Recently in a sales training I heard a metaphor – A sales person has the eyes of panther. He watches his prey (metaphorically client) keenly.
Above metaphor emphasizes the importance of focus in sales and marketing. In sales and marketing, focus is the key to get optimum results faster, e.g. as a BMW marketer/salesman you have to single out which client you are going to target for improving your chances of success. A Hyundai marketer/salesman will have a different strategy.
Similarly as a coach you must define your coaching niche and your ideal client profile and specialty niche designation.
Your ideal client profile is a generic picture of kind of people you will meet and market your coaching services to. Your ideal client profile will include:
Age range
Gender (if applicable)
Profession
Industry
Income range
Educational Background
Family status (single/married/divorced/in a relationship)
Children (yes/no)
Number of children
Job type
Talents
Interests
Passion
Geographic location
Miscellaneous information like:
What seminars or trainings they might attend?
What do they read?
What are their hobbies?
What is their lifestyle?
While coaching businessmen or entrepreneurs:
Business
Annual revenue
Number of employees
Years in business
Sales Circle
Geographic location
Don’t restrict yourself to above questions. Make it as elaborate as possible. Our goal is to target a fairly narrow market rather than thinly targeting everyone we meet.
The best thing about the ideal client profile is that it tells us whom to target and whom not to target.
If you are a wellness coach and your ideal client is businessman with $1Mn revenue, who is 40-50 years of age, have children, facing stress related health issues; then you know where to focus your energy.
However it doesn’t mean that you are barring yourself from accepting the employed client who is 30 years old and wants relationship coaching. If such a client comes you may be happy to partner with him in his journey. However you know your most of the clients fall in your ideal client profile, so you would fish in the waters which have higher density of fish. And some of these clients are going to refer other clients with different needs to you.