In the dynamic world of business, there's a universal truth that resonates with entrepreneurs and business owners alike – bad clients have a unique ability to suck the joy out of running a business.
Somehow, no matter how hard you try to please them, those less-than-perfect clients that you keep looking after just to pay the bills always seem to have a way of draining the enthusiasm that sparked your entrepreneurial journey, leaving you feeling frazzled and demotivated.
Unfortunately, too many poorly aligned clients can have a knock-on effect on good clients. Every moment you spend trying to keep people who struggle to see your value happy is a wasted moment that takes you away from doing your best work for your most valuable clients.
The more energy you spend on pleasing the people who leave you feeling drained, the less energy you have available to look after quality clients who value your skills and set you up for success. We reap what we sow in business, so one of the easiest ways to create a more profitable business is to fill your business ecosystem with outstanding clients who actively contribute towards your wider business objectives.
If you've ever found yourself extensively explaining what you do and why it works to a potential client, it's a clear sign that you might be prospecting a bad-fit client.
In this article, we'll explore why bad-fit clients can be detrimental to your business and how shifting your marketing focus from your unique selling proposition (USP) to a tailored brand language can revolutionise your marketing approach, paving the way to a joyful, successful business that makes you love what you do!
Why Misaligned Clients Are Your Natural Joy Killers
Ill-fitting clients can be detrimental to your business for several reasons:
1. Your energy drains away
Dealing with demanding, difficult, or non-paying clients can consume an enormous amount of energy, but it can be just as challenging working with nice clients who don't see your full value. If you're always trying to demonstrate your value, then it's a good indication that your client isn't the right fit for your business.
2. Your success path quietly changes
Continuously working with clients who don’t quite meet your dream client profile means that every project takes you one step away from where you want to be. If you want to be a cake baker, and you keep making bread, then you’ll eventually become a bread baker. You’re still a baker; just not the one you wanted to be.
3. The risk of stress and burnout increases
The emotional toll of dealing with unsuitable clients can lead to hidden stress and chronic burnout, affecting your overall well-being and productivity. For some business owners, this may result in closing the business under difficult circumstances.
How Does Traditional Marketing Fuel the Wrong-Client Trap?
In the pursuit of clients for the sake of clients, many businesses resort to traditional marketing techniques that predominantly revolve around showcasing their unique selling propositions (USPs). While this approach has its merits and USPs are valuable, it often places the spotlight firmly on the business itself, making the marketing message primarily about 'you' and your offerings.
USPs often disregard what the dream client wants or needs, which causes a hodgepodge of misaligned clients.
The stark reality is that people, including your potential clients, are primarily interested in themselves, not you. They want to know how your product or service can address their needs, solve their problems, or enhance their lives, not what makes you unique.
Future clients don’t really care how you are different to every other service out there. They care only that you understand them, and know how to help them address their needs.
To truly connect with your audience, you need to pivot from talking about yourself to speaking about what matters to your dream clients.
Making The Shift From Your USPs Towards Your Dream Client's Emotional Needs
A more effective and resonant approach to marketing involves delving into your dream client's emotional needs, understanding what they value, and uncovering what truly matters to them. This deep level of insight allows you to tailor your marketing messages in a way that speaks directly to their hearts and minds.
You need to create a tailored brand language that shows empathy and reflects your dream clients' desires to align yourself with the people you want to attract.
This is where brand archetypes come into play.
Unlocking the Power of Brand Archetypes
Archetypes are universal symbols and characters that are deeply ingrained in the human psyche. They represent what people have in common, and emphasise shared values with a collective understanding. This stems from the studies of Carl Jung, the father of modern psychology.
Carl Jung hypothesised that if people from far-away places with no shared cultural connections can interpret dreams and symbols in similar ways, then humans must therefore share a collective unconscious that connects us at a deeper level beyond our individual beliefs, personalities, and customs.
Using archetypes to group and understand what drives your dream clients lets us focus on the shared needs and values of the people we want to attract towards your business.
Where USPs primarily focus on you and what makes you different to your competitors, brand archetypes focus on dream clients and show what unites the people who see value in you.
We can use these insights to build a tailored language for your brand, which starts with defining who your dream client is at a deep psychological level.
