by Bill Poole | Sep 9, 2024 | Sales, Strategy
The Before Picture
Ashton Solutions provides IT strategies and solutions to small to medium-sized businesses across the Greater Cleveland region and the U.S.
Things were humming along at Ashton with a steady 12% growth rate, but that pace was starting to slow down. The company mainly worked with clients with between 10 and 100 employees, but no one could really agree on what an “Ideal Client” looked like. Without a clear picture, the sales team ended up chasing every lead that came their way, and everyone got a proposal, even if the prospects weren’t the best fit. Not surprisingly, only about 25% of those proposals turned into actual business.
This scattershot approach was wearing them out. Without a solid sales process or a clear path for clients to follow, the sales, marketing, and delivery teams were often out of sync. It was like everyone was playing a different tune, and it showed. The lack of consistent revenue processes made finding their rhythm and keeping the business growing tough.
The Plan
Ashton Services’ EOS Implementer, Kimberly Dyer, connected the Ashton leadership team with Convergo for help. The first step was to align everyone on the Ashton Ideal Client. Once that was clear, the next step was to refine their Proven Process for two reasons:
- To drive clarity in communications with prospects and clients about where they were and where they were on their path to value.
- Internally align so everyone understands their role in delivering an amazing experience for ideal clients.
The Ashton Way, their Proven Process, was the foundation for creating a simple, cross-functional Playbook that helped the team guide prospects and clients through a well-defined journey. Everyone was finally on the same page with consistent sales and marketing language, process rigor, and terminology across the Ashton Way.
This plan was not just about closing more deals; it was about making sure clients had a great experience from start to finish. The front end of the Proven Process is the sales process, so the next big step was to build a sales process with the new lens of an Ideal Client. One big change was that they started qualifying prospects against their Ideal Client Profile. So, instead of chasing every opportunity, they focused on the ones that were the best fit for the delivery team and the business itself. Now, when they send out proposals, they are going to prospects who would benefit from their services and not be a burden for their delivery team.
Convergo worked with Ashton on each stage of the Ashton Way, creating a cross-functional Playbook. The Playbook ensures the Ashton team knows exactly where the prospect/client is in their journey and their role in delivering a great experience. The Playbook is also used to enhance the onboarding and training of new team members.
The Results are In
The difference was huge. Since we started working together, Ashton Services has seen its annual revenue jump by 63%. They also started working with larger clients—businesses with 50 to 250 employees who had larger budgets and more complex needs.
But it wasn’t just about the money. The alignment enabled them to synch their messaging so that sales and marketing messages were consistent. The team was working together like a well-oiled machine. The person who used to spend all their time cranking out proposals suddenly had a lot more time on their hands, which they could now use for bigger-picture strategies.
Jim Abbot, the VP of Client Solutions at Ashton, said: “We get to ‘no’ faster, and we’re not chasing clients that are too small… We’re saving a lot of time by not actively chasing the wrong people.” With everyone following the same client journey, the whole company was moving in the same direction. They even reduced their sales team from three people to two, but thanks to their new focus on Ideal Clients, they were getting better results than ever. The sales process became consistent and easy to follow, and everyone started speaking the same language.
Ashton Services isn’t just growing again—they’re doing it in a way that feels right for them. And that’s something any small business owner can appreciate.
by Bill Poole | Apr 17, 2023 | Marketing, Sales
As an entrepreneur, growing revenue and scaling sales is crucial to the success of your business. However, it can be challenging to achieve these goals if you don’t have a documented Ideal Client Profile. This detailed description of your target customer will enable you to identify who your Ideal Prospects are and also serve as a filter to determine if a potential client will be a good fit. Knowing who your ideal clients are helps you pinpoint exactly where to focus your marketing efforts. When your marketing is pointed at those most likely to purchase what you’re offering, you have the most potential for sales growth.
Identifying Your Ideal Client Profile
Your ideal client profile (ICP) is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Ideal Clients are an intersection of the clients that:
- You are operationally optimized to serve
- Are the most valuable to your business
- Align with your team and values.
The high-level components of an ICP are:
- Description: One or two sentences that describe the characteristics of the companies who are a perfect fit for your solution.
- Data Points: This includes demographic data such as size of the company, including number of employees and revenue, location, and other specific company traits.
- Primary Personas: A primary persona is a fictional representation of your ideal clients based on market research and real data about your existing clients. At the very least, it should include: motivations, role goals, pain points, and preferred communication channels. The more specific and detailed your buyer persona is, the better you’ll be able to understand your target audience and tailor your marketing and sales approach to meet their needs.
Documenting your Ideal Client Profile (ICP) should enable you to pull “The List,” which is the actual businesses that meet the criteria in the ICP. This should be an addressable market for your sales and marketing efforts. If The List is too broad, reel in the data points on the ICP. Then, you can operationalize your ICP to realize the following benefits:
The Role of an Ideal Client Profile in Scaling Sales and Growing Revenue
Once you’ve put the proper plan into action to develop your ICP, what results should you expect? What benefits come from identifying your ideal client?
Focuses your Sales and Marketing Energy and Spend
Spending time and money without focusing on an ideal Client is wasteful. Once you have an addressable market, 100% of your sales and marketing spend and energy can be focused on ideal prospects and clients instead of diluting the spend on the wrong prospects for your business.
Improves Your Message
Your ICP includes your target personas and their desired outcomes. Having a more narrow ICP enables you to craft a message more likely to resonate with your ideal clients and prospects. So, when your prospects see your message, they are more likely to engage.
Enhances Your Client Satisfaction
Depending on your business, when your sales and marketing efforts bring on the wrong clients, operational challenges can be created. Your team should be operationally optimized to serve ideal clients in an efficient and effective manner. So naturally, bringing on ideal clients improves client satisfaction.
Increases Your Revenue
Focusing your sales and marketing energy, improving your message, and enhancing client satisfaction will of course lead to revenue growth. Moreover, satisfied customers are more likely to refer others to your business, leading to a steady stream of new customers and revenue.
By identifying your ideal clients, you can better target your sales and marketing efforts and generate more revenue for your business.
Developing an ideal client profile is essential for any business looking to scale its sales and grow its revenue. It helps you focus on serving businesses that align with your values and expertise, ultimately providing the best possible outcomes for your clients. Following these tips, you can describe your ideal client and develop targeted marketing and sales strategies to reach them effectively. The next step to scaling your sales and growing your revenue is focusing on your messaging, which we will explore in the next blog.
To learn more, download our ebook, “5 Steps for Scaling Sales and Growing Revenue”, today!
