May 21, 2021

Reader question from Chris Scott re how to attract better clients

Fellow list member Chris Scott wrote in with a question about attracting better clients (shared with permission):

Hi Jonathan! I have questions about how to attract better clients.

I’ve been in recovery for a long time, and one clear trend I’ve noticed is that as people do the work and become better people, they attract better people into their lives. It can take a long time. I don’t know another way to attract better people into my life.

I have a feeling you have a simpler, faster method, so I’m super curious to hear it!

Thanks again for all the amazing content. You set a great example to follow.

Chris

When it comes to attracting better clients, I have found that most people skip a crucial first step, which is this:

They haven’t defined who they would most like to work with.

Everybody wants “better” clients but what exactly do you mean by better?

“Better” is a hopelessly subjective and generic word because it means something different to everyone.

i.e., A better client for Alice might be a worse client for Bob.

The more specific you can get about what your dream clients look like, the more likely they are to find their way into your orbit.

This could be something as specific as a literal list of companies who you’d consider dream clients, like “Patagonia” or “SpaceX” or “Dominos”.

Or it could be more vertical, like “pediatric physicians” or “cannabis dispensaries” or “regional fast casual restaurant chains”.

Or it could be more demographic, like “male homeowners over 50” or “single moms in the 90210 area code” or “apartment-dwelling chihuahua owners”.

Or it could be more psychographic, like “skeptics” or “nerds” or “sci-fi fans”.

Here’s the thing...

If you give your friends, family, and colleagues the tools to do it, they’ll happily send potential clients your way.

Let them know what your dream clients look like so they can make an introduction when they come across one.

Yours,

—J