You can tell a massive amount about a business by looking at it’s client list.

• When I look at successful small businesses, I find they are very selective regarding who they choose as clients.
• When I look at the typical small business, I find their clients choose them!

The difference?

When you are selective regarding who you accept as a client, you get to work with people who value you and what you do.  You get to work on projects, which truly inspire you.  You tend to do your best work under these conditions, resulting in happier clients and more referrals.  Moreover, because birds of a feather flock together, the referrals from these high value clients are likely to be high value too.  Win-win.

When you are less selective, you often end up working with unrewarding people, on bland projects.  This is a frustrating scenario that does not inspire people to produce their best work.  Lose-lose.

Whilst it may be tempting to work with anyone who can pay your invoice, it’s not where the longevity is.  You can’t apply your craft under those conditions and if you did, they probably wouldn’t notice.

The answer?  Target your marketing messages, so they are 100% focused on the needs of your ideal profile of client.  Then, get that message in front of the right people at the correct time.

That’s easier said than done, Jim!

Yes, of course it is, because we are now looking at professional marketing and not the typical small business, hit-and-miss approach.  This requires a strategy designed around your unique situation; your unique resources, your industry, your ideal client profile, your targets, etc, etc.  You won’t find this in a book, webinar or blog post.

However, I hope I have helped explain the value of using a more focused approach to client development.