9 Things you NEED to Know About Your Customer

I remember the first time I did an ideal client exercise for my brand. I answered questions about this person’s age, gender, clothing style, favorite books, and so on.

If I’m being honest, I had a pretty clear picture by the end, of what their life looked like… but I had no clue who they actually were or how to talk to them!

So here are the 9 top things you actually NEED to know about your customer, so you actually know how to speak to this person on a level that builds connection and trust!

Be Seen as the Expert in your Niche

Luckily, showing your credibility and being seen as the expert is actually kinda… easy! Here’s the approach that will help YOU be seen as the leading expert in your unique niche, the one your customers seek out!

Here’s what you need to do!

1. Speak to your TRIBE

Focus on being seen as the go-to resource in your niche — NOT for everyone, but only for a SPECIFIC type of person.

11 Things Great Brands Do

Here are 11 key things great brands do!

1. Focus on one person

Great brands aren’t for everyone, they’re for SOMEONE! They’re in business and in the world to help a certain kind of person become who they want to be, and get what they want to get.

The more a brand dilutes its message to appeal to everyone, the less relevant it becomes!

5 Reasons an Offer Won't Sell (+ how to fix them!)

Here are the 5 main reasons an offer won’t sell, and how to fix them!

1. Your customer isn’t seeing it often enough.

How many times did you talk about your offer before getting discouraged? If it was less than 20 times, you need to keep at it!

People need to see an offer 5—7 times before they buy, and you can safely assume that your customers aren’t seeing 100% of your content. They may be seeing closer to 20 or 30% of your content, depending on what platform you’re using to market.

How to fix it

Create a plan in advance to market your offer, focusing on different things each time.

7 Rules of Dream Client Attraction

Attracting your dream clients doesn’t have to be complicated, but there are a few rules you should know! Follow all of these rules, and you’ll be attracting your dream clients in no time!

1. Have a clear offer + message

The first rule is to always be CLEAR and as simple as possible in your message and your offers. A confused mind doesn’t buy! Trying to pack your marketing with too many ideas or too much information overcomplicates things and creates confusion and paralysis, which is the opposite of a sale! Keep it simple, keep it straightforward, and remember that clear is better than clever.

6 Ways to Elevate your Brand

If you want to build a premium brand, you have to ELEVATE it in people’s minds. And to do that, you have to elevate it in your own mind first!

Let’s look at some of the ways to ELEVATE your brand and make it a premium brand that’s at the top of people’s minds.

This is for you if:

You’re tired of people devaluing your product or service, while you struggle to make ends meet.
You want to build a premium brand that stands out from the crowd and gets noticed.
You want to sell higher-ticket offers and attract higher-quality clients who value what you do.

How to Stand Out + Get Noticed

Who is this post for?

It’s for you if:

You've been in business for awhile, and now you want to raise your prices and be more competitive, so you need to create a premium experience for a certain type of customer.
You’re just starting out and are unsure of what kind of business you really want to build
You’re launching a new product or service and want it to sell really well right away.
You want to pivot and start engaging a different type of customer.

Selling with Heart (An Honest Approach to Sales)

This is for you if:

You want to start making sales in a way that feels AUTHENTIC to you.
You’d rather SERVE than sell (and you’d rather help than hassle).
You want a heart-centered approach to sales that doesn’t involve sneaky tactics or mind games.
You want to sell your offers to people who genuinely want and NEED them, instead of trying to convince people to buy.

How to Choose Your Niche

Who is this episode for?

It’s for you if:

You've been in business for awhile, and now you want to raise your prices and be more competitive, so you need to create a premium experience for a certain type of customer.
You’re just starting out and are unsure of what kind of business you really want to build
You’re launching a new product or service and want it to sell really well right away.
You want to pivot and start engaging a different type of customer.

What is a Brand?

A lot of us first encounter the idea of what a brand is, through the visual side: really clever logos, really beautiful colors, attractive visual branding, and a visual aesthetic that draws us in. And that makes sense because that's kind of the part of a brand that you can see at the very first glance, but branding goes deeper than just the visual representations of a brand.

