Last week I wrote about identifying your Tribe. Make sure you read that article on my blog first because you need to know who your Tribe is in order to find them.
I want to add one more characteristic to identifying your Tribe to make sure they are great clients for you. In my last article, I said that your Tribe needs to be a group of people with shared pains, problems and issues and similar desired outcomes and results.
They also, in order to be GREAT CLIENTS, need to be people who are willing to do what it takes to create the change they want. This is important so that you look for and attract people who will move toward your services and actually use them.
That makes it clearer, doesn’t it? You can then sort through all the people who may benefit from what you have to offer, and who even want what you have to offer, and help you identify who your best candidates are. This is super helpful in finding your Tribe.
Let’s look at an example. I was working with a client recently whose spiritual and shamanic work focuses on supporting women to feel “magnificent through menopause.” She wanted to reach out to new people, and had thought of connecting with health care providers who also serve women at midlife.
“Great,” I said, “that’s a good start—looking for circles of influence who also serve your Tribe but with a different service.” Yet we also saw the challenge of actually getting to the potential clients themselves, and how dependent that route was on referrals. A good path to explore for sure, but not an entirely clear path to new clients.
Then I asked her: “Where do your type of mid-life women gather?” After all, women at mid-life is a VERY big category. I said, “the good news is that this Tribe does gather, and in many places. They just may not gather around the specific topic of menopause (though of course some of us do), because we’re a very busy Tribe for the most part.”
Then I suggested: “What about philanthropic events? I bet many of your women are big on fund-raising and giving.” I knew that she worked with more affluent women, and wanted to extend her reach to this population. This is the type of gathering where some of the women gathered would be likely to be interested in what she provides. It might take more creativity and relationship building on her part to cultivate clients this way than through another avenue more focused on menopause—although maybe not, too.
“Yes, of course, that’s exactly right!’ she said. “I see women at them all the time (LOL)! And even better would be art events. Lots of my women are interested in the arts, and support art events.”
“And theatre?” I chimed in.
“Yes, theater! I am an usher for the Berkeley Repertory Theatre! I know a lot of women who do that. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you aren’t used to thinking this way,” I said.
And that’s what I want YOU to get from this conversation:
How can you be more creative in how you think about where your people are, and how you can find them?
- What are the types of gatherings or events are your Tribe are likely to be interested in? (These do not need to be specifically connected to your topic.)
- What other types of topics are your Tribe likely to be interested in (in addition to your own)? How can you connect with other circles of influence who are experts on these topics, and partner with them to cross refer or connect you with their communities?
- What issues are likely to draw your Tribe? Where are they likely to congregate or go on-line or in person to get information about this issue or to contribute in some way?
You just might be surprised to find that your Tribe is already all around you – and you just weren’t looking in the right place(s)!