Who Are You Talking To? Do You Know?

When creating a community based business it’s vital to know who you’re “talking to”. I haven’t talked about this much because while I knew it was important I have had a really hard time actually doing it.  That is until last week when I had a huge AHA moment thanks to Catherine Caine over at Be Awesome Online. (if you’re not reading her you really should check her out. You’ll know right away if your one of her “right people”)

If you are still trying to talk to everyone, because you don’t want to lose business/traffic/readers  by leaving someone out, this is a post you really need to read. I think I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again.

When you try to talk to everyone, you speak to no one.

Here’s why.

When you try to talk to everyone, you have to speak in generalities so your message will make sense to “everyone”. When you choose your right people you get to speak in specifics. Specifics that they will understand. When you speak in specifics your right people read it and they say ~ Oh yeah. That’s me. I get that. This kind of reaction leads to a feeling of knowing you and comfort with you. Which leads to trust ~ they now feel part of a “tribe” part of a group that “gets” them and understands them and their problems and issues, and they feel safe. Your message is going to be much easier for them to hear.

Let’s look at some examples:

I run a health site, with tips to be healthy.

vs.

My site is for women 50 and over who are looking for ways to be/stay  healthy through menopause and beyond.

Here’s another:

I run a recipe site.

vs.

I run a site for busy moms who want to cook dinner in 15 minutes or less for under 5 dollars a meal.

BAM.

One more:

I teach people how to do internet marketing.

vs.

I teach busy moms who already have an online business  and are making some money how to ramp up their business and take it to the next level.

ok, one more and this one comes from a reader…

My site is about healthy eating and staying fit.

vs.

My site is for people who want to learn how to stay healthy and fit by  living the primal lifestyle. (Toad, if you have a more specific “right people” I’d love to hear it!

Can you see the difference? Yeah, of course the reader pool is going to be smaller, but just like targeted keywords, the “right people” who get to your site are going to be so much more targeted than just sending out a generalized message about a general topic.

You’re going to find it easier to connect with your “right people” because you’re actually talking to them. They are going to find it easier to purchase your products and services because you’re speaking to THEM. You are helping to solve their specific problems.

So How Do I know Who They Are?

It’s a great question. A long time ago, when I was still doing network marketing I bought a book called “Attracting Perfect Customers” It is about this exact thing, deciding on and then attracting your “right people”. One of my favorite exercises in the book was one to find your “right person”.

It is a meditation exercise, and I’ll give you the basics. (For the whole shebang, you’ll have to get the book ~ I can’t give away all their secrets.)

• Set yourself up in a quiet room, with no distractions, get comfortable.
• Take some deep breaths, and relax.
• Picture a door in your head. Watch your perfect customer walk through the door. Notice everything about them. (if you don’t have a perfect customer yet, let yourself create one now)
• Ask them to sit down.
• Ask them questions ~ about who they are, what they need, what they like, what they want from you, what they need from you, what kind of customer service they want/need etc. All the imperative things you and they need to create a beautiful relationship.

This exercise can be very powerful. I learned a lot about who I was and who I wanted to work with when I first did it.

So now what?

Once you’ve got a clear picture of who your right people are you will probably find it gets easier to write your content. It’s easier to be yourself (because my guess is… your perfect customer is a lot like you!). You have a clearer picture of who they are so it’s easier to go hang out where they do. It is also easier to identify right people right from the beginning so you don’t waste a bunch of time trying to make wrong people right.

You do know you don’t have to work with everyone right? Yeah, that’s a tough one, but it’s true. Once you have figured out your right people  you’ll also notice how much easier it is to work with them. You come away from work with your right people energized and excited. Working with wrong people can easily lead to energy drain, and frustration.

Of course you will have people show up that aren’t exactly right.

And that’s ok. But you may find the clearer you get, and the more you cater to your right people, they probably won’t stay around long, and your audience will grow into more and more of your right people.  This is when things get really fun!

I’d love to hear about your right people! Please… tell me who they are! If you haven’t figured out who your right people are let us know that too, we can brainstorm in the comments section. You can always become a member of the KISS Club and we can work it out together.