You’ve probably heard that you should focus on a specific type of customer or prospect.
I’ve always found this to be a struggle because I don’t want to work with just one type of client! I like a lot of people and want my business to serve a variety, as well.
Today’s article is about organizational burnout and the consequences of not serving a single client.
The consequences of high growth
My creative agency, Zander Media, took off in 2020. With a lot of companies in need of video production, we grew from one full-time employee to ten in less than two years.
Being an enthusiastic salesman, I said “yes” to every piece of inbound work. Zander Media produced scripted commercials, testimonials, animated videos, entirely new brands, and even a documentary.
Building the plane while flying it
As a ten person company delivering a wide variety of services, we tried to be everything for everybody. As a consequence, the team and I were perpetually stressed.
We were building the plane while flying it.
The benefits of a singular focus
What would have happened if we had only provided a single service?
I’d have had to turn down a lot of work. But the team would also have had time to learn the specifics of the tasks required.
We’d have gotten better at doing the specific things required for that kind of deliverable.
Burning out my team
At Zander Media, we had enough sales to keep the business going. We had an abundance of skilled employees. But we didn’t have enough time to learn how to do each job from scratch, which then led to an unsustainable working environment.
Trying to adapt to the needs of each new project took a toll and we lost several valuable employees.
Dissatisfied customers
There are a lot of unknowns when you try something for the first time.
It takes a lot more work to deliver a novel offering. Things are likely to go wrong and there’s a high likelihood of poor communication.
We were fortunate at Zander Media that many of our clients from that stressful era continue to work with us today. But I worked consecutive 80 hour weeks for two years to make it happen.
Without a specific focus, you are much more likely to lose repeat business, or lose your business entirely.
An efficient way to think of business
Think about your business as a manufacturing plant that produces a very specific type of widget.
While you probably don’t want to work on an assembly line, it’s a useful metaphor.
What’s the one thing that you or your business want to do exceptionally well? Focus there.
Homework
Who do you serve? Describe a single, unique customer. (It is okay if that ideal client changes in the future.)
Think of a single person in your life – someone you actually know – and write a few details about that person.
Their demographics:
- How old are they?
- Where do they live?
- What do they do for work?
Their psycho-graphics:
- What are their wants and needs?
- What are their hopes and dreams?
- What are their challenges?
Practice getting very specific about the person you are selling to. Doing so will help you sell more sustainably.
Until next week,
Robin