about taking an integrated approach to helping them achieve their business goals, and we strive to combine the logical & tactical (Left Brain) with the creative (Right Brain) to achieve Whole Brain Goodness!
Smith said current clients are a good source of information on what your business does best and what you could do differently. Self examination and change includes a hard look at marketing materials and message, Smith explained. She said check for consistency in your on line presence including in all places where your business has a profile. A revised marketing kit may be in needed, Smith said.
“We treated ourselves like we treat our clients,” Smith said. She detailed looking at who her company wanted to target as new clients and what they were doing to reach them. Whole Brain Group even reviewed where they were networking to meet new customers. She said they use a combination of referrals, marketing and networking based on their ideal client profile to bring in new business.
She said it’s important to quantify your progress to stay on track. Smith said they have used a similar approach to assist their clients in defining their preferred customers; fine tuning their product line up, revising marketing to match and tracking their results.
Smith is a graduate of the University of Michigan. She is President and Founder of the Whole Brain Group. Smith is also the Social Media Co-Chair of the Communications Council and a member of the Executive Advisory Board for Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), a national nonpartisan public policy organization that advocates for and on behalf of women and minorities in business. She also serves on the Boards of The Small Giants Community and the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber.
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