Yep, you read that right: Today, I’m talking about firing half your potential clients.
Hang with me for a second—I promise it’ll make sense (and maybe even put a jolt in your revenue).
As you plan for the new year, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to help everyone. Because when you aim for everybody, you end up hitting nobody. Let’s fix that.
Below are the six steps for firing those potential clients that aren’t quite the right clients—so you can zoom in on the right ones instead.
1. Stop Focusing on People—Focus on the Problem
Think about the exact issue or challenge you solve, rather than listing out all the folks you serve. For example:
“I help small business coaches streamline their client onboarding process.”
There you go—concise, clear, and compelling.
2. Nail Down Your Ideal Client Demographics
Next, decide who you’re serving: age range, gender, location, income, and job title. Maybe it’s:
“A 40–55-year-old female business coach earning over $100,000 annually.”
This specificity doesn’t exclude you from other opportunities; it amplifies the right ones.
3. Identify Their Pain Points
It’s not enough to say you help with onboarding. What exactly is broken? Where’s the frustration? For instance:
“They’re losing time and frustrating new clients with a chaotic, disorganized onboarding process.”
Pinpoint that real pain so you can fix it.
4. Envision the Magic-Want Outcome
If you could wave a magic wand for your ideal clients, what would their dream scenario look like? Maybe it’s:
“A seamless, intuitive onboarding experience that clients rave about.”
Now you’re getting somewhere.
5. Find Out Where They Hang Out
Once you know who they are, you’ve got to go where they are—both in person and online. Maybe it’s a specific Facebook group or an annual conference just for women business coaches. Show up, stand out, and connect authentically.
6. Build a Single, Specific Ideal Client Persona
Combine all these details into one crystal-clear persona, like:
“Lisa, a 45-year-old leadership coach, wastes too much time on manual onboarding tasks and dreams of scaling through efficient systems.”
That one-sentence summary guides every piece of your marketing, from headlines to hashtags.
Validate with Real Conversations
Don’t guess—ask. Chat with a real-life Lisa in your world. Share what you’re working on and see if it resonates. You’ll come away with your tagline, your key marketing messages, and the exact words they use when describing their challenges.
It’s That Simple…Focus and Grow
I see it time and again – small business owners target too many people with too many products. If you have the courage to focus and the discipline to do the work to validate your audience and offer, you’ll see a surge in your business.
