One of the best ways to find more of your best new clients is to look back at your old ones and find the similarities. And the differences. Go into the new year with a new approach to finding the best clients for YOU.
It’s time to design a client avatar. Once you do so, you will save a lot of time in prospecting and cut through the clutter of bad matches. And, no, this isn’t just a bunch of paperwork. Having a vivid picture of your ideal client and the written details about them will make it easier to find them and know in advance what kind of an initial offer to make to them-complimentary and for money-to bring them aboard.
According to leading small business CRM software company Keap, you may want to start by identifying who isn’t an ideal match for you. The clients who listened to the station were my best clients. So, that means they were sports fans and specifically sports fans of the local college. They were not the ideal prospect if they didn’t follow sports closely or the local college team. I considered them a decent prospect if they knew that others did and could admit that.
So, clients who didn’t listen to the station or follow sports passionately were no A-listers. Recognize that clients who sell to sports fans can come from almost any interest background.
Beyond targeting listeners and clients who target listeners, you may need to dig deeper. Try asking your clients what they like and why they buy. Tell them what you are doing, ask them yourself, or send them a survey. Better yet, work with another salesperson and interview each other’s clients who you know best.
You have to move out of your comfort zone for growth, which has a tangible reward at the end-more business! See if you can attach it to your invoices. Once you have a handle on their preferences, including which social media sites they use often, you can start targeting them on LinkedIn or Facebook. Get some white papers or case studies and post them to attract their attention to you. Create these avatars and give them a name, male or female, know their demographics and psychographics ( age, sex, location, values, lifestyle, etc.), and create a visual image for them.
Then, write down how this type of avatar would find out about advertising with you, what they would feel before running ads with you, and what they want to accomplish. This can be a great sales meeting idea for managers to do this as a group and go into 2023 with a clear vision of who you want to attract as clients.
Make sure you only create one avatar at a time and don’t just rely on your opinions- do the research. YOU are the best asset you have. Now find more people who are waiting for YOU!
Jeff Caves is a sales columnist for BSM working in radio and digital sales for Cumulus Media in Dallas, Texas and Boise, Idaho. He is credited with helping launch, build, and develop Sports Radio The Ticket in Boise, into the market’s top sports radio station. During his 26 year stay at KTIK, Caves hosted drive time, programmed the station, and excelled as a top seller. You can reach him by email at jeffcaves54@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
