How To Recognize Your Tribe

My husband and I were at a packed Oscars party for a tribe of animators—none were up for the awards, but it was an excuse to celebrate the art form.

We were standing at the periphery of the room (we knew no one beyond the host), watching the crowd and looking for opportunities to meet new people.

The doorway was elevated, so it was easy to spot new entrants to the space.

One couple in particular was quite striking. They were both tall, elegant and yet friendly-looking. I remember commenting that they just looked so interesting and made a mental note to meet them.

I needn’t have bothered.

They headed right for us (turns out they thought we looked interesting too) and opened the conversation with a comment on the vivid color I was wearing.

You know how it goes when you meet kindred spirits—we quickly connected on several levels and in five minutes were sharing tips and stories. We made a date to meet again over dinner.

It’s exactly the same as finding your perfect client and buyer match.

You want to recognize them when they walk through your (virtual or actual) door.

If you’re lucky, they stop on that top step for a moment so you can really see them.

But more often, they are lower profile, lurking on the edge of your social media groups and conversations.

They don’t make big pronouncements, but visit your profiles and website to kick the tires and decide if they like you, respect you and want to know more.

So it pays to recognize them.

And then to pull them in.

The easiest way to pinpoint your best fits is by profiling them.

Which if you haven’t already done this means it’s client avatar time: here’s a link to the short version of the Client Avatar exercise we use in my ConsultantBrand course.

Sure, you can get much more fine-tuned, but this will give you a starting point.

Fill it out for your favorite clients (the ones you’d clone if you could).

And then look at what your Client Avatar fears and dreams.

Because you’re typically marketing and selling on avoiding fear or reaching a dream (hint: you want to paint a memorable picture of the transformation you make happen).

Once you know your best clients’ motivations, then walk through your website, your social profiles and posts, your conversations.

Are you speaking directly to the tribe you most want to reach?

Do your stories, your actions and your visuals pound a consistent drumbeat designed to excite them?

Because you want your tribe to recognize YOU too.

To feel that flash of recognition that they’ve found their kindred spirit.

That magical feeling that allows you to transcend multiple steps in the hiring/buying process.

And lets you reserve your focus for those who truly value and appreciate you.

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