I Cheated On My Ideal Client And It Was The Best Experience EVER!

Imagine logging into Skype, you feel calm and totally prepared, you reach for your pen and notepad, throw on your headset and you settle into a great big comfy chair, (your favorite chair by the way), tucked in just in time to connect with your ideal dream client.

The Skype chimes begin to ring and you are now connected for another coaching call with a client that you totally connect with on a spiritual and universal level.

That’s the best type of client ever.

You get them, they get you and they are rock stars in their own right.

They take your advice, implement immediately and always have results to share during your coaching calls.

Those are the days that get written into the “I’m so glad I because a coach” lifetime achievement journal.

But let’s face it, not everyone has gotten to that place in his or her business yet.

Of course, that’s the goal. A calendar filled with your ideal dream clients but that result happens over time and you have to be willing to work through the process.

Why?

Because your ideal dream client might not look anything like you think they will.

I know every mentor, business coach and strategist tells you that you need to define your ideal client. I’m the same way.

When I work closely with my clients I always take them through a process of identifying their ‘ideal dream client’.

However, most of them are new to business and coaching so to have that etched in stone from the beginning would be ridiculous. Here’s why…

One of my biggest pet peeves in life is that as a society we expect kids who are barely 18 years old, just graduating from high school, to pick a career path that they will spend thousands of dollars to learn, all the while they have had little to any real world life experience.

To me that sounds like insanity, yet it is a common practice.

So let me ask you a question. As you think back over your life, which are the lessons you learned the most from?

I can guarantee that they weren’t those that you heard inside of a classroom. It’s the lessons you learned out in the real world, and more than likely they had an element of discomfort or pain involved.

The same is true when it comes to building your coaching business.

I do agree that you have to draw a line in the sand somewhere when it comes to your ideal client because you have to get an idea of who Jane or John Doe is and how your gifts and talents will support them.

Then, the next thing you need to do is get uncomfortable!

You have to open your doors and work with almost everyone that comes to you. That way you can measure each new client against your ideal dream profile to see how each stands up against the other.

I recently was asked by one of my students this very question.

She said, “Karen… I work for a health food store and they are going to begin doing store tours. Part of the tour will be promoting my health coaching services. What do I do if someone wants to work with me that isn’t my ideal client?”

You know what I told her?

Work with them!

Support them, love them up and push yourself outside your comfort zone. (DISCLAIMER: I did tell her that if their case was extremely specific and she didn’t feel qualified for their particular situation that it was her responsibility to do the homework for the potential client and help them find a good fit. That’s just good coaching karma!)

It’s been my personal experience in working closely with my private clients that pushing myself to take on clients that didn’t fall under my ‘ideal client criteria’ has been some of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

It has also shifted and refined who I believe my ideal dream client to be today.

So here’s your action item for today’s post, (don’t you love action items?)

Today I give you permission to cheat on your ideal dream client.

I don’t want you to forget who they are but instead dip your toe into other pools just to be sure you’re on the right track.

Use your gifts, talents and areas of expertise to bless the lives of many.

Take in all the good that comes from that relationship.

Learn from the pieces that aren’t ideal.

Reevaluate your dream client again, again and again until you get it just right.

Before you know it you’ll be sitting in your comfy chair, logging into Skype for a coaching call with a calendar filled with your ideal dream clients.

You’ve got this… I believe in you!

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