You’ve made the leap. You’ve officially started your business! You’ve worked with some clients. And you absolutely love the work you do, the results you help integrate, and the possibility of scaling your business to new heights. But if you’re honest with yourself something is missing.
You’ve heard all about this elusive “dream client”, but at this point you’re beginning to think it’s a myth and are totally convinced it’s just another tactic marketing gurus use so you’ll shell out more coin for another online course.
Truth be told, you’ve never exactly worked with a dream client. You’re satisfied with the clients you’ve worked with, but something was always off. You either felt like you couldn’t be your authentic self and had to walk on eggshells, or nothing you did was good enough for them and they were always looking for a flaw in your work. After a while you begin to question if you’re in the right niche, the right industry even, and finally consider throwing in the entrepreneurial towel all together.
All service-based entrepreneurs can relate to this. Because no one comes into the game with a 100% clear knowing of who they truly want to work with. Sure, you may have an idea, a rough draft. But a fully fledged profile?… Definitely not. And that’s normal. So don’t get discouraged, get excited! Because the fun part is you’ve worked with a lot of personality types you never want to have the pleasure of working with again. And that is data that can be used to your advantage.
There is an art to manifesting dream clients. Clients who pay on time. Who will gladly pay your rates. Prospective clients who seek you out. Who see the value in the work you do. Clients that take action, bulldoze through obstacles, and know they’re investing when they collaborate with you. So how exactly do you turn your most difficult client experience into a dream client?
Analyze your data
Sounds nerdy, yeah? But it’s easy, I promise. Whether you’ve worked with 2 clients or 20, you already have a ton of data points to ruminate over. Think about your most difficult client and what the working relationship was like. (If you’ve never had a client, think about your worst boss. Never had a job? You’re a real-life unicorn!) What were some of the situations in that client-practitioner relationship that irked you? What personality traits didn’t vibe well with yours? Think about all of that icky negative stuff. And once you have it all on paper, flip those negatives into positives!
For example, if your most difficult client, Belle, was uber busy, could never complete assignments on time, and the results she could have created just never happened, ask yourself why. Had Belle just birthed her third child? Was she in the midst of completing her doctorate? What was happening in her life that limited her availability? Once you know why the relationship wasn’t what either of you had in mind, you’ll know what type of prospects to decline and refer to a colleague. Now, write down the positive to that negative situation: “I work with/attract clients who are committed, available to put in work, and are ready to get results by working with me!”
Express genuine gratitude
You’re probably no stranger to this principle. But have you actually tried it yet? Start by thinking of one client you’re grateful for (you can use the same client as before or a different one, it’s totally up to you). As you think about the amazing qualities your client possesses or think about the actual one-to-one experience you had with them, dive deeper. What about working with them was enjoyable? Steer clear of vague statements like “I’m grateful for my client Sarah.” Get as specific as you can. It’s the specificity that draws more of what you want to you. What do/did you like about working with Sarah? “I’m grateful my client Sarah prioritizes our time together and always shows up to our sessions on time, prepared, and ready to rock it out!”
Vision board
Now that you have a clearer idea of who you want to work with, it’s time to ground this rather ethereal being into somewhat physical reality. With a vision board! Vision boards have been all the craze since the 90’s for a very good reason. Because they work! A vision board is a visual representation of what you want to have in reality. And now that we live in a meta world, your vision board can be digital, too.
For manifesting dream clients, your vision board could include elements such as: where your dream client shops, the type of clothes she wears, the income she makes, where she lives in the world, how much she pays you for your services, who lives with her, her marital status, her pets, her hobbies, and the list goes on and on. Whatever is most important to you, whatever you will vibe with when you hear your dream client possesses those things/traits/qualities/interests
— put it on your vision board. Remember to include words that describe her. Words such as tenacious, diligent, creative, organized, analytical, and so much more. You can also add your gratitude statements to your board.
As you complete these steps it’s important to detach from the outcome. Detach from how you think a prospective client should appear in your life, because you could potentially reject a dream client if they find your business a way you never thought of, or if they don’t look the way you’d expect them to. Let go of fear that the process won’t work. Because it will. There’s a reason the best selling book in the world says “Ask and you shall receive”. Even if you do just one of these three manifesting steps you will see a significant shift in the types of people who are drawn to your business. Here’s to many more incredible clients you could only dream of becoming your reality!
Image by cookie-studio on Freepik.
