No matter what kind of business you are building, working with ideal clients will make the work feel easier. You will be excited about calls, feel challenged (in a good way), and your business will flourish because you will be spending your time doing what brings you fulfillment.

Ideal clients pay more and understand the value of what you offer. 

The thing is, to fill your client roster with ideal customers requires some clarity on your part. You have to know who your ideal client is and clearly understand what makes them the right fit for your business.

It’s not uncommon to see entrepreneurs looking to get products or services for a ridiculously low price. The creation of Fiverr, Canva, Upwork, and other freelancer platforms has entrepreneurs thinking they can get products and services to build their business for peanuts or that they can create them on their own.

As the entrepreneur providing these types of products and services, it can be enormously frustrating. You are doing good work and want to be paid for the value you provide. The issue is that you are looking for business in the wrong places.

Your goal should be to reach potential customers that understand the value of what you provide. You should be targeting an “unaware” customer base.

Everybody knows everything on the Internet, and they think they can get it done for close to free. Too many businesses are making money but not building anything real or lasting. They do not understand the value of investing back into what they’re building.

That is why things services such as personal development coaching are not prioritized even though it should be. That is why most entrepreneurs do not utilize graphics, websites, sales copy, and common business necessities such as liability insurance, an attorney, an accountant (and so on).

These are all essential components in a solid business, but they are not seen as necessary. The type of people who have this mindset are not your ideal clients. The person whose first question is, “How much will it cost?” is not your ideal client.

Stop chasing customers who do not get it. Please do not get involved with clients who think that R.O.I. is simply a dollar amount they can get back from working with you.

Target a customer base in which you create awareness of what you do and why it is essential. When you create awareness and offer a solution, you are reaching the best type of client.

You can create that awareness through the content you publish on social media, on your blog, through your email list, in media appearances, and by showing up in your local community. This is nurture marketing at its finest.

You are adding value, building trust, and showing expertise in the places that bring consumers to you instead of you chasing them.

If you do not know who your ideal target customer is, that should be your first homework assignment.

That clarity helps you map out a strategy to reach your ideal client in the places they are and in the way they will respond to. It will make them feel like you are talking directly to them. Do not worry about excluding those who are not the right fit.

Your goal should be to become a big fish in a little pond, and a little research will show you where better potential customers are. Building a business is about more than sales numbers. Your goal should be to create something you enjoy and attract clients you want to work with.

Do not spend any of your time hustling to prove your worth to clients that aren’t the right fit. Save your energy for the ones who deserve you.