Here’s how I normally define a brand in super super simple terms: Your brand is what you mean to people. It’s how they feel and think about you or your business - and like I said before, it's about more than just the visuals. Those are kind of the symbols in the icons for your brand, what's underneath the surface, but what do the symbols represent?

Brand strategy, BusinessAshley ChymiySeptember 11, 2018brand strategy, Branding

Attract your DREAM Clients to Your Biz!

Just about every part of your brand strategy comes down to knowing your ideal customer and the experience you want to give them.

You may be thinking, “Why focus on just one customer? Everyone can benefit from my product or service.” I hear you, and I understand your hesitation! But when you’re super clear about who your ideal customer is, here is the good stuff that happens.

You create “This is for me” moments. The best brands are for someone, and that someone recognizes it as being for them – like an exclusive club where they belong. And if you want raving fans who LOVE and identify with what you’re doing, and what you stand for, you want to build a brand that not everyone loves – some people will say you’re just not for them. And that’s okay. Uglydolls may be not for you, but they are for someone, and that's why they've earned $100 million+ in revenue.
You spark curiosity. When I happen across a business that appeals to my aesthetic, personality, and current situation, I immediately want to see and hear more – give me more eye candy! It’s a dopamine rush. That's one thing we all have in common – we all really, really like dopamine. I want to know what the business owner has to say to me, because they clearly understand me and know what I’m going through.(If you want to kill curiosity, make your content as generic as possible. Womp-womp.)

Brand strategy, BusinessAshley ChymiyMay 9, 2017Branding, Strategy, Ideal customer, Clients, Business, Audience

13 Little Ways to Grow Brand Love Today

I have a confession to make.

My husband Chris is way better at showing appreciation than I am. He does little things frequently and quietly behind the scenes, on a regular basis, to let me know he cares. When I have a crummy day, he comes home with takeout from my favorite Chinese food place. When I show interest in something in July, six months later it’s Christmas morning, and I’m unwrapping it in our living room.

What a guy, right? I think I’ll keep him.

How do I show affection and appreciation? Well...usually I wait for him to tell me about some problem he’s facing, and then I stampede in to tell him everything he needs to do to fix it. I fixate on big challenges – things I honestly don’t have much control over – and forget about the little things I can do today to make his life happier.

I blame it on my years as a project manager (I’ve been brainwashed to think I can solve every problem)! But I’m trying to retrain myself to take a more measured approach, and instead look for little opportunities to help and show I care.

In many ways, building a business is the same story!

Market Research (For People Who Hate Research)

Does the phrase “market research” make you feel a little nervous?

(If not, awesome! But hang tight – the rest of us need to have a chat.)

The word “research” alone may be enough to transport you back to late nights in the basement of your school library, desperately poring over old books and clicking through JSTOR and Lexus Nexus hours before a big report is due.

I get it! You didn’t decide to start your own business so you can write book reports.

"Market research” can also evoke the idea of digging up dirt on the competition and plotting to steal their customers. Some people do that, but I promise, it's not what I'm asking you to do.

Brand strategy, BusinessAshley ChymiyApril 29, 2017Branding, Strategy, Positioning, Market research

Does Your Brand Pass the "Coffee Date" Test?

"Your brand and your ideal customer meet for coffee.
What happens? What do they talk about?"

Take two minutes and try to come up with a short list of 3-4 things your brand and your ideal customer would have to talk about over macchiatos and hazelnut lattes.

How did you do? If the conversation covers a variety of interesting topics and issues, you're on the right track!

But if all your answers revolve around your service or product, you may be missing an opportunity.

Don't worry! We're going to fix it.

Imagine this: You meet up with a friend, and she opens the conversation by trying to sell you something. You try to change the subject, but the conversation keeps coming back to what she can do for you. Erm.

If you're like me, you might gulp down your coffee and start planning your escape.