Creating Your Ideal Client Profile (ICP) WorksheetWritten by Maria Marsala
By marketing to and networking with your ideal clients, you’ll spend your time and energy directly on individuals who will purchase your products or services! Makes sense, doesn’t it?One tool that will help you to market to your ideal client is called your “Ideal Client Profile.” Designing this profile is a great personal exercise, although you should involve others, too. Why? Because sometimes business owners are too close to their own enterprises to accurately create best overall picture of their own ideal client. Michael Gerber, author and consultant, speaks to this issue in what I consider most important book for a business owner to read, “The E-myth Revisited”, available at http://www.coachmaria.com/books/business3.html. To make sure that you know who your ideal client is, create a survey for your current clients to complete and provide them with a discount coupon or gift as an incentive for helping. You can also network with other business owners and ask their opinions about who would buy your products, and why! Finally, it doesn’t hurt to ask new clients what they would like or want as part of terrific customer service you provide. I bet you’ll learn a lot! When evaluating a new marketing tool, ask yourself: ·Is this something my ideal client would need, enjoy or purchase? ·Will this attract my ideal client to my business? If not, idea maybe better suited to ideal client of another business. In that case, contact business owner! After all, aren't building relationships and collaborations a big part of both life and business? Things you can do with your Ideal Client Profile: 1.Give a copy to all your friends, family, employees or contractors. 2.Put a copy on your business stationary 3.Find a terrific frame for it and hang it on your office wall. 4.Use it on your Web site. 5.Carry a copy in your wallet, car, or briefcase. 6.Create an affirmation (special type of positive statement: http://www.io.com/~rga/affirm.html ) that will help you to attract your ideal client. 7.Review your ideal client statement or list every six months as part of your overall business plan.
| | Pricing Your Service or Product: Things To Ponder Part 1 of 2Written by Maria Marsala
Terrific students attend classes I teach. They ask profound questions that "stretch" my knowledge and resources. When I teach a building a business foundation owner class, I'm usually asked, "How does someone price a product or service?" During a recent class, I promised to write down what's in my head and send it to students. And because of them, you now have it, too. In order to keep things simple, I'll use "services" to mean both services and products in list below.1. Locate a trade association, organization or networking group whose specialty is your service. If none exists, find an association with a similar product. In general, associations can tell you high-low and average prices charged by members. You can find some organizations listed in an article I wrote called "Network To Success". Find link at http://www.coachmaria.com/articles/ If you're a coach, visit these coaching resources http://www.coachmaria.com/business/coaching.html and virtual assistants can start at http://www.coachmaria.com/business/virtual.html 2. Trade/Business Journals and newspapers contain articles that may include prices. At least once a year, I see an article about my industry online or in a periodical that contains industry fees. 3. Ask your CPA for some ideas; after all, they deal with business owners’ finances all time. 4. There are many career and employee guides that provide industry or job related prices. You can view my favorite resource, Occupational Handbook; online at http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm You’ll also find this book at your Library's career resources area. Also check Labor Department and Employment Security Commission for resources and brochures that can assist you. 5. Obtain cost of raw materials and supplies necessary for your product. Surely you want to charge more than it's costing you for items!
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