September 29, 2025 • 13 mins
Some clients light you up, while others leave you feeling drained. If you’re attracting people who don’t value your work or push back on pricing, it’s not a pricing issue - it’s a positioning one. In this episode, I share how to align your message and marketing strategy so you naturally attract clients who are the right fit from the start.
You don’t need to do more or spend more. What you need is clarity around who you’re speaking to, consistency in how you show up, and a few intentional shifts in your organic marketing. I’ll walk you through what that looks like and the most common reasons business owners end up working with the wrong people (and how to fix it).
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Janice Hostager (00:04):
I'm Janice Hostager.
After three decades in themarketing business and many
years of being an entrepreneur,I've learned a thing or two
about marketing.
Join me as we talk aboutmarketing, small business, and
life in between.
Welcome to My Weekly Marketing.
Hey and welcome to My WeeklyMarketing.
(00:30):
So let me ask you a question.
Have you ever felt like you'reputting all this work in your
marketing, posting on socialmedia, writing emails, maybe
even going to networking events,but the people who show up are
not your people?
They either don't have thebudget or don't see the value in
what you do, or worse, theysuck up all your energy and
(00:50):
you're left wondering if youeven like being in business.
Okay, you're not alone.
I have been there too.
What I've learned over theyears is attracting the right
customers, which is your dreamclients, doesn't happen by
accident.
And you don't need to spendthousands of dollars on ads to
make it happen.
In fact, the real secret ismuch simpler, and today I'm
(01:11):
going to break it down for you.
By the end of this episode,you'll know exactly how to
attract the right people to yourbusiness without paid ads so
that your marketing startsfeeling lighter, more natural,
and way more effective.
And if you stick around to theend, I'll share a free resource
that can help you take action onthis right away.
Okay, so let's start with thewhy.
(01:32):
Why does attracting the rightcustomers matter so much?
Well, let me give you anexample.
I grew up in Minnesota, land of10,000 lakes, so I spent my
share of time in canoes,especially in high school when I
went on a couple canoe tripsdown rivers.
It's great when you're headingdownstream in a canoe.
The sun is in your face, thecurrent just takes you right
(01:53):
along.
It's super easy and superenjoyable.
But if you have to go againstthe current, it's practically
impossible to get where you wantto be.
That's how it is when you'reworking with the wrong clients.
It's like trying to steer acanoe against the current.
You're working really hard, butyou're not really going
anywhere, and in fact, you maystart moving backwards.
(02:13):
You can spend time answeringendless client questions,
discounting your services,chasing invoices, and it will
quickly drain your energy.
But here's the tricky thing.
It feels like you're workinghard.
So you are getting leads, butin reality, you're not going
anywhere because you mightactually be moving backwards
with the wrong customers.
(02:35):
But when you're working withthe right clients, the opposite
happens.
Your work feels easier.
Conversations flow naturally.
They see your value and theypay on time and they tell their
friends about you.
It's like moving with thecurrent in a canoe.
I remember a time early in mydesign agency business that I
used to have when I said yes toeveryone.
(02:57):
I thought more customers meantmore success.
Who wouldn't, right?
And in the early days, it'ssort of like that.
Sometimes we just have to takea client.
But you know what it reallymeant?
It meant burnout.
One client in particular tookso much of my energy, constant
scope creep, never satisfied,nickel and dime me, asked for
(03:17):
discounts, etc., that I realizedone wrong client can block the
right ones from even gettingthrough the door.
Because obviously, if I amworking so hard on the wrong
client, I'm not going to havetime for the right one.
When I shifted my focus to theright fit clients, everything
changed for me.
Marketing became so muchsimpler because I wasn't trying
(03:38):
to talk or work with everyone.
I was talking directly to thepeople I wanted to work with the
most, my ideal customer avatar.
That's why this episodematters, because you deserve to
spend your time with people wholight you up and not the people
that drain you dry.
So first, let's bust a myth.
