The ONE common business mistake everyone makes (and how to avoid it)

Whether you’ve recently launched your wedding business or have already been going for a few years, you’ve probably made a few mistakes along the way. Making mistakes is nothing to fear, in fact, I actively encourage making mistakes – it’s the quickest way to learn!

I’ve made a LOT of mistakes over the past 9 years, some of them still make me cringe. And while I can’t give you a fool-proof plan for business success, I can share the one common business mistake that everyone (including me!) makes, and how to avoid it.

I’m talking about knowing your market. You may have heard or read about ‘ideal clients’ or ‘client personas’ or ‘client avatars’, these are all just lingo to describe the type of person you want to work with, this whole business thing becomes a whole lot easier!

WHAT IS AN IDEAL CLIENT?

Imagine standing in a crowd of people trying to tell them about your business. You try everything to get them to listen; raise your voice over their chatter, stand on a chair, do a funny dance, and SHOUT! But you probably still get nothing (except maybe a few funny looks).

Running a business can feel like this, especially online where there is just so much noise! But there is a magic trick that will help you to cut out the waffle and get straight into the hearts and minds of the people you really want to work with.

Forget trying to appeal to everyone, it’s time to get targeted!

When I work with my 1:1 clients defining your ideal client is one of the first things we do. This work goes deeper than the superficial, it’s not just about who your ideal client is but their values, mindset, thoughts and feelings about the world. It’s about understanding what their challenges are, and how what you have to offer will help and improve their experiences. And when you nail it, there’s a real lightbulb moment!

Put simply, understanding your ideal client will transform your business. If you are struggling to create a consistent brand image, or are confused about where to market yourself, if you’re not attracting clients who value your work or match your style, identifying your ideal client will help you to streamline your approach and speak directly to them.

CREATING AN IDEAL CLIENT PROFILE

There are three key steps to identifying your ideal client;

WHO?

• Give them a name
• Age?
• Are they in a relationship?
• Married?
• Do they have kids?
• What do they do for a living?
• Where do they live?
• Do they live in a house, flat, boat?!

WHAT 

• What are their values and characteristics?
• How long have they been doing their job and why?
• What does their daily routine look like?
• What are their hobbies?
• What type of holidays do they enjoy?
  Where do they hang out?
• What do they do online & what platforms are they using?
• How do they communicate with friends, family?
• How do they buy online?

CHALLENGES

Once you have learned all you can about your ideal client, remember that your business is there to offer a solution to their problems.

• What challenges are they facing?
• What problems do they have?
• What do they want to achieve?
• What are their goals?

And finally, how does what you offer help them solve their problems and help them achieve their goals?

Use your answers to these questions to connect emotionally and authentically with your ideal clients and marketing your business suddenly gets a whole lot easier!

Have you been making this common business mistake? What did you learn from this post? Leave me a comment or join in the conversation in my wedding industry Facebook group.