I see small business owners who start their businesses with a clear marketing message but for a variety of reasons it becomes diluted over time. They often make the mistake of ignoring why they started the business in the first place and in more challenging economic times they divert from their ideal client and try to serve everyone which usually never works.

Tips to refocusing on that ideal client;

1.) Make a list of customers over the past year & the service they purchased from you. (if you have been in business for a long time you want to look at the past 3 years of business.)
2.) Now rank them in order of most to least amount of business over this past year
3.) Discover who your most profitable clients and services have been and re-focus your attention there,

What do these top clients all have in common?

1.) When you review the most profitable clients, write down what characteristics they have in common?
By digging deeper into the characteristics & demographics you will have a better idea on how
to duplicate your marketing efforts.

2.) Would these top clients refer you to others who could benefit from your products or services?
Perhaps you could consider creating a referral program or a loyalty program such as a punch
card or something that rewards loyalty.

Re-discovering your core marketing message

As I mentioned at the beginning sometimes we stray away from the core marketing message we began our
business with, so here are a few questions to ask yourself now in order to refocus your efforts;

1.) How and what makes you different from your competition?

2.) What do you do that makes you stand out in a crowd?

3.) Know what you really sell.
For example; you might believe I sell consulting services but what I really sell are
creative solutions help you gain more exposure for your business.
Once you are clear on this you can craft a great message that is easy to communicate.

4.) When in doubt about your message and who you serve, ask your current and past clients.
Want some ideas on what to ask those client? Download my free sheet of questions here.

I’d love to know what questions you poll your clients with – please share in the comments below.