Understanding Core Archetypes in Brand Storytelling
Archetypes in brand storytelling relate to how people – specifically your dream clients – engage with the world around them. There are four basic groups of people, and your dream clients should be fundamentally motivated by the strongest of these four key desires when they engage with your services.
The desire to feel in control.
These clients want to take ownership of their own experiences and like to keep a handle on things. Dream clients in this group like to care for others, tend to follow the rules and look for innovative solutions to improve their daily lives.
The desire to feel independent.
Dream clients who look for independence don’t like to feel trapped or confined. They want to learn as much as possible and live life to the full. Independence-seekers are driven by their thirst for knowledge. They dislike anything that’s overcomplicated. They’re natural explorers who are deeply curious. They like life to feel easy, playful, and happy.
The desire to feel connected.
Clients who are driven by the desire for connection want to build strong relationships with the people around them. They like to fit in with others and prefer not to rock the boat. They value meaningful relationships that make life more enjoyable, and will often choose to live in the moment if that looks more fun than being serious.
The desire to create an impact.
People in this group want to affect the world around them. Clients who want to have an impact on others are driven by achievement, perfectionism, empowerment, and rebellion. They want to leave their marks on the world, and you can help them achieve that.
Embracing Attraction Marketing
In the quest for clients at any cost, many businesses invest significant resources in expensive advertising campaigns that fail because they don’t pull the right emotional triggers to activate the right audience. This is much like pouring money out of your back pocket.
The truth is, you don't need to chase every potential lead to make a decent income. Not all clients are a good fit for your business, and that’s a good thing.
Attraction marketing takes a different approach. Instead of building your USPs and speaking about your business to anyone who will hear it, attraction marketing builds authentic experiences that resonate with the people who identify with it.
If you understand who you want to attract to your client base, you just need to speak their language with a selection of carefully chosen brand words, and they'll seek you out in a crowded market.
Working Smarter, Not Harder
It's a common misconception that working harder is the best way to make more money. Yes, you do need to do some work, and money doesn’t just drop out of the sky like the online gurus who promise 100k a year for doing nothing toot about, but you don't need to work yourself into the ground to grow a powerful business.
The key to future-proofing your business lies in streamlining your client base to meet your business needs more effectively. It's about attracting dream clients who set you up for success, and only working with clients who contribute towards your wider business objectives.
When you use brand archetypes to filter out misaligned clients who have an incompatible underlying desire for your business, you can open the door to people who see your value and want to pay more just for the opportunity to choose you.
This creates a higher quality of life – both financially and emotionally.
Aligning your brand's values, personality, and sales story with the hearts and minds of your dream clients is paramount. You can achieve this by creating a bespoke brand language for your business that resonates with your dream clients at a deep emotional level.
The Benefits of a Tailored Brand Language
Creating a tailored brand language for your business brings your brand’s personality and values to life. Your 'basket of words' becomes the foundation of your brand voice across your marketing channels. This has numerous benefits that seep into all aspects of your business.
Enhanced Communication
A tailored brand language ensures that your messaging is crystal clear. It bridges the gap between your brand and your audience, fostering a deeper connection. It also keeps your team on the same page as your clients, so you know you're always on brand even when others are communicating on your behalf.
Emotional Resonance
When your language aligns with your audience's emotional needs and values, it triggers a profound emotional resonance. This fosters trust, loyalty, and a stronger bond between your brand and your clients.
Streamlined Marketing Efforts
With a consistent brand language in place, you can streamline your marketing efforts and allocate your resources more efficiently. This results in a more effective and cost-efficient marketing strategy.
Your tailored brand language allows you to maintain a unified voice and style across all marketing channels, reinforcing your brand identity at every touchpoint.
Crafting Your Tailored Brand Language
Creating a tailored brand language requires a deep understanding of your audience, their needs, and the archetypes that resonate with them. It's about speaking their language, addressing their desires, and offering solutions that align with their values.
The 90-Minute Brand Story Development Workshop is designed to guide you through the process, helping you discover the magic of archetypes and attraction marketing in your business, so you can grow your community around your shared values.
By investing in your brand language, you're not only enhancing your communication style but also future-proofing your business against the changing trends.
Book your workshop today, and let's create a brand language that brings both money and joy into your business.
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