So many entrepreneurs think,"If I just had a bigger ad
(04:00):
budget, I'd get the rightclients." But here's the
problem (04:03):
ads amplify what we're already saying.
If your message is off, if yourstrategy is unclear, ads will
just send the wrong people toyou faster, and it will end up
costing you money.
I like to think of ads as amegaphone.
If you're whispering the wrongmessage to the megaphone, it
doesn't matter how loud it gets,you're still saying the wrong
(04:23):
thing.
That's why organic attractionis the foundation.
You need clarity andconsistency before you ever
think about running ads.
Ads pour gasoline on a firethat's already burning.
You don't want to try and startthe fire from scratch with an
ad, if that made sense.
This ties right into my Trailto the Sale framework, which is
all about having a clearstrategy to lead your customers
(04:45):
from awareness all the way tobecoming a happy, loyal client.
Ads can be part of that trail,but they're not the trail
itself.
Okay, so what's the secret?
It boils down to two things: clarity and consistency. (04:55):
undefined
First, let's talk aboutclarity.
You can't attract the rightpeople if you don't know who
they are.
That means getting really,really clear on your ideal
customer.
What do they worry about at 2a.m.?
What goals keep them movingforward?
What exact words do they usewhen they talk about their
(05:16):
struggle?
The more clarity you have, thebetter it's going to be.
The more you understand yourideal customer, the easier it's
going to be to talk to them.
Clarity also means knowing howyou want to be positioned.
Not just "I'm a coach," or "I'ma bookkeeper," but it could be
"I help overwhelmed coachessimplify their marketing," or "I
(05:37):
help growing businesses gettheir finances in order so they
can finally breathe easier."When you have clarity, you
naturally repel the wrong peopleand naturally attract the right
ones.
It's like a magnet.
If you have a magnet facing oneway, it will attract something.
If you have it facing the otherway, it will repel things.
I like to create an avatar formy ideal customer.
(05:59):
This customer is your bestcustomer, the one that spends
the most, is great to work with,and as ideal for your service.
If you're not sure who this is,download my free ideal customer
profile and I'll put the linkin the show notes for that.
It will really help you definewho it is you're talking to,
what you want to say to them,and how you can attract them to
(06:21):
you.
When you have an ideal customeravatar or ICA, it makes
everything so much easier.
Whatever you do in business,from writing headlines, to
emails, to even designing yourwebsite, you can ask yourself,
"Would my avatar like this?" Itsimplifies everything.
The second piece isconsistency.
Showing up regularly buildstrust.
(06:43):
People need to see you morethan just once before they take
action.
They used to say it takes seventouches to get a customer, but
in our busy, noisy world, thatnumber has increased a lot
lately.
Think about it.
If you only post once a monthor email once a quarter, you're
not going to be remembered.
In fact, when you do send outan email once a quarter, they're
(07:05):
not even going to remembersubscribing and they're going to
unsubscribe.
Your goal is to build arelationship on trust.
That means they can trust youto be there for them with
content that's relevant, andhelpful, and consistent.
That's how relationships work,right?
Consistency doesn't mean youneed to be everywhere all the
time.
It means picking the channelsthat matter most to your ideal
(07:28):
customer and showing up theresteadily with a value, insight,
and connection.
When you combine clarity withconsistency, you increase that
magnetic force.
The right people start showingup, reaching out, and saying, "I
feel like you're talkingdirectly to me." That's a win.
All right, let's make thispractical.
(07:49):
So how do you actually do this?
Here's some of my favoriteorganic methods.
First up, content marketing.
Share tips, insights, andbehind-the-scenes stories that
solve your customers' problems.
For example, a photographersharing three tips for feeling
comfortable on camera speaksdirectly to nervous clients.
Content can come in any numberof forms.
(08:10):
Video, podcast, social media,and even still blogging.
Blogging isn't dead.
AI is pulling from content onthe web, so make sure it's
optimized for search engines,and that will help you get found
even by AI.
