When you’re not serving ONLY your Ideal Clients, you’re being dangerous and irresponsible
At its core, being a Magnetic Entrepreneur is about attracting clients and customers you are meant to serve.
Unfortunately, this simple concept is difficult for entrepreneurs to grasp. They are often found running around trying to be all things to all people, which ironically results in being nothing to no one.
I love the way Stacey Hall and Jan Brogniez use the metaphor of a Lighthouse (In their book Attracting Perfect Customers: The Power of Strategic Synchronicity
Here’s the scenario:
The calm water and blue skies have suddenly given way to rough waters and storm clouds. Boats are being tossed to-and-fro as the waves get rougher. In the harbor is a steadfast lighthouse, it’s beam guiding the way. Its light gets brighter and brighter the darker the skies become.
However, for various reasons, not all of the boats require the light of the lighthouse for guidance. Perhaps their captains and crews are more confident or better equipped than others to deal with this storm. Maybe they’ve been down this road before. Or maybe they feel safer out at sea on their own.
“Now imagine that the lighthouse gets upset because some of the boats are choosing to follow their own path. The lighthouse feels that it is not successful if its light is not guiding all of the boats in the sea. It sprout arms and legs and runs up and down the beach acting like a searchlight, doing its best to catch the attention of all the boat captains, attempting to encourage more of them to depend on its light.”
What’s wrong with this picture?
Hall and Brogniez offer that this sort of behavior ultimately serves no one. For one thing, the boats who actually need the steady light to guide their way now are put into a potentially dangerous situation, because of the lighthouse’s state of chaos and confusion.
“Other boats might be steered dangerously close to shore so those on board could get a better look at the spectacle (while) others would be perfectly content to stay where they are — out at sea, relying on their own navigational equipment.”
Can you see how refusing to focus only on your Ideal Clients is unfair to everyone involved?
It’s actually both dangerous and irresponsible.
Which kind of lighthouse are you?
Are you running up and down the shore frantically trying to serve anyone and everyone?
(“But my [insert your product or service] can help anyone! Everyone is my client!”)
Or, are you steadfast and steady so that those who really want and need you can count on you to navigate them safely on their business journey?
