So often when I ask my clients who their ideal clients are the answer is unanimous, “Anyone who wants to buy or sell their home.” I try to explain that “Everyone” can’t be your client, and when you cast too wide a net you end up not catching very many fish, or worse, you end up with fish who make you sick! I love when Simon Sinek said, “When we try to please everyone. We end up pleasing no one … least of all ourselves.” so good, and so on point and no matter how many times I’ve tried to impart this universal truth to my clients I always get the standard response, “but, I don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t work with me, I can work with everyone!” The biggest misconception I hear when it comes to realtors and ideal clients is that if you speak directly to one group, you’ll lose all the other potential home buyers and sellers who are looking. What they fail to realize is when you speak directly to your ideal client, you’re painting yourself as an expert for that group and also potentially reaching their network, friends and family.  Speaking directly to one person has the potential to create a world of opportunity for you, far more than being all the things to all the people, which is impossible. So how do you find this elusive ideal client? Read on for top ways to do a deep dive and find out exactly who you should be focusing the majority of your marketing efforts on.

THINK BACK

Everyone has a client they worked with in the past who made them love their job, that person that made you feel like you were completely aligned with your career and who was picking up everything you were putting down. More often than not, that person is your dream client. Take a moment to jot down all their characteristics, what they wanted from you, what you liked about them, and how you helped them. What did they love about you? Why did they choose you? Doing this kind of deep-dive will really define who you should be speaking to and how. Ask yourself what their pain points were, were they desperate to find their first home but didn’t know where to start? Were they looking for an investment and you found it on try number one? Once you write all this down you’ll have a blueprint of who you love to work with, how you helped them and what their pain points were.

Never had a dream client? Don’t sweat it, maybe you’re brand new, or just haven’t been speaking directly to your dream audience so they can’t find you. If you don’t have a past experience to rely on, then ask yourself who you are working within the fantasy version of your real estate career. When you close your eyes and are living the dream, driving your dream car, wearing the cool power suit, rockin’ every aspect of realtor life, who are you working with? Is she a laid back momma of 3 looking to move her family into a larger home? Is he a career-focused millennial who knows exactly what he wants? Are they a couple looking for an investment property and want to build their wealth portfolio? Close your eyes and allow your mind to wander, once you’re in your happy place jot down what characteristics your dream client has.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

A great place to start the ideal client process is to ask yourself what you can bring to the table. If you’re a single mom of a teenager and have bought your own home, you have a story that can inspire other women to do the same. If you’re a millennial who bought their first condo you can lead with that. Maybe you’re newly married with baby number 1 on the way and you’re looking for the perfect family home – you’ll be the perfect person to teach others to do the same. Once you identify what your superpower is, you can lead others down the same path, and the best part is you won’t have any trouble creating authentic connections because you’ve been in their shoes and have walked the talk.

WHAT PAINS WOULD YOU LOVE TO SOLVE?

I had a client once whose specialty was helping to divorce couples navigate the sale of their home. I remember thinking wow who the heck would want that gig, it’s filled with pain, suffering, potential screaming matches… yuck! But when I spoke to him about it, his reasoning behind doing what he did came from a place of genuine service. He had gone through a divorce himself and selling his home was painful and filled with agonizing moments, he learned what not to do, and what needed to happen to make the transition as smooth as possible for his clients. He decided to use his experience for good. So ask yourself, what pain points would you love to solve. It might be helping scared first-timers navigate the rough and tumble world of homeownership, or you might want to help empty-nesters downsize because you saw your parents sell the family home and know exactly how painful it can be to say goodbye to a lifetime of memories. Once you know what pain you can solve it becomes that much easier to identify the who behind the pain point.

There you have it, your roadmap to figuring out who you should marketing to, I know when I was done this exercise I felt way more in line with who I was genuinely connected to and could confidently seek out my ideal client in all my marketing efforts, I hope you feel the same way!