Networking Principles to Attract Ideal Clients

What are the principles of networking to attract ideal clients?

Let’s first take a look at the current state of affairs. How do people currently do networking, and which type of clients do they attract?

Well, the first thing they do is they sense that they need “more” clients. Because more clients = bigger business = more success.

And so they look up which networking events are happening, and then they go to the events, even if they’re not interested in the subject matter, and they go around pitching whomever they can.

Maybe they use some “advanced tactic” like “working the room by connecting pairs of people so that you’re the source of the connection”.

Generally, they’ll accept any client whatsoever. They may pretend to be “selective”, but the actual fact is they’re only “criterion” is that the client can pay.

So, let me ask you… what are the chances that this stale method of client acquisition will “attract ideal clients”. Can you see that outcome ever happening? Probably not.

Let’s rewind all the way back to the beginning because this process is flawed in every way.

Let’s start by talking about what an “ideal client” is. Clearly, this is contextual. It depends on you, your work style, your values, and what would make a client “ideal” for that context.

I can’t really tell you which type of person would be an ideal client for you. I can give you some ideas.

They may be a person who simply says what they want, pays you and stays out of everything else until they say “thank you” when the work is delivered.

They may be a person who has daily calls with you and helps you shape every aspect of the work you create together.

They may have strict deadlines so that you have something motivating you to work fast… or they may be completely flexible and happy for you to work however your creative experience allows.

The point is… you need to really sit down and think about your own type of ideal client. That means asking yourself, “what do I value in a client?”

You may remember clients from your past whom you loved. You may also remember ones from your past whom you hated, and you should think “what’s the opposite of that?”

But you really need to know. If you don’t know exactly what you want, you’re probably not going to get it. NASA got to the moon because they wanted to go to the moon. Trump became president because he wanted to become president. You get that which you want, and you want that which you value.

It may actually take you years to figure out what you value, and that’s ok, even though sooner is better than later. The important thing is that you set a goal to know what you value in a client… your own personal ideal client.

The next step is… how do you go about attracting that ideal client?

Now, I don’t want you to have paralysis of analysis, so don’t dare wait years to figure out how to attract your ideal client. Just start now with as best you know, and continue to develop your ideals over time.

To attract someone, they must be aware of your existence and your message, and they must be able to independently figure out that working with you will help them get what they want better than working with anyone else, of whom they are aware.

So with that in mind, here’s how I’ve been trying to do it.

I’ve been trying to create my content, and my sales videos in a way that speaks directly to my ideal client and lets them know that I genuinely want to work with them.

The old style of marketing is to dazzle your prospects with benefits, but really, that’s something you only need to do when the quality of your product or service is unclear, both in your own mind, and the mind of anyone you tell about it.

At this point, I have enough proof, and enough word of mouth marketing, that people know that what I’m saying is legitimate. Furthermore, I try to explain things very logically, and without hype, so that there is very little question if what I’m saying is “true” or not. To anyone well versed in thinking, it’s simply obvious. Irrational people will refuse to believe everything, including the truth, so I’m not concerned with them at all.

So what I spend my time doing in my content and sales communication, is simply put out a beacon that illuminates the skies for my ideal clients. I explain things how they like to explain things. I identify things how they identify things. I say what I think is good, and what I think is bad, and trust that my ideal client thinks in a similar way. I say how I like my ideal clients to be as people, and trust that when they hear it, they’ll think “finally, someone else”.

Now, what I’ve told you is not at all the best way to get the maximum amount of clients, or the highest paying clients. So it’s up to you what you do with that knowledge. Maybe you’ll strive for a balance at first, while you need quantity and high fees, so that you get clients that are “pretty good”, while still growing your business rapidly. It’s all up to you. You choose who you want to work with, because if you don’t, then someone who you don’t want will choose you.

What are the niches you’re currently selling to? What types of people and way they run their business? Mostly works together with way you want to run your business without having to adjust to each client individually. Figure out that first, including how you want to run your business. Focus on the way people think, behave and act, when you talk to them on the sales calls. Then, next, figure out where these people are and how to notice them through patterns, based on interactions with previous clients. Usually in places you have to pay money to get in, smaller intimate events, with few people selling. Paid industry events. Then a matter of finding sane, rational, logical people to work with, with whom you can build not only a personal relationship, and have a good sense that you can trust them, and maybe start small with small companies, and go to larger corporations, because that’s larger risk.

– Aleksander Vitkin