Very often when I’m working with coaches, consultants and trainers, I will ask them if they know what makes them different to their many competitors. The majority of the clients I work with are micro-businesses – that means that there is just them in their business. Their clients are buying the services of that one person – their time, expertise and experience.

Very often the answer I receive to my “what makes you different?” question is along the lines of “Well, I suppose it’s me, but that’s not a good answer, is it?”

Actually it’s a great answer. When you provide a service to your clients (rather than selling them products) and when there is just you in the business, then one of the main differentiators in your business is YOU. Clients will work with you because of YOU.

How Can You Use YOU in Your Marketing?

What you shouldn’t do is fill your website and other marketing messages with lines and lines of how great you are and what you’ve been up to. Clients will want to work with you because they like you; we like to work with people who are like us. So who are you?

Recently I started working with a new client, a coach and consultant, and I took her through my one day workshop – my Marketing Direction Day. As part of that workshop, where we figured out the direction in which her business needed to go, we also did a great exercise helping her to get clear on who she is and what her values are. You could be forgiven for thinking that this sounds more like a job for a coach than a Marketing Consultant, but the way in which I run the exercise is marketing lead.

Positive Attributes – start by writing a list of the positive attributes of your favourite, ideal clients. What makes them nice people to work with? Why do you like them? For example, my favourite clients are positive people who are open to change and value the guidance of experts.

What makes them tick? Next think about how you favourite clients would answer questions like “What gets you out of bed in the morning?”, “What is most important to you?” and “What do you most want to achieve?” Write down all the answers you think they would give you.

Hold up the Mirror

Now look at all the words and answers you’ve written. Do you recognise yourself in the pages in front of you? If you’re working with ideal clients, then you should. As I said earlier, we work with people we like, so if your favourite clients are positive, then chances are you are too. I’ve carried out this exercise literally hundreds of times over the last 18 years with micro-businesses who provide services and it works every time. The list that the client creates describes not only their ideal clients, but also themselves.

So now that you know who you are, you can start looking for potential clients who are just like you too. When you work with people who share your values and beliefs, you will be able to attract them to you really easily, do your best work and get the best results for them.

Would you like some help in finding out who YOU are and how to use You in your marketing? You can either invest in the full Marketing Direction Day to really get your marketing and your business going next year, or we can start with the shorter Ideal Clients session. I only run two Marketing Direction Days per month, so if you’d like to know more about this or the short session, get in touch now. You can call me on 01635 578500 or click here to email me.