Finding Your Aligned Customer
Recently, I had a conversation with a client/friend and we talked about finding alignment with our services.
This person is a freaking genius and the way her brain works is so magical. For most business owners, they can pick up on exactly what she’s talking about, but for some it’s overwhelming.
For the last year, they have been steadfast in getting feedback and clarity on what they truly offer and who their client truly is.
After each meeting, completion of a project (probably some at a lower cost than they planned), or presentation, they reflected on how it went.
Did the client sign?
Did the client request more time and then ask more questions for clarity?
Did they ask for a proposal and then ghost them?
Throughout the year they took all the feedback and experiences and pivoted where needed.
Pivoting a little here and pivoting a little there got them more and more clarity.
And not only did they get clarity - they got so much more confidence. Confidence in who they are, what they offer, and who they want to work with.
Because of their patience, the actual work they continued to do, and the comments taken as feedback instead of criticism, they have hit a beautiful point in which they’re very clear on their services and who their client is.
I say this because when they initially tried to share their services, they were hitting a lot of friction. The potential clients understood what they did, but didn’t see it as something they needed to invest in.
My clients realized their level of service was not in line with who they were presenting to.
This can cause a lot of frustration. It can cause a lot of questioning and it can cause some fraud syndromes.
Is the service needed? Is the service too expensive? Is this service a migraine problem or just a “this would be nice to have”?
They shifted who they were presenting to, used the referral resources they had built, and started to talk to a different group of business owners.
What happened next?
Their list of leads started to grow. Customers started to sign on without 23 questions.
Bonus: they had the confidence and clarity to let someone know if they were not a good fit.
That year was hard. That year was full of a lot of emotions.
After offering a good amount of their time for meetings, what was probably lower-priced services, and sales pitches, their confidence, clarity, and network all grew!
They had a goal. They had a vision and they had to remind themselves to trust and to keep moving forward each day.
Business ownership is wonderful, but it’s full of twists and turns. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
If you’re growing your business and you’re getting frustrated that things don’t feel like they’re aligned correctly and you’re up against a lot of friction, don’t immediately throw in the towel.
I encourage you to step back and see if your services and your customers are in alignment. Is who you’re presenting to the best person for your service? Are they ready for it?
If so, I’ll clap you up!
If not, get some feedback on both your services and get some feedback from others to see if you’re services are hitting the mark.