Just a little side note.
Next, social media.
Don't just broadcast - engage.
Comment on posts.
Respond to DMs.
(08:31):
Ask questions.
Relationships are the way tooutsmart the algorithms.
Do you notice when somebodycomments on your posts?
Of course you do.
I do.
Especially when they do itconsistently.
It's easy enough to do that.
Don't just post and ghost.
Get into the comments and theDMs.
Next, email marketing.
Email marketing is stillgolden.
(08:53):
A consistent, helpfulnewsletter keeps you top of mind
for them.
Think of it as building along-term relationship with
people who already raise theirhand to hear from you.
I recommend reaching out weeklyto your audience.
Give them value.
When you're ready to sell tothem, they'll be more accepting.
Share excellent content andthey'll think of you when
they're ready to buy.
(09:14):
Next, referrals and word ofmouth.
Don't underestimate this.
The easiest way to attract moreof your dream clients is to
delight the ones you alreadyhave - so much that they can't
help but tell others.
And then incentivize referrals.
So send them a thank you giftif somebody sends a customer
your way.
Next, collaborations andpartnerships.
(09:35):
Borrow somebody else'saudience.
Be a podcast guest, partnerwith another business owner, or
do a joint workshop.
Get to know others who sharethe same audience and maybe a
slightly different business.
If you're a photographer, maybepartner with a makeup artist.
A bookkeeper might want to teamup with a marketing consultant.
Reach out on social media.
(09:55):
What's the worst that couldhappen?
They say no and you move on.
But if they say yes, you'vejust expanded your audience
exponentially and had fun in theprocess.
Finally, SEO and websitebasics.
If your dream clients aresearching for answers online,
and most of them are, you wantthem to be able to find you
easily.
That's where search engineoptimization or SEO comes in.
(10:18):
Even simple tweaks like clearmessaging on your homepage and
blog posts that answer FAQs canmake a huge difference.
SEO seems techy and scary, butI promise you it isn't.
There are simple things you cando on every page of your site
to make a difference.
I offer a free comprehensivechecklist for you to make sure
that your site is optimized forSEO, and I'll put the link in
(10:40):
the show notes today.
So what do all these thingshave in common?
You're building trust beforeyou ever ask for the sale.
But now let's take a minute andtalk about the traps.
There's a few traps that wefall into, some common sinkholes
that can get in the way ofattracting the right customer.
The first one is trying to talkto everyone.
(11:00):
When you water down yourmessage so that nobody feels
left out, no one feels likeyou're speaking to them.
That's why making sure youidentify and talk to your ideal
customer avatar, your ICA, withevery communication is so
important.
You're not leaving people out.
Others that even that aren'tyour ICA will come along for the
(11:20):
ride.
But you're aiming for your bestideal customer.
The second sinkhole isinconsistency.
Ghosting your audience killstrust.
When you're there weekly for afew weeks and then you fall off
the map, it makes you look likeyou're not dependable or solid.
Nobody wants to look like anamateur, so make sure you have
everything in place to beconsistent with whatever content
(11:42):
you decide to put out there.
The third trap is copyingcompetitors.
We've all thought, oh, that's agreat idea.
I should do that.
I can see it works for them.
But you're not them.
You have your own story, yourown strengths, and your own
unique voice.
Not that we can't use an ideaand try it for ourselves, never
copying, of course, but ask ifit's really right for your ICA
(12:06):
before jumping on to the nextshiny object.
And finally, expecting instantresults.
Organic attraction takes time,but it creates momentum that
lasts.
Once you find your message andyour pace, that's a time where
you can amplify with an adspend.
Remember, slow and steadybuilds a strong foundation.
(12:26):
So here's the big takeaway.
Attracting the right customersisn't about luck or a giant ad
budget.
It's about clarity andconsistency.
When you know who you'respeaking to and you show up for
them again and again, you createmagnetism.
And guess what?
That magnetism works whetheryou're just starting out or if
you've been in business foryears.
