“I can’t seem to find and attract the right clients willing to pay my rates.”

Tackling this next common business challenge in our ongoing series!

I frequently find the reason businesses aren’t attracting or connecting with their target clients is because of three things: 

• They don’t truly know who the target client is that they’re trying to attract. 

• They’re not communicating in a way that resonates with this ideal client. 

• They’re not conveying their value in a way that justifies their prices.

Your target client is much more than “someone who appreciates my aesthetic/services”.

Yes, that’s part of it but I want you to get REALLY granular here. What’s their profession, what age range are they, what’s their income bracket, what are their consumer habits (such as places they shop and how often), what social media apps do they use? To help with this, jump back to my Instagram post with the graphic titled “How to attract your ideal client.” Knowing exactly who you are trying to attract will make communicating with them that much easier, which brings me to point no. 2.

How does your ideal client communicate?

Are they casual in their communication style, or more formal? Do they prefer email correspondence or are they more of a “face time” person? Keep in mind your ideal client isn’t just one person – there will be a range here. But the point is to make sure the written and visual language you use in all of your correspondence, from your social media platforms and your website to your email exchanges and phone calls, is appropriate and relevant to the audience you’re wanting to draw in. If you imagine your ideal clientele are 35+ and more formal in their interactions, they’re unlikely to be drawn to a business that takes a casual and off-the-cuff tone. Make sense?

You have to communicate your business’ point of difference and your value in order to help justify your prices.

For example, I have a flat fee for my 2-hour strategy sessions. If people simply see a rate listed next to that service, they quite rightly compare me to other strategists and assume I earn that fee for “just two hours work”. But if instead they knew I specialised in working with creative entrepreneurs, create a pre-session questionnaire for them to complete, and then spend time reviewing their responses and researching their business to show up with valuable insights to offer…suddenly my fee is worth a lot more than “just two hours work”. What value and point of difference do you offer potential clients, and how can you share that information?

Next up: Growing your business and attracting the right audience.