3 Reasons Why You Need to Answer the Question: “Who Is My Ideal Client?”
Anytime people talk about marketing in private practice, the first question is almost always “Who is your ideal client?” Why is that? Does it matter that much? Sometimes it seems counterintuitive. It seems like casting a wider net, and reaching more people would be the way to get more referrals, right?
Today we’re going to talk about why all of us marketing folks sound like broken records, and why you need to hone in on your ideal client to get more referrals.
1) A Tale of Spaghetti and A Wall
You might have heard the phrase “throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks”? It means doing a bunch of things without a clear plan and just seeing what happens.
While I’m 100% in favor of taking action rather than waiting for things to be perfect, when it comes to marketing it’s important to….choose your noodles wisely? Hm.
Let’s get away from the spaghetti metaphor now, what I mean is this: If you don’t have a clear sense of who you are trying to reach, you won’t have a clear sense of where or how to reach them.
That’s going to result in a lot of wasted time, money, effort (and spaghetti).
2) Avoiding Burnout/Loving Your Job
This is a big one. The link here might not be immediately obvious, so let me talk it through.
Whether you’re just starting out or trying to expand your practice, you might be looking to get people in the door. You might have the mindset “some dollars are better than no dollars”
But, the thing is, therapy clients are generally going to be long-term “customers.”
It’s not an interaction that lasts 10 minutes. It’s a relationship you will be in every week for probably a year or more.
So if this is someone you don’t do your best work with, for whatever reason, AND you do this over and over, with multiple clients who are a bad fit for you every work week, it will start to get to you.
Burnout is not just about not doing enough yoga or getting enough massages. It is the result of feeling ineffective, and/or stuck over a period of time.
If you want to do this work over the long term, it’s not just about the number of people you can get in the door, for your mental health, it’s about getting the right people in the door. The people who you work well with.
Knowing who your ideal client is will make that a reality. Imagine yourself on a Sunday night looking forward to the week ahead, rather than having the Sunday scaries. If that’s not motivation, I don’t know what is!
3) Making Your Practice Financially Viable
Your ideal client is also going to be the person who is such a good match for you that they are going to be happy to pay for your work together, value your services, and put effort into making the most of it.
OR even if your ideal client isn’t one that’s going to be able to afford a full fee your work week will feel so good that if you have to see a few more clients per week it won’t feel draining.
“How do I figure out who my Ideal Client is?”
It’s possible to figure out who your Ideal Client is with some reflection. This is where getting some one-on-one consultation can help. But if you can’t afford the consultation price tag, no worries, we’ve got you!
For a free place start check out this post and scroll down to the Ideal Client Quickie Writing Exercise.
