Find the ideal home improvement clients

Get qualified leads and Grow Your business

Creating a lead-screening process to find the right clients for your company is an essential step in growing your business. It may be tempting to pursue every lead that comes your way, but it may not give you the best return on your investment.

“Our most precious asset is our time,” says MKEGreenworks in Milwaukee. “We want to make sure it is used efficiently for us, our current clients and our family.”

By exploring only the most qualified opportunities, you’ll save time, increase your win rate and maximize your return. So how do you discover the quality leads that will bring the most benefit to your business? It starts with knowing what your ideal client looks like.

Define Your Target

You can’t hit a target you can’t see, so the first order of business is to create an ideal client profile. An ideal client profile is a tool you and your team can use to identify the specific segment of customers that will bring you the best business.

“Knowing the profile and demographics of your ideal client makes it easy to screen any inquiry you receive,” says Barbara Gilbert Interiors in Dallas. “For instance, my ideal clients are busy people who want an interior design firm to handle everything from concept to completion.”

Putting your ideal client profile someplace where you can easily refer to it is a good way to keep you on track when fielding leads. Additionally, pass it around the office so the rest of your team can keep sales goals aligned.

Bonus: Once you begin to focus on certain types of clients, you may attract more of them. As the old adage goes, birds of a feather flock together, and referrals among like-minded homeowners can be an effective way to attract more ideal clients.

Take a Step Back

It’s important to remember that although ideal client profiles are fictional personas, they should be grounded in reality. Look at your current clients and identify the ones you enjoyed working with most and the types of projects that brought you the best business. Model your ideal client profile on those past projects for a realistic target you’re more likely to hit.

Build Your Ideal Client Profile

To start building your ideal client profile, write out your answers to the following questions.

• What are my ideal project locations?

• How far am I willing to travel?

• What types of projects do I want to work on?

• What kind of timeline is ideal for my business?

• What is the ideal project budget?

• What is the ideal buyer’s financial situation?

• Is my ideal client hands-on or hands-off?

• What level of motivation is present in my ideal client?

• How important is it to work with clients who already understand my style?

It may sound counterintuitive, but the more specific you make your ideal client profile, the stronger it will be. A detailed profile allows you to hone your search and screening processes to focus on exact areas and clients.

“Marketing to the masses is a waste of time and money,” says Maurer Consulting Group in Akron, Ohio. “Marketing to a smaller, select group with specialized needs makes life so much easier — and is cost-effective.”

This story was written by the Houzz Industry Marketing team