Can your practice serve 2 billion people?

A junior clerk said to me that he didn’t think his barristers would go for all that Ideal Client stuff.  Fine.  Try marketing to everyone and see how much of your marketing sticks. 

Clarity not confusion

When you have a picture in your mind of the person who can instruct you, you can market your practice to that person and stop worrying about everyone else.

This is for you. Yes, you.

I have a very clear picture of Jurilogical’s ideal client.

I’ve done the analysis, tracked my analytics for a year and refined the description I wrote over a year ago.

So now, I’m writing this post exclusively for you. 

Yes, you.

It’s not for a group of generic lawyers, it’s for you, a junior barrister working in a particular practice area in a particular location in the UK.

And you’re still reading. Amazing. 

Who is your You?

I ran a workshop in Manchester a while ago and asked a group of barristers to describe their ideal client.

Someone who is co-operative, flexible, listens to me, takes my advice, pays on time.  

That’s a ideal client wish list.

Here are two examples of an ideal client profile.

Emma. High-street solicitor, aged, 28 – 35, single, specialises in immigration, bread & butter work in conveyancing and probate, based in Birmingham, cycles to work, follows Sheffield United, works Monday to Friday until 5.30pm.

Sadiq. Magic circle senior associate, aged 35 – 44, specialises in dispute resolution, works in London, lives in Surrey, one-hour train commute, has two children in private school, entertains clients at the opera house, works 14 hours a day and 7 days a week.

If you market your practice with Natasha in mind, you’re unlikely to attract Sadiq’s attention. Which is absolutely fine, unless you’d rather be instructed by Sadiq.

Here’s how it works in practice

This is a screen shot of my LinkedIn Analytics a couple of hours after I published a post called 21 ways to meet new clients.

I know my ideal client wants to meet their ideal client. By telling them exactly where to find them, I’m responding precisely to their need.

The analytics indicate that the post reached people who meet the profile of the clients my service can help.

Location, Demographics, Education

In Junior Entrepreneur, our step-by-step programme to help junior barristers build a successful practice in the digital age, I walk you through the steps to create an ideal client profile.  Start today.

By Heidi Smith
Creator of Jurilogical.com