Defining your target market is one of the most important steps you can do to build your marketing plan and increase your bottom line. So when asked, who is your target market – please – don’t say everyone!

I made this mistake when I first started out many, many years ago. I was so excited about my products and services that I believed everyone would want to work with me. Now who wouldn’t! The problem was that my message wasn’t clear. I was attracting clients who were either not a good match or they couldn’t afford to pay for the service. So I took a step back, worked with my mentor at the time and identified my ideal clients and from this developed a strong marketing message. I still use the same process I've described below every time I feel that something is changing or shifting in my business. So here are the steps I take to become clear.

1. Make a list of all of your clients and note down some things about them. What they do, how much they spend with you, what you like about them. Are they all from a certain industry or profession? Are you passionate about their issues or challenges?

2. From this list, look for what pattern is occurring and who is sitting in say the top 20% – is it professional woman who run their own small businesses; male engineers; contracts with government agencies; new mums; start ups etc.

3. Focus your efforts on this top 20%. Research this group and find out more about what they need, what issues they are facing, where do they hang out, are they willing to spend money on services and products?

4. Now armed with this information – how can you reach them? What can you do to be visible to this market? Once you research your market, develop your message and are clear on what you do to solve their challenges. You can begin to write articles, speak at their industry conferences etc, and become the go-to person for these people.

Your challenge is to spend your time focusing and working with this top 20%, let go of the other 80% and watch what happens to your bottom line and to your own passion and excitement. You will find that your message is clearer and your clients understand better about what you do and how you can support them.

Let me know what happens.