How to Attract Your Ideal Clients With One Simple Shift
Business is like dating. So I want to make sure you attract the business of your dreams.
Let me tell you a story…
In my earlier dating life …
I had a really bad habit of chasing men. I’d call them, ask them out, and would often override my intuition to date people who weren’t a good fit. I wanted so badly for the guys I liked to choose me.
It didn’t work. A decade later, I was still single but now also unhappy and frustrated. Dating felt like a chore that seemed hopeless. What was I doing wrong?
This is when I started to do some bigger soul searching to look at myself as the common denominator. I was attracting the wrong men and it was ME at the center of it all.
What I discovered was simple: I wasn’t standing in my power.
What I Was Doing
I was leaning IN instead of leaning back. I wasn’t honoring my greatness and I wasn’t being selective.
So I had to make some simple changes. First, I got clear on the deal breakers and the desired big characteristics I wanted in a future partner. I narrowed them down to the top 5. As a result, I went on a lot less dates, but then the quality of my dates was so much more enjoyable.
Secondly, when I went on dates, I stopped being so hung up on whether or not they liked me but focused on whether or not I liked them! I learned how to connect to my inner intuition to see if I felt enlivened and safe with this person instead of inquiring about their resume.
When my now husband showed up in my life — it didn’t look how I thought. He wore these geeky sandals and spent our first date talking about spirit animals (we still laugh about this). But as we got to know each other, I loved how I felt with him and that became the most important.
So you may be asking …
What does this have to do with business, Steph?? 🙂
Everything.
Many entrepreneurs focus on the quantity not the quality of their leads. We chase our leads, or overstep our internal boundaries for the sake of the sale. We take on difficult clients despite our gut screaming “NO!” This ultimately hurts us on so many levels, and thus your business.
So I want you to honor your business in the same way I’d want you to honor yourself in any area of life. Here are steps to take to begin to attract the right kind of clients and stop going on bad ‘business dates’!
Get clear on who your ideal client is.
REALLY clear. It doesn’t stop at “my ideal client is someone with joint pain.” What are the values of your ideal client? What are the core characteristics you want them to embody? Start by thinking about your favorite clients to work with. This will direct you to the kind of client you want to attract more of.
Interview your prospect.
It is easy to default to a dynamic where your prospect is drilling you with questions to find out if they want to work with you. Instead of standing in the line of fire, redirect the energy and practice leading your conversations with prospects by interviewing them. After all, that is the beauty of entrepreneurship. You get to say who you work with and who you don’t. So ask questions to determine if they meet your criteria before you consider offering your service.
Stop Compromising Your Value.
If I could put this in big bold letters on your bathroom mirror I would (but that would be creepy stalker-esque). If the client doesn’t meet your criteria or something feels off, don’t work with them.
For the love of all things chocolate, don’t force the sale. Refer them to someone else or kindly state that you don’t feel you are a fit. This is a hard one for many entrepreneurs I coach. Our society has a lot of ingrained programming that teaches us from a young age to not feel ‘worthy’ or ‘enough’. So often I need to do deeper mindset work for my clients to know their value and learn how to set strong boundaries.
Trust.
This last step is a bit more “meta” but it is essential. Trust that when you say ‘no’, the universe gets the message and will send you more of the right client. Where your attention goes, energy flows. Often times we date the wrong people because we are afraid there isn’t anything better or we will end up alone and penniless. You won’t. I promise.
An Invitation for You
Taking the leap may seem scary at first so I invite you to do a little experiment. Apply these four steps for a month and see what shifts in your business. Just be open to a new way — you can always change your strategy if it doesn’t work (although I’m confident it will).
Remember, we train people on how to interact with us. The more you stand in your greatness and truth, the more we surround ourselves with people who will help us to grow further to the next level!
