While you may think that your clients come from all walks of life, one thing is for sure about the clients that choose to work with you: They all have something in common.

The question is: What do they all have in common?

When you answer this question, you discover your own client profile.  Everyone has a client profile, but very few agents put in the time to figure out this crucial aspect of their businesses.

There are commonalities to the people who like to work with you, even though they may not be visible at first.  By discovering what these commonalities are, you will find that there is a group of people out there that you prefer to work with—and who prefer to work with you.

For example, I have a very defined client profile.  Clients who work with me have the following traits:

• They’re open and honest about their strengths and weaknesses.  They want an objective opinion on how they can improve their businesses.
• They are ready to make change.  They don’t want to resist it anymore.
• They’re at a point in their careers where doing it on their own just isn’t financially smart anymore.
• They’re usually between the ages of 35 and 55.

That’s mine.  What’s yours?  What do your clients have in common?

Are they families?  Are they empty-nesters?  Are they a combination of both?  Are they of a certain income level?  Are they mostly of a particular ethnic group?

Knowing your client profile is important because you can target your marketing directly to them.  Your client care and follow up are developed to specifically address the issues that are important to this particular group of people.

Sit down with a pen and paper  in a quiet space and answer  the following questions:

1.  When you analyze all your clients, what do they have in common?

Is it income?  Stage of life?  Hobbies?  Personalities?

For example, most of my clients have the type of personality that propels them to be high achievers.

2.  Is there a particular type of client that you seem to work better with?

Think back to your recent successes.  What people did you “click” with?  Who made you look forward to seeing them again?  What was it about this person that made you feel this way about them?

3.  Is there a particular type of client that seems to be attracted to you—even though you may not necessarily want this type of person as your client?

I’ve heard agents say, “I always get these people who want me to show them many homes and walk them through the process so slowly.  That’s just not the type of client that I do well with.”  Yet, for some reason, they attract that very type of client.

Perhaps it’s time to think about what it is you do that draws this type of person to you.  By identifying it, you can remove it from your marketing so that you can avoid these people.

4.  What do your repeat clients have in common?

This is where you really start to focus in on what your target client type is.  If people come back to you, then something clicked.  What was that something?

Why is client profiling so important?  Because it helps you to not waste your time, energy, and money  When you become skilled at client profiling, you get to work with the people who want to work with you.

The best way to find out if a particular client is right for you (or not) is to ask the right questions.

When I am talking with a potential client and we’re reviewing my services, I ask a couple of key questions to help me determine whether or not I want to work with this particular client.

For example, one question I always ask is, “If you didn’t do anything about your business right now, how long would you be comfortable going without this change?”

If they say, “Well, I could probably hang on for five years”, then I know this client is not for me.  I want clients who have high motivation and need to change right now.  If they can wait five years, then they’re not at the place where they’re ready to make that change.

On the other hand, another potential client says to me, “I don’t know how much longer I can last.  This is too stressful as it is.  I need to change now.”  This is somebody I want to work with.

Start figuring out your own client profile today.  It’s time to attract the type of clients you ideally want to work with.

By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI