“People tell us who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be.”
– Donald Draper
If my target market consisted of 1000 of me, my marketing efforts would be so much easier. After all, I know what I like and don’t like. I know what makes me glad, sad or mad. I know my favourite colours and the best time to get me on the phone. I know when my payday is and when I read my mail. I know when I need new shoes or my roof shingled.
I’m not my ideal client but business would sure be easier if I was.
My ideal clients make decisions differently than I do. They prefer different communication methods and spend their money on different things. Their personalities and styles are different than mine. They probably make more money than I do. But they don’t know how to create a newsletter campaign as I do.
When things don’t go as I expect them to, it’s usually because a client didn’t act, say or think the way I would have. (Darn them!) It’s not a bad thing, just unexpected.
My ideal client will never be exactly like me – or they wouldn’t need me. My best opportunities are found in those differences, not our similarities.