(12:48):
If you want some extra helpwith this, I've created a free
resource called the OverwhelmEntrepreneurs Marketing Strategy
Playbook.
It walks you through how to setup a simple marketing strategy
that actually works without theoverwhelm.
You can grab it at janicehostagercom forward slash trail,
or again, I'll put the link inthe show notes.
(13:08):
So for more information aboutanything we talked about today,
visit myweeklymarketingcomforward slash one twenty seven.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
I'll see you next time.
Bye for now.
I'm Janice Hostager.
After three decades in themarketing business and many
years of being an entrepreneur,I've learned a thing or two
about marketing.
Join me as we talk aboutmarketing, small business, and
life in between.
Welcome to My Weekly Marketing.
Hey and welcome to My WeeklyMarketing.
(00:30):
So let me ask you a question.
Have you ever felt like you'reputting all this work in your
marketing, posting on socialmedia, writing emails, maybe
even going to networking events,but the people who show up are
not your people?
They either don't have thebudget or don't see the value in
what you do, or worse, theysuck up all your energy and
(00:50):
you're left wondering if youeven like being in business.
Okay, you're not alone.
I have been there too.
What I've learned over theyears is attracting the right
customers, which is your dreamclients, doesn't happen by
accident.
And you don't need to spendthousands of dollars on ads to
make it happen.
In fact, the real secret ismuch simpler, and today I'm
(01:11):
going to break it down for you.
By the end of this episode,you'll know exactly how to
attract the right people to yourbusiness without paid ads so
that your marketing startsfeeling lighter, more natural,
and way more effective.
And if you stick around to theend, I'll share a free resource
that can help you take action onthis right away.
Okay, so let's start with thewhy.
(01:32):
Why does attracting the rightcustomers matter so much?
Well, let me give you anexample.
I grew up in Minnesota, land of10,000 lakes, so I spent my
share of time in canoes,especially in high school when I
went on a couple canoe tripsdown rivers.
It's great when you're headingdownstream in a canoe.
The sun is in your face, thecurrent just takes you right
(01:53):
along.
It's super easy and superenjoyable.
But if you have to go againstthe current, it's practically
impossible to get where you wantto be.
That's how it is when you'reworking with the wrong clients.
It's like trying to steer acanoe against the current.
You're working really hard, butyou're not really going
anywhere, and in fact, you maystart moving backwards.
(02:13):
You can spend time answeringendless client questions,
discounting your services,chasing invoices, and it will
quickly drain your energy.
But here's the tricky thing.
It feels like you're workinghard.
So you are getting leads, butin reality, you're not going
anywhere because you mightactually be moving backwards
with the wrong customers.
(02:35):
But when you're working withthe right clients, the opposite
happens.
Your work feels easier.
Conversations flow naturally.
They see your value and theypay on time and they tell their
friends about you.
It's like moving with thecurrent in a canoe.
I remember a time early in mydesign agency business that I
used to have when I said yes toeveryone.
(02:57):
I thought more customers meantmore success.
Who wouldn't, right?
And in the early days, it'ssort of like that.
Sometimes we just have to takea client.
But you know what it reallymeant?
It meant burnout.
One client in particular tookso much of my energy, constant
scope creep, never satisfied,nickel and dime me, asked for
(03:17):
discounts, etc., that I realizedone wrong client can block the
right ones from even gettingthrough the door.
Because obviously, if I amworking so hard on the wrong
client, I'm not going to havetime for the right one.
When I shifted my focus to theright fit clients, everything
changed for me.
Marketing became so muchsimpler because I wasn't trying
(03:38):
to talk or work with everyone.
I was talking directly to thepeople I wanted to work with the
most, my ideal customer avatar.
That's why this episodematters, because you deserve to
spend your time with people wholight you up and not the people
that drain you dry.
So first, let's bust a myth.
So many entrepreneurs think,"If I just had a bigger ad
(04:00):
budget, I'd get the rightclients." But here's the
problem (04:03):
ads amplify what we're already saying.
