Ideal Clients

Do you have an image of your ideal client? And do you, in fact, have such a client in your portfolio now?

I’ve got to confess that I have two ideal clients at the moment (one for over a decade and the other for several years) + a plethora of occasional clients, all very dear, especially those who ask me to help them write their biographies and optimize their LinkedIn profiles. You do have a LinkedIn profile, don’t you? If “professional” is a description of you, you not only need that LI profile, but you also have to use it. LinkedIn did not create this platform just for fun and games. Happy to help, if assistance is needed!

But let me get back to that ideal client. There is one such client missing in my portfolio at this point in time and I am thus reaching out to you to help me find him (it is almost certainly going to be a “him”, although a “her” would be welcomed with equal enthusiasm).

My additional ideal client is . . . .

A landscaper.
A landscape architect or designer.
Someone who owns a horticulture business.
A plantsman/woman – grower, wholesaler, nursery owner.
Someone who cares about the environment.
A person who honors the land.
An environmentalist.
Someone who writes garden books, gives talks about gardening or the environment, or wants to.
A community garden advocate.
The guy who cuts your grass every week.

Well, you’ve got the idea! If it’s got to do with plants, the environment and sustainable land use, I’m in! Will I hear back from you?

Early Friday Afternoon . . .

Do you ever experience an early Friday afternoon when you tell yourself: "Enough - the work week is over!"?

I'm having such a day today. I finished one installment of a project for a client in New York and should get started on a project for a European client, but . . . enough! It will wait till Monday.

Wherever you are in the world . . ., happy week-end! :-)

Do you prefer to communicate by phone or e-mail?

What you prefer is not so important. It’s what your customers/clients prefer that matters. But they have a responsibility also, not just a preference.

I have a client who clearly prefers telephone contact, but it’s not working very well. She will call and leave a message – not about the reason for her call, but simply: “This is Louise; please call me back.” I call her back. She does not answer the phone, so I leave a message: “Hi, Louise, this is Lya Sorano, returning your call. Do call me again!”

She does not call. I call her again the next day: “Louise, hi – this is Lya Sorano, still trying to return your call from yesterday. Do call again, or if e-mail works for you, please send me your question or information and I will respond to it.” She still does not call back and she does not send an e-mail. I do not return the call a third time. I may lose the client; she may fire me, because I am often unable to answer the phone when she calls, or I may fire her, because she never leaves a meaningful message, calls again or sends an e-mail.

How is this phone vs. e-mail practice working for you?