17: This is why you need to build an Ideal Client Profile for your Cleaning Business
Hey, it’s Matt.
Before marketing to your ideal clients, you need a detailed understanding of who they are.
You need to know which marketing channels to use and what marketing messages and offers will resonate with them.
That’s where creating an ideal client profile (ICP) is particularly useful.
Building an ICP for your cleaning business allows you to tailor your marketing and services to a particular type of client.
Many cleaning businesses fail to do this. It results in them offering a commodity-based service. One where prospects make decisions based on price instead of value.
What is an Idea Client Profile?
An ICP is an in-depth assessment of the perfect client for your cleaning business.
An ICP defines the different attributes of those companies, including:
Industry
Annual Revenue
Employee count
Challenges and pain points
Strategic goals
Having these insights guides the marketing and business development of your cleaning business.
A detailed ICP enables you to create specific content for inbound marketing. You're also able to create lists of potential clients for outbound marketing campaigns.
With a marketing focus on your ICP, you create targeted and relevant leads for your cleaning business.
It also increases the chances of winning cleaning contracts from clients you want to work with.
The benefits of having an Ideal Client Profile for Your Cleaning Business
"When you market to everyone, you market to no one."
If 90% of your marketing is being ignored, you’re spending time and money reaching prospects that will never convert.
An ICP allows you to create content and marketing material that is relevant to your best type of clients.
It helps you to:
Optimize your marketing message specifically to your ideal client’s needs;
Improve your sales strategy and process. By understanding your ideal client's pain points, you know what to say to a prospect to win them over.
Boost lead generation and save time on low-quality leads.
Building an ICP for your cleaning business deepens your understanding of existing clients. It also helps attract new clients.
Having detailed knowledge about your clients is key to being successful in a very competitive cleaning market.
Does having an Ideal Client Profile limit your Cleaning Business?
You may think that an ICP limits the opportunities for your cleaning business.
In reality, focusing your marketing and sales efforts on one ICP increases performance and drives better results.
Your ideal clients value your service because you understand their problems and requirements.
In return, you can charge a higher price for cleaning because your service is not a commodity.
Building an ICP doesn’t mean that your cleaning business has to turn away business.
The point of an ICP is to provide focus, not exclusion.
How to build and Ideal Client Profile for your Cleaning Business
You can use two sources. One requires you to assume a lot about your clients. The other gives your more accurate insights.
Market Research
If you have very little client history or you’re shifting focus to attract a new set of clients, start by using Google.
The following sources will help you learn more about your target audience:
Industry research or reports. Focus on documents published by industry associations and other professional bodies.
Customer discussions on online forums, industry communities, Q&A sites, etc.
LinkedIn and Job sites. By reviewing job descriptions you discover your ICP's responsibilities, skill sets, and challenges.
You may not find the most accurate insights, but you can find enough details to get you started.
You can outsource the market research on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. Or you can use market research companies.
Specialists will use tools and techniques that you don't have access to. As a result, they can provide you with better, more informed market research.
Client Research
The most valuable data source for your ICP is your best clients - past and current.
1) Make a List of Your Best Clients
Use the 80/20 Principle to identify your best clients. The characteristics of your top 20% of clients should include:
The most profitable;
The best lifetime value; and
Payment within an acceptable collection period.
You should also consider these questions:
Do you like working with this client?
Does the client provide positive and constructive feedback?
Do you provide a high ROI in delivering cleaning services requested by the client?
2) Collect Client Feedback
Speak with your top clients and understand their common characteristics. Find out why they find your cleaning service valuable and where to make improvements.
The sorts of questions to include ask are:
What people in your company make decisions about selecting a cleaning service provider?
What’s the size of your company (revenue, employees)?
In which industry or industries does your company work?
What is your cleaning/facilities budget per year?
How do you begin the search for a new cleaning company? Do you search for a company on Google? If so, what keywords do you use?
3) Compile the Information & Create Your Ideal Client Profile
Use the information collected to build an ICP with details of:
Industry
Annual Revenue
Employee count
Location
Cleaning/Facilities Budget
Buying process
Do they use paid ads
Social media activity
Challenges and pain points
Value proposition
Strategic goals
Once built, use the ICP to drive the marketing, business development, sales, and customer service for your cleaning business.
Having a well-defined ICP focuses the marketing and sales for your cleaning business.
You’ll see a better ROI by being specific about the clients you want to do business with vs going broad and general.
The key is being crystal clear about who your cleaning service is for.
Without a defined ICP, you miss opportunities to contact and convert prospects into clients. Marketing and sales campaigns become more general and don’t have the same impact.
With a clear ICP, you give your cleaning business the best chance of winning new clients.
You're able to provide more value to your ideal client because you understand their needs.
As a result, you're able to position your cleaning business as a leader and authority in your market.
Additional Resources
What is an Ideal Client Profile and Why You Need One for Your Cleaning Business
How to identify your ideal client for your cleaning business
What’s the Ideal Client for Your Cleaning Business Look Like?
“If you try to be all things to all people, you won’t be anything to anybody.” ”Be ready to ignore most prospects so you can focus clearly on a chosen few some.”
From Eloy Mendoza, director of Pen Publishing. Resurfaced using Readwise.
That’s all for today.
If you’re struggling to grow your cleaning business, I offer help in 3 ways:
Email me with your biggest challenge. The more detailed you provide, the more personal I can make my response.
Generate leads for your cleaning business. The Growth Lab delivers B2B leads for your cleaning business straight to your inbox - within 48 hours.
Turning 100% cold prospects into booked appointments for your commercial cleaning business with outbound prospecting at scale. Find out more here.
If you were forwarded this email, **you can subscribe here**.
Let me know what you think about this week's issue:
See you next week!
Matt @