Knowing Your Prospects: The Importance of Patterns

Knowing your prospects and why your clients buy is foundational to a successful business.
All the great (and even not-so-great) business trainers talk about that key element continuously.
Everyone knows it.

One element is often overlooked is patterns.

When you zero in on your best clients to find out what makes them tick. You can get so much
information by examining that one person—the program or product they love the most, their values,
goals, and challenges. The method that produces the biggest ah-ha’s… so much treasure for the finding.

However, when you only examine one client (no matter how stellar they are) you are only getting the barest glimpse of your clientele as a whole. There just isn’t enough data.

For example, let’s say Client #1 is an avid learner with intense responsibility both for productivity and
seeing that everyone is taken care of and provided for.

They work too hard and sometimes have difficulty standing up for themselves. Their creativity is stifled.
That’s a pretty clear picture with some great information that you could use in your marketing.

1. Avid learner
2. Loves friends and expends lots of energy caring for them
3. Highly productive
4. Stifled creativity
5. Work too hard

But what about the rest of your star clients? Would that list describe every last one of them? Could be close. Or maybe not as close as you would think.

Client #2 is also your favorite. Examine their makeup and you’ll find that this person is also an avid learner and loves to be with people, but needy people drive them crazy. They don’t want to be protecting anyone or propping them up. They are highly productive and have no problem standing up for themselves. Their creativity is stifled, and they work too hard.

With these 2 we see that both of them are:
1. Avid learners
2. Love friends
3. Highly productive
4. Stifled creativity
5. Work too hard

We’re beginning to see a glimmer of a pattern emerge. But we need to look at Client #3 to be sure.
In geometry, a plane is determined by 3 points, not 1 or 2. Without 3 points, there isn’t enough data. The same is true when defining your prospects.

Let’s take a look at Client #3. This is a highly creative learner with intense responsibility both for productivity and seeing that everyone is taken care of and provided for. They don’t have many friends and they enjoy privacy. They work too hard and sometimes have difficulty standing up for themselves.

What we find is that all 3 of these great clients are:
1. Avid learners
2. Highly productive
3. Work too hard

Do you see how your scope widens when you focus in?

With too many points of connection, your field narrows because fewer people within your sphere of influence will be attracted to your diluted marketing message.

When you find the patterns, you’re identifying the threads that run through your tribe so you can knock it out of the park when your results come in.

These are simplified examples but they show the concept. It’s actually best to survey 5 of your stars to get a firm grip on who you love to work with.