“Your pricing is RIDICULOUS!”
Who is your ideal client?
Back in the day, when I was doing maternity and newborn photography, my sessions were exclusively done in my studio. I was right in the middle of a maternity photo shoot and while my client was changing, her husband had asked me how much a photo album of the images would cost. When I gave him the price, he immediately blew up at me!
I quickly realized that my client had never shared the pricing information with her husband and he was basically blindsided by this news.
Shocked that I was being yelled at, no less in my own studio, I still managed to pull myself together enough to complete the photo shoot and send them both off in what seemed like a calmer and better mood.
After that, I felt like crap. Blamed myself for doing something “wrong” during the sales call. It took me several weeks to get my head straight and my confidence back.
When I finally did, I realized exactly what the problem was. It wasn’t that I didn’t explain the value of working with me or that I wasn’t transparent about my pricing.
It was that she was not the ideal client for me!
And guess what? I KNEW that when I first got on a call with her. She was very unsure about the products I offered because they were getting ready for an international move. She was pushing hard for a digital-only package which I knew was more than her budget and that she was angling for a discount.
But I still thought I could help her. Sadly, I couldn’t help her, not in the way she wanted.
It took a while to realize this but I thought I could help everyone. Obviously, that’s not true. I needed to develop more of an awareness about whether I could or SHOULD help potential clients. I needed to TURN DOWN work if it was with someone I KNEW was not the right fit for what I can offer.
If you’ve followed me for a little bit, you know I talk a lot about getting clear on who your ideal client is from demographic and psychographic perspectives. But up to this point, I haven’t talked about figuring out who you DON’T want to work with.
As I am working through my rebrand, I’ve realized the value of figuring out who I am NOT for and being vocal about it. Does this seem like a scary thing to do? Does it feel like you’ll offend or exclude people?
Well, what is it worth to you to not have to work with people who suck the energy out of you? Wouldn’t you be able to focus all that amazing energy towards people you can actually help?
I’ll go first if that will help. I am NOT for people who:
- Don’t want to grow/scale their business
- Do not want to (or will not) be the face of their business
- Fight against “showing up”
- Don’t know what their goals are
- Don’t know what their values are
- Have a scarcity mindset
- Are afraid to invest in their business growth
- Only want to use referrals and networking for lead generation
- Aren’t willing to go deeper and be a bit vulnerable
- Want to dictate everything to the experts they hire
- Treat me or the members of my team disrespectfully
Now what does that feel like when you read my list? Do you feel empowered by this? Or, does it bother you?
For me, it’s definitely empowering! With these “deal breakers” in mind, whenever I’m talking to a potential client, I feel pretty dang confident that I’ll NEVER have to work with someone that sucks the energy out of my soul again!
I’d love to hear from you. Are you willing to list just one type of person you are NOT for?
About Melissa
Melissa Henry, CEO of Melissa Demple Photography, helps speakers, authors, and entrepreneurs become KNOWN. Walk away feeling like a rock star with powerful clarity on your personal brand, including unique images that wow your target audience and help you sell out your programs, books and win those coveted keynote spots!
Quoted in Forbes and Entrepreneur and featured in Thrive Global as well as on podcasts such as The Rita Made Me Do It Show, No Fat Cats, and Two Girls Talking, Melissa understands the challenges of standing out in the crowded marketplace and will make sure you & your business do too!
With extensive expertise in consulting and over a decade building her own brand, Melissa provides an extraordinary experience for purpose-driven entrepreneurs who want to become known as experts, thought leaders, and seven-figure business owners.
