Your ideal client needs to feel as though you are speaking directly to them when it comes to your marketing.
Do you know how to make this happen? Here is a short lesson on how to do this.
All private practice owners want more of the types of clients that we love to work
with!
The energy that I get from clients fuels the work that I do. Yes, some client sessions are harder than others and
sometimes I do feel drained. But most of the time, my clients energize and inspire me to be a better dietitian. The work that THEY do fuels me to do the work I need to do in order to serve them.
But… it wasn’t always like that. I used to have a very wide range of people I would market and advertise my services to. Back when I first started my business my “ideal client” was someone who ate food! No matter where they were in their journey I was on a mission to get them to feel better about food.
Was it motivating for me to share my knowledge? YES!
Was it a learning experience of how to talk to all sorts of people? YES!
Did I think I would be successful doing this? You bet!
Was it a smart business move? NO WAY. No. No. NOOOOO!
Most of the time, the more you can narrow down who your ideal client is, to niche down, the better.
It’s not only great for the target market you serve, but it’s great for you to pick a focus service in your business that you are passionate about. After all, you will be the one working in your business; you will need to love what you are doing!
Why is this so important? Why have a niche and defined ideal client?
Your target market needs to feel as though you are speaking directly to them when it comes to your marketing.
In my specialty, I market my services to the client who wants to work on intuitive eating. I don’t talk about nutrients for specific diseases or cooking Pinterest-Picture-Perfect dinners (I do follow many of those amazing dietitians though!). My target market, my ideal client, needs to hear about changing their relationship with food, emotional eating, weight concerns, disordered eating, and how intuitive eating can change their life.
Here are 3 secrets to bring in more of your ideal clients to your business:
- IDENTIFY YOUR IDEAL CLIENT. Take a piece of paper and identify your ideal client. Think about a client that you loved to work with. You were probably happy to see them and couldn’t wait for your appointments. You were invested in their progress. (You can still do this exercise if you don’t have this person in your practice though! Just imagine this person in your head). On the front side of a piece of paper, write out all of the problems that they struggled with. On the back side of the paper, write out all of the solutions you worked on.
- CHECK YOUR MARKETING CONTENT. I want you to check out all of your marketing efforts. How often do you talk about this ideal client on your website? In your directory listings? On social media? Pick out a few words and phrases from your Ideal Client struggles and solutions identified earlier, and make sure those words are stated clearly on all the things your potential clients could read.
- BE PREPARED TO TALK TO YOUR IDEAL CLIENT. When potential clients call you, have 3 practiced statements ready to go that really speak to your ideal client. You will want to ask questions so this person feels as though they are understood, and the tailor your thoughts accordingly. Feel free to experiment with this one, as I find you always have to tailor conversations to individual clients. And you do have to practice this. It is work!
My top 3 statements to have ready for an ideal client conversation are:
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- My practice specializes in intuitive eating and eating disorder recovery. (This is to make sure clients know what we focus on).
- We don’t prescribe weight loss diets but absolutely will address weight concerns. (This makes sure clients understand I will not give them a weight loss diet)
- Our goal is to work with you in intuitive eating to find a plan of action that works for you. We work in teams most of the time with our client being the center of that team. We do see most clients weekly or every other week to begin. (I say this to set expectations about ED treatment)
Take these three steps and work on them. Use a pen and paper – or your computer – and detail out who your ideal clients is and change your marketing to match that profile. Start talking as if you are talking to that specific person, and then get ready to talk to them! Be prepared with those 3 statements to include in every conversation so your clients know exactly how you can support them.
It is hard work. But it will pay off in the long run.
Your ideal client will help grow your business too. If you’re working within teams of other providers who work with other “ideal clients” for you, you will meet those providers working with your ideal clients that you have right now. Make sure every one of them knows you and how you can refer people to each other.
If you’re interested in attracting more of your ideal clients to your business, I am here to help you build these skills and make it happen! I offer supervision, coaching and even online training programs to help you grow your private practice.
Did I mention it can be a hard journey to build your private practice? It really is – I have been there and done that! Often we need support and training to make it work; I know I did. To help you get started I have a free resource for you. The Dietitian Business Plan Roadmap is the guide that you need to start your private practice. Learn the 10 key steps you need to do in order to start your private practice with confidence. Download your FREE guide and get started today here!
