Really quick post. Today is a holiday in Quebec, and we’re getting ready to go out biking. I didn’t have time to type out this post, so I recorded it for you to listen.

Click here to listen to today’s post. [a little under 11 minutes -- I know!]

It’s not edited, not scripted, and I did it in one take. So there are lots of “ahs,” “ums” and long pauses. I hope it makes sense.

I’ll write it out later on so you can all read it! Enjoy!

Have a great one!

A few weeks ago my step-dad told me he wants to start a business selling log homes in Canada as an authorized dealer for a US company. The coach, entrepreneur and Devil’s Advocate in me perked up and started asking tough questions about how he plans to execute his marketing plan — is there even a marketing plan?

In no time, I brought up the target market factor because it’s an important one. My step-dad reasoned that, because the log home company doesn’t have Canadian dealers, the whole of Canada would be an open market and orders would come flooding in from all over the country.

Can you guess what he answered when I asked “Who is your target market?” You guessed it… “Everyone!” Amateurs (sorry, Kim).

I hated to burst his bubble (not really), but I had to lay it out for him. If you’re swimming in the great big ole Everyones-a-prospect Ocean, one of 3 things will happen:

1. You’ll get eaten by a bigger fish. (aka: Being acquired, outsmarted, eclipsed, or squashed by the competition.)
2. You’ll swim around aimlessly for hours, days, months hoping to find a fish — any fish — who wants what you’re offering — and frankly you’d settle for any aquatic vertebrate at this point… after all, you really need the business. (aka: spreading your time, energy, money and efforts so wide that you burn out, or give up from discouragement. “Nothing works. I’ve tried everything. What am I doing wrong?“)
3. Join a school of fish, because it’s just too hard being all alone in this great big sea. (aka:Throwing in the towel and (re)joining Corporate America, ’cause owning a business is just too hard and too much work.)

I told him it’s much better to be the big fish in a small pond, because you’ll stand out from the crowd. There are 2 main reasons for this:

1. You’ll have little to no direct competition.
2. Your target audience will see your business as more closely suited to their particular needs.

So how do you become the big fish? 2 ways:

1. Narrow down your niche and become the expert.
2. Share your expertise in any way possible.

He wasn’t entirely sold on the idea (“But I don’t want to exclude anyone.“), but I think I started getting through to him on the matter.

So, who are you swimming with?

Don’t mistake your Ideal Client with your Target or Niche Market. They may share some similarities, but the differences are important enough to make a distinction.

Michael Port describes your ideal client in “Book Yourself Solid” this way (page 16):

Your ideal clients are a subset of the target market you choose to serve. It is just as important to identify your target market you feel passionate about as it is to identify the ideal clients you’re energized and inspired by. Remember, your ideal clients are those individuals who energize and inspire you; your target market is the demographics of the group you’re most passionate about serving.

Your ideal client is still in your target market, but now you’re making a distinction by identifying specific TYPES OF PEOPLE — personalities — that you PREFER to service. It’s those clients that you tell yourself “I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this.“

Why does everything you’ve heard about marketing your business say you MUST choose a target market in order to be successful? It makes your job easier by knowing where to concentrate your marketing efforts!

Why take it a step further by identifying ideal clients who energize and inspire you? If your heart’s not in it, you’re not going to stick it out. You’ll get bored. As hard times come (and they WILL), you’ll be tempted to throw your hands up and say “That’s it! I’m done!” Whereas, when you serve clients who are ideal for you, your productivity will increase and so will your happiness. You’ll experience doing your very best work. And that’ll come back to you tenfold (or more!) in referrals, repeat business, glowing testimonials and more.

So think about it now: Who’s your target market? Who’s your ideal client?

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