This is a question that I've been asking myself as part of the attraction process.

I used to say I excelled at creating order out of chaos - but found that all I got was clients whose business were in chaos. So I don't say that any more. The energy expended just wasn't worth it.

A mentor asked me "what does your ideal client look like", and it gave me pause.

I ran through all the clients I had, the ones I really enjoyed working with. They span different types of businesses, different skill sets, and different personality types. They have one major attribute in common. They have a vision of where their business is going. They allowed me to see the vision, and give me freedom to help them bring it about.

On the flip side, when I worked at a J O B, there was little vision, little freedom, and little else beyond the day to day motions of getting the 'job' done. There were some clients that I didn't click with, and that seems to be why. They either didn't have a vision, or never communicated it with me so I could see it too.

Now that I'm working on going out on my own, I'm thinking about having a question in my interview that asks about the vision they have for their business, and where my services fit into their vision.

So I wonder if anyone else thinks this way, or if I live too much inside my own head. I spent a lot of years working for no good reason but the paycheck at the end of the week/month. While that is important, I want to make a difference.

--Kathy

As business owners we have the option to choose whether or not to work with specific clients. I have turned down 2 potential clients that I thought were going to be difficult to work with - "I'm afraid our styles are not compatible and this relationship won't work out." Plain and simple, I won't be talked down to, ignored, or left 'out of the loop.' I learned as a waitress what type of people I was dealing with and have carried that over to my professional life. I make a point of getting to know potential clients by meeting with them to get a sense of their business and their personality. I don't use a formal, structured interview; I simply interact with them to see how we fit.

I don't know if this helps, but that's my .02 worth.

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Lily Chambers, The Virtual Office Goddess, LLC
Author "How to Do Your Own Small Business Bookkeeping"

Like Lily, I don't have a formal interview. I gauge the person based on our email and phone conversations (or in person meetings if that happens) to see how we fit. I've never turned down a client. I had one potential client that I had a really bad feeling about and wrote up my proposal to him accordingly due to some feedback I received from someone else. Someone once told me there's a price for everything. There's a price for me to work with someone I deem difficult. If they're willing to pay that I'll work with them.

To answer your original questions, what does my ideal client look like. My ideal client is someone who has vision. Someone who values me as a business owner and is willing to let me walk along side them in their business. I'm willing and eager to learn from them but also want them to value my knowledge and experiences and be willing to learn from me. A lot also depends on the work I'll be doing for the client. I prefer working with people in the consulting/professional arena and some service industries. But, mainly it depends on the individual person. I'm devoted to the success of my clients and my best clients have an interest in my success as well.

I had a hard time grasping the concept of defining my ideal client. I actually had someone go so far as to tell me the *** and age range of their ideal client which really scared me when I was trying to define my ideal client. I finally realized it was more of a mindset for me.

Lanel Taylor
Taylored Office Solutions

Quote:

My ideal client is someone who has vision. Someone who values me as a business owner and is willing to let me walk along side them in their business. I'm willing and eager to learn from them but also want them to value my knowledge and experiences and be willing to learn from me.

Lanel,
When you look at your current clients, do you find they are pretty close to this description? You're right, it is a mindset. When you envision your business with your ideal clients, and work toward that goal, don't you attract that type of client?

I've only personally met two of my clients (but one was a friend/mentor before we started working together), the rest are truly virtual. Until I saw pictures of them I didn't know what they looked like. That's the beauty of being virtual.

I don't have an 'interview' per se, but more like a conversation. I'm looking for, will we work well together, can I communicate with them?

Maybe I'm thinking too much. Just wondering what others thought.

Originally Posted by kathyscache

Lanel, When you look at your current clients, do you find they are pretty close to this description? You're right, it is a mindset. When you envision your business with your ideal clients, and work toward that goal, don't you attract that type of client?

Yes. And the client's that I have had that I feel didn't have vision are pretty much gone. I've had my share of clients that I feel didn't fit that mold and for the most part they are all gone. I've never lost a client because they weren't happy with my work. I've lost clients because they couldn't afford me because they weren't producing the business and I've lost clients because they flaked on me.

Part of my ideal client design is the fact that I don't have the time or inclination to babysit people. If you don't get your stuff to me then you get moved to the bottom of my list. I'm busy, I don't have time to chase after people. If they need a babysitter then they need to find someone else. (That probably sounds harsh but it's my reality.) If my clients value me as a business owner and want their own success then they will provide what I need from them.

Plus, as I mentioned, I'm devoted to my client's. Their success is exciting for me. And (and this can be a bad thing) I personally hurt when they have failures (not financially so much as feeling bad that they didn't succeed). So, I need clients that I can rejoice in their successes otherwise I'll go crazy. That's not saying I won't take a client who is struggling. One of my first clients which I still have just had to go through some major restructuring and laid off his entire staff. It's just me and him now and I'm not sure how long that will even last. I literally cried when he had to do this but he's still my ideal client because of the value he places on me and the fact that he lets me walk along side of him instead of viewing me as someone who works for him.

Hopefully that answers your question.

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Lanel Taylor, CVA ~ Virtual Bookkeeper
Taylored Office Solutions
Custom fit solutions for all your office needs.

Absolutely! That's exactly what I meant when I asked the question. I didn't mean to pry. I was wondering if I was too 'out there'. Maybe I'm not after all.

Thank you.

No prying at all. I never mind sharing my business experiences. Glad I could help.

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Lanel Taylor, CVA ~ Virtual Bookkeeper
Taylored Office Solutions
Custom fit solutions for all your office needs.

Great question. I've thought long and hard about what my "ideal" client should be like and even put in some really important traits (thanks to Tess ) like "pays on time, everytime". I didn't include basic stuff like that at first because, to me, it seemed a no-brainer and something that should be expected of everyone by everyone but it is important because it'll help me to remember not to give everyone special treatment and not to let myself get into bad situations with clients.

"Clients who have a vision for their business AND communicate it to you so that you can see it and work with them towards that vision." (paraphrased) I love that you said that. It is sooooo much easier to do a quality job for someone when you know what their ultimate goal is. On a smaller scale, I always find myself stopping people, when they're giving me instructions, to ask them 1) Why are we doing this, 2) who is going to see this and 3) What do you want the end result to show or look like. So many people tend to give you a very small piece of the puzzle, especially when asking for reports, that you really don't have any idea of what you're actually doing. I need all three of those questions answered for me before I can get a good grasp of what it is I'm being asked to do.

Also, when it comes to analyzing data, I tend to go over and above what they ask for. When I was a quality manager, my boss taught me to always have data ready to go "in your back pocket". 9 times out of 10, after reviewing a report or presentation, a question would always come up on a conference call that we weren't counting on. I got stuck several times doing the "duh, duh, duh" thing and learned to anticipate questions. I may not have thought of every question, but I tended to be much more prepared and less afraid that they were going to ask me something I didn't have an answer for.

Sorry, I know that was a bit off topic, but my point was that, by knowing the ultimate vision (for that particular project at least), you're able to anticipate and provide for your clients in ways that they may not have even thought of before.

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Stephanie
New VA in the research phase :daisy: