Q: How do I consistently work with my dream clients?

A: Get your branding right!

People always ask me what is personal branding?

The difference between a business and personal branding is that a business is constantly selling a product, to anyone and everyone. Internet providers, they’re selling WiFi to the masses, their clients are not a niche. They don’t have to have a brand so they market to a certain clientele.

Whereas personal branding is all about YOU!

Yes you own a business, you’re selling services but the reason someone is choosing to spend their money with you is because they like YOU. For example I’m a photographer and website designer, there are so many people out there doing what I do - but there’s only one me.

When my clients choose me, they’re working with me because they like me and have connected with me. I’ve actually worked with a couple of clients who said they wanted to work with me without ever having looked at my website, they just knew we’d work well together and they I truly got them.

When creating the copy for your website, if you’re writing it how you ‘think’ your clients would want then you’re probably doing them and you a disservice. By not being your true self then you won’t be attracting your dream clients... because they are out there.

If one of your passions is singing with your friends in a band you’ve created and you don’t put it down because you think it’s not what your clients would be interesting in hearing... that could just be the thing that makes the connection between you and why they buy from you.

I’m not very formal or corporate at all and that’s exactly how my website and photography comes across - that’s my brand - ME! My personality, my humour and friendliness. If I were all muted colours and super formal, I’m a lawyer type writing then you’d be having a huge shock when you met me and expected some starched shirt wearing photographer. Because of this I’ve been able to attract the best clients, it’s like everything I’ve had on my vision board.

So what’s your branding saying about you?

Are you getting your true personality across in your wording, your photography - the look and feel. Are there some quick fixes you could put in place? Make your About Me page more you and less what you think your clients want to hear?

The next point I want to talk about is something I feel lucky enough to have known straight from the get go of my entrepreneurial journey and that is to...

... Follow your gut...

Over the years I’ve been to some incredible events and heard inspiring founders talk about their journeys, mistakes we can learn from and triumphs to help us soar. One thing that I think everyone of them has said is that you must follow your gut. It’s not something you can tangibly see, it’s a knowing, a feeling that you should or shouldn’t go in a certain direction. Every time they said they listened to outside sources, from experts they’d employed rather than trust their guts then shit hit the fan.

“Intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect”
- Steve Jobs

At the very start of my business I had the opportunity to work with a client, this client was not my ideal client. The connection wasn’t there and I followed my gut and decided not work with them.

Now most people will tell you, you can’t pick and choose your clients when you’re just starting. Well I don’t believe that and lots of fellow entrepreneurs I’ve spoken with believe the same thing. When you work with a client who is not a right fit, it is detrimental to the both of you.

Your job is to serve your client in the best way possible and if you know in your heart that you can’t do that, then you shouldn’t. Spending your time working with them, feeling low vibe, perhaps not producing your best work is time spent away from that client that would have been perfect and now can’t work with you because you’ve chosen to do something your intuition told you not to.

I’d love to hear from you on what your journey has been with attracting the right or maybe wrong clients and if you have any other thoughts and tips to share, just leave a comment in the box below.