We talk a lot about finding our “Right Person.”

It’s really the core of everything we do here at The Voice Bureau. The Voice Values get the most attention, but they really underline that work — they’re essentially a tool we use to signal to our Right Person that we’re a great fit for what they need.

But why the obsession with finding your Right client? Aren’t most marketing businesses focused on finding you the most clients? Isn’t that the whole point of marketing?

Well, first of all, it’s time to let go of the scarcity mindset. This idea of getting the most sales sounds great on paper. (More money! Broader reach! Success and fame and fortune!) Sounds like anything but scarcity, right? But, when you start to look closer, you realize what you’re actually saying: I’ll take anything I can get.

You wouldn’t name your grisly murder mystery novel Harry Potter and the Fluffy White Puppy in order to tap into the youth market. You wouldn’t run your therapy practice out of a taco truck in order to find clients who don’t need therapy but do want some lunch. And do you really want to pay the extra fees to have 50,000 people on your mailing list who never once open an email?

There are enough of your Right People to support you.

We’ve talked before about what happens when you say “yes” to your Wrong Person, so I won’t rehash that here. But here’s the thing to remember: you don’t need them. In fact, there are so many potential clients out there, you can speak directly to your Right Person and stay friends with your “competition” without ever running out of people to work with. I won’t tell you that it doesn’t take work, but it’s healthy and pleasant and so, so worth it.

So if it’s okay to limit your focus to your Right Person, what does that actually look like? What happens to your business when you find your Right Person?

Here are a few things you might find:

They buy more, and more often, with less selling.

You still need to have a great product and you need to work to get the word out, but when your Right Person is tuned in, you’ll find that that’s just what it is: getting the word out. There’s no hard sell, no bending over backwards to make exceptions and changes and customizations. Just sharing the work you do best, and connecting with the people who want what you’re offering. You actually get to focus on the work you love and not so much on the sales part (that I think we all hate). Amazing.

They like you. They really like you.

There have been a few times in my online business career when I really thought I’d have to give it up, and almost all of those have been when I was trying to be someone I’m not. This work just doesn’t feel sustainable if I can’t be myself, especially when I’m trying to connect authentically with my clients. But there’s something really interesting I’ve discovered: when I open up and put myself out there — introversion and opinions and flaws and all — people react. I get emails. Comments. Notes from readers who get me. Who relate to me. And I can’t tell you how amazing that feels. Not only does this business feel sustainable, it feels like it’s actually keeping me going. (Thank you.) Self-employment means we forgo the water cooler and the casual chats at a coworker’s desk, but having a quick email from a reader who’s been thinking of you more than makes up for it.

They thrive on your natural connection.

Do you break out in hives every time you see some marketing guru insist that you need to use vlogs to reach your audience? It’s okay, there’s a good chance your Right Person understands. Might they enjoy seeing you outside your box? Sure. But the kind of client who insists on you doing things outside of your zone of genius is also the sort of client who, mid-project, wants to change the scope…and the timeframe…and the process. In other words: if they’re asking you to change who you are before you’ve even worked together, there’s a good chance it won’t be the last time. But the ones who get you? They’ll take you the way you are. And whether you’re inherently inclined to share every detail of your life or you’re more reserved, your Right Person will not only understand, they’re right there with you.

They talk you up.

I can’t think of anything more genuinely flattering than a natural referral. And it’s a great way to stretch that marketing budget. (You have a marketing budget, right?) When you have the positive experience of working with your Right Person, there’s a decent chance you’ll be at the front of their mind when they have a friend looking for [insert what you do here]. On the other hand, you might be awesome at what you do, but working with your Wrong Person…well, you probably don’t want to hear what they have to say about having a bad experience, but you can be sure that someone will be hearing it. (Ugh.)

They trust the process.

You know how you have a particular way of doing things that really works for you? Maybe (like us), you know that you work best in writing and not on the phone. Maybe you prefer single-day intensives to long-term retainer packages. Maybe you really need your new clients to complete a series of exercises before you can get started. Your Right Person understands that you have a way of doing things, and they’re more than happy to come along for the ride, which means you get what you need to do your best work.

They let you live in your zone of genius.

I make no secret of the fact that I’m an introvert. My marketing style isn’t loud or pushy or in-your-face. Can I write copy for businesses who go for that sort of thing? Sure, but it’s not what I do best. It’s in my wheelhouse, but it’s not my zone of genius. The cool thing about my Right Person is that they want what I do best — which means I get to do that, instead of trying to fight against my instincts.

They’re excited by what you do.

A while back, I wrote about my blind spots — the things I love to do and do well that seem so natural to me, I can’t imagine anyone hiring me to do them. Organization. Project management. Content strategy. Brand voice development. They’re all things I live and breathe…and apparently, not everyone feels the same way. Turns out, there are a lot of people out there who are thrilled to have someone do those things for them. It’s a great feeling to send a project out to a client and get their enthusiastic response in return. (There have been tears. It’s true.)

You’ll probably find that you need to rethink your Right Person a few times throughout the course of your work, and it’s also possible that your Right Person blog reader and your Right Person paying client aren’t the same person. It’s great to imagine that you can just be yourself and the money will come rolling in, but you do need to keep working to get yourself in front of the right eyes, and it takes more than just “being yourself” to run a successful business. But when you focus on the Right Person and manage to connect with them, it’s absolutely magical, in every way. And there’s plenty to fill your schedule — trust me.

In the comments, I’d love to hear:

What sort of experiences have you had working with your Right Person?