I was recently asked: “Casey I have attracted the wrong customers.  How do I start to attract the right ones?”

Well, it seems hard, but if we want a specific type of customer, we have to make sure our message, offer and overall business attracts that type of customer we are really searching for.  For instance if you are offering discount after discount on your product (which will send a perception of devaluation) you might attract an audience that is only there due to one thing…a ‘DEAL’.

Now please note:  I am not saying offering a deal is a bad thing, (considering I have one coming out soon!) but constant deal giving dilutes the product and desensitizes your buyers to where they assume there will always be a deal to rely on.

That can result in the attraction of continuous deal seekers, who can sometimes be categorized as the potential serial refunders.

What’s the better solution? If  you want to attract a high caliber of buyers/customers simply:

1.  Raise your prices

Yes I know.  You might be saying…

“Casey, if I raise my prices I wont get as many customers coming through.”

Yes, but is that necessarily a bad thing? It has been statistically proven that the more a customer pays, the LESS hand-holding and qualifying you have to be to that client.  It doesn’t mean you don’t provide customer service when raising your prices, it means that they a higher paying customer can appreciate one’s time.  Because chances are they would want to be treated the same way.  They ‘respect the gig’. Fewer customers that pay more can often eliminate 40% of your wasted customer service on those customers who will bleed your time and not care at all about your value. It’s all about setting expectations and TRUE value proposition for your product that is well understood by your customer.

Never under-price. I had a business partner who told me one time to ‘Respect the Gig’.  Meaning don’t take what you do, your product or your customers for granted.  I would also like to flip this around and share that it’s your responsibility to convey to your community to ‘Respect the GIG’.  Again this sets an expectation that you value the work you do, and the products you create…and that they should too.

I kind of like this ‘Jerry Macguire’ style of business.  Fewer clients, more personal attention, few refunds.

Funny enough raising prices can cause fewer refunds because those who do buy don’t usually need to refund, so automatically…

Tweet worthy “The higher the price, the less hand-holding with your customers.”

This is what has happened in my personal experience.

2.  Attract the right Affiliates/Joint venture Partners with the right audience.

Getting support from other people to help promote your product is a super smart move, however sometimes you can’t control the type of customers they’re sending through if you’re not keeping tabs on who your partners and affiliates are.

Often your affiliates could be offering ‘too good to be true’ deals to go along with your product, which can potentially cause the bonuses or additional offers they are offering more valuable then your product.  This can also cause refunds and a devaluation of your product.

Now I am not saying BONUSES ARE BAD.  No, I am saying you have to make sure someone is offering something of congruent value to your product. Sometimes it is better to be selective with your partners, so that the caliber of customer coming through is kept protected and proprietary.

3. Say No

Saying no is one of the best ways to differentiate yourself from the competition.  Let potential customers know that you MIGHT NOT BE RIGHT FOR THEM. This might be a frightening concept, but being able to say, “No I can’t do that work” or “I can’t offer that deal” will often work completely opposite of what you expect.

By saying NO you let those who are potential customers know that you place a value on yourself and your products.  The psychology behind that makes you even more enticing to the RIGHT audience and potential customer/client.

4.  Let your customers know WHO you want to attract

Sometimes the best way to attract the right audience is by simply telling them, “Yes you are the right audience!”  So as apposed to the NO, this is where you list out WHO your product is right for. Make this makes it very clear who you are wanting to attract.  For instance.  Maybe have “Attn: Authors, Experts, Thought Leaders and Speakers. Are you currently doing public speaking gigs, but not earning the level of revenue for those keynote speaker opportunities that you deserve? If so, then this is right for you.” Be clear who you are looking to attract based on what it is your product does!

5. Brand yourself the right way that appeals to your market

Obviously, you first have to know your market (Your audience).  Then think about what your market or audience’s culture is and what type of branding they might be use to. Then have your website reflect that.  Often we attract the wrong client by what the quality of branding looks like.  Fix your design and message and you can often start attracting the right clients.

6. Your team needs to be congruent.

If you have someone on your business team that is not jiving with the vision and culture of where you want your business to go, then the best thing is GET RID OF THEM. If they hinder your growth or perception of what your audience should be, then get rid of them early before you start getting too much of an influx of the wrong audience through their influence. Remember, if this is your vision, then those on your team need to reflect that overall growth and concept. For instance, If you have a team of developers who cause your product to be outside of what your goals are, you will start to see an audience that’s different from your overall goals.

Now after some time you might figure out what your audience is through trial and error.

7. Survey your ideal audience and tap into their exact problem!

Find out there needs and wants.  Maybe the reason you are attracting the wrong clients is because you are focusing on the wrong feature or solution.

For instance, one of my clients said at one point that she started a series all about finding your soul mate.  She started to make videos on YouTube and started to attract a lot of attention.  For some reason, she started to attract people who were revealing their secret love for married couples.  Or these people were married themselves.

She told me that this wasn’t the audience she was hoping to resonate with.  So first she mentioned in her videos that NO, she didn’t want to attract this type of client.  Then she surveyed the few of her audience who were ideal customer and found out their language, customs and most importantly their needs/frustrations and desires. She did this through the use of a survey. By surveying your ideal customer/client, you can get a much clearer picture of the best way to resonate with your client.

** You should also ask your ideal client/customer, why they resonate with you.
What are you doing that they really like?  Then find out what you are doing that they really don’t like.

By asking these hard but utterly relevant questions you can start to appeal more and more to your ‘right’ audience.

So let me ask you. Do you ever feel like you are attracting the wrong customer?
What are you doing to change that?