I read an article about how the music industry is having a heck of a time making money now — for a variety of reasons, but one of the main ones is because they can no longer make money the way they used to.

One of the biggest challenges almost all coaches face is getting leads – high quality contacts of people who are interested in improving their life, relationships, or career.
First, an important distinction:
Building a mailing list is not the same as getting coaching leads. I know many people with mailing lists who are not making enough to pay their bills!
Getting coaching leads means building a database of people who expressed interest in your type of coaching.
There are five sure ways to attract high quality coaching leads, and I will reveal them to …

Back in September of 2006, I did a K-cast with Nicki McClusky, of findyourvoicecoach.com. The theme was, “What are the qualities of magnificent coaches?”
Exquisite listening: they have a way of listening from the soul: for values, for vision, for purpose, in addition to hearing the client’s actual words.
Seeing the client as they truly are: which is absolutely magnificent! You see the client in their true magnificence. You see them in their very best, that they can do anything, and that they really do have all the answers.

Do you know who your ideal client is? Most business owners don’t really know. They guess!
And because they guess, they’re working way to hard, marketing too much, spending too much money. I know I’ve been there, done that.
Now, my bottom line definition of an ideal client would include a client who:

Easily pays you top dollar, and on time, for your services.
Comes to you already understanding what you services can help them accomplish.
Refers you to others without you even asking.
Comes back for more of your services, whenever they’re ready for another …

It looks like I might be teaching a version of Turbo-Charge Your Marketing this February at a local community college as part of their continuing education program. I’m working on the class handout now and found these resources I thought I would share with you, as well.
Identify Your Ideal Client Profile by Nancy Michaels
Profile Your Ideal Client First by John Bowen
How to Identify Your Ideal Client Profile to Generate More Revenue by John Assaraf