Day 9: What Drives Your Client

Yesterday, I talked about my ideal client and who she is. Today, the instructions are to focus on what my ideal client wants.  Why is she interested in working with me? What leads her to reach out and respond to my books, videos, seminars, etc.?

What My Client Wants

Cammy wants to have more time to spend with her husband and children. She wants less stress about the bills and the money. She wants to feel that her life is meaningful and that she has made a positive contribution to the world around her. She wants to help make the world a better place by bringing the love of Christ to others because she knows what a difference it has made in her own life and she knows it can make that same difference in the lives of others. She wants to create a product, an income, and a legacy that her children can inherit.

Cammy wants a book that will teach her how to write a book in 40 days so that she can start her business sooner rather than later. She wants blog articles that will teach her how to transform that book into a business. She wants videos that will help her get past the trouble spots as she encounters them. She wants software that will automate some of the writing process so that it's less tedious. She wants private coaching that will guide her in finding her own personal message and targeting the audience that needs that message most. She wants to join a group of writers who will help her to stay motivated and provide her feedback on her writing when she needs it. She wants to attend writer's retreats that will give her a chance to step away from her family life for a short time to focus on the writing of her book and get it done on time.  She wants to attend conferences that will help her to network with other writers, publishers, agents, and editors. She wants classes that will help guide her through the writing process from beginning to ending.

Where do your clients find you?

Clients usually find me through social groups both on and offline and through personal connections. They have usually followed my work for a while before they decide to hop on board and become clients. They are confident of my work, confident I know what I am doing, and that I can help them do what they need to do. What is important is that my clients need to feel like they know me and can trust me before they are ready to buy from me. They have to be sure that I can deliver.

When do they look for you?

My clients look for me when they are serious about taking action on making a change. Sometimes they are absolutely sick of their job and need an exit strategy in place first. Sometimes they have a business but it isn't working the way they want it to work. Sometimes they have a book they've finished but they feel like its missing something. Sometimes they have a book they've worked on but they're stalled out and don't know where to take it next. Sometimes they are tired of having their dream but never doing anything about it.

The tipping point is always different. Maybe it is a mid-life crisis moment where they realize that time is short and life will not last forever, so the time to act is now. Maybe it comes from a layoff that compels them to find a better and more stable financial model. Maybe it comes when their boss has passed them over for a promotion one too many times in favor of people who are less competent and less capable.  Maybe it is a child's need that drives them to seek out the extra income.

Why does my client choose me?

I have proven experience getting a book written. I am likeable, personable, and nurturing. I am patient with the questions that she has, and good at explaining things to her. Being around me makes her feel more confident in her abilities and secure that she can accomplish her goals. I respond quickly to her needs and am thorough in the help that I provide.  When she tells me things in confidence, she knows that she can trust me not to share it with the world. 

She knows that I won't steal her work or her ideas. She knows that I will put her needs ahead of my own and go out of my way to support her in the work that she is trying to accomplish. She also knows that if I recommend something to her or suggest that she buy something, it's not because I am looking to make a quick buck but because it will really help her. I have used it myself and I know that it works. She knows that she will not only get something out of it, but will get far more out of it than she pays to receive it.

How do I want my client to connect with me?

I prefer that she contact me first for a consultation on her book or book idea so that I can get a feel for where she is at in the process and how committed she is to her dreams. I know that, until they are ready to commit, most people who visit a website will not reach out for human interaction. If she reaches out and asks for it, it is because I have won her over and earned a place as a trusted advisor. This will make it easier for me to guide her through the journey up ahead of her because she's willing to listen to what I have to say.