If your message is off, if yourstrategy is unclear, ads will
just send the wrong people toyou faster, and it will end up
costing you money.
I like to think of ads as amegaphone.
If you're whispering the wrongmessage to the megaphone, it
doesn't matter how loud it gets,you're still saying the wrong
(04:23):
thing.
That's why organic attractionis the foundation.
You need clarity andconsistency before you ever
think about running ads.
Ads pour gasoline on a firethat's already burning.
You don't want to try and startthe fire from scratch with an
ad, if that made sense.
This ties right into my Trailto the Sale framework, which is
all about having a clearstrategy to lead your customers
(04:45):
from awareness all the way tobecoming a happy, loyal client.
Ads can be part of that trail,but they're not the trail
itself.
Okay, so what's the secret?
It boils down to two things: clarity and consistency. (04:55):
undefined
First, let's talk aboutclarity.
You can't attract the rightpeople if you don't know who
they are.
That means getting really,really clear on your ideal
customer.
What do they worry about at 2a.m.?
What goals keep them movingforward?
What exact words do they usewhen they talk about their
(05:16):
struggle?
The more clarity you have, thebetter it's going to be.
The more you understand yourideal customer, the easier it's
going to be to talk to them.
Clarity also means knowing howyou want to be positioned.
Not just "I'm a coach," or "I'ma bookkeeper," but it could be
"I help overwhelmed coachessimplify their marketing," or "I
(05:37):
help growing businesses gettheir finances in order so they
can finally breathe easier."When you have clarity, you
naturally repel the wrong peopleand naturally attract the right
ones.
It's like a magnet.
If you have a magnet facing oneway, it will attract something.
If you have it facing the otherway, it will repel things.
I like to create an avatar formy ideal customer.
(05:59):
This customer is your bestcustomer, the one that spends
the most, is great to work with,and as ideal for your service.
If you're not sure who this is,download my free ideal customer
profile and I'll put the linkin the show notes for that.
It will really help you definewho it is you're talking to,
what you want to say to them,and how you can attract them to
(06:21):
you.
When you have an ideal customeravatar or ICA, it makes
everything so much easier.
Whatever you do in business,from writing headlines, to
emails, to even designing yourwebsite, you can ask yourself,
"Would my avatar like this?" Itsimplifies everything.
The second piece isconsistency.
Showing up regularly buildstrust.
(06:43):
People need to see you morethan just once before they take
action.
They used to say it takes seventouches to get a customer, but
in our busy, noisy world, thatnumber has increased a lot
lately.
Think about it.
If you only post once a monthor email once a quarter, you're
not going to be remembered.
In fact, when you do send outan email once a quarter, they're
(07:05):
not even going to remembersubscribing and they're going to
unsubscribe.
Your goal is to build arelationship on trust.
That means they can trust youto be there for them with
content that's relevant, andhelpful, and consistent.
That's how relationships work,right?
Consistency doesn't mean youneed to be everywhere all the
time.
It means picking the channelsthat matter most to your ideal
(07:28):
customer and showing up theresteadily with a value, insight,
and connection.
When you combine clarity withconsistency, you increase that
magnetic force.
The right people start showingup, reaching out, and saying, "I
feel like you're talkingdirectly to me." That's a win.
All right, let's make thispractical.
(07:49):
So how do you actually do this?
Here's some of my favoriteorganic methods.
First up, content marketing.
Share tips, insights, andbehind-the-scenes stories that
solve your customers' problems.
For example, a photographersharing three tips for feeling
comfortable on camera speaksdirectly to nervous clients.
Content can come in any numberof forms.
(08:10):
Video, podcast, social media,and even still blogging.
Blogging isn't dead.
AI is pulling from content onthe web, so make sure it's
optimized for search engines,and that will help you get found
even by AI.
Just a little side note.
Next, social media.
Don't just broadcast - engage.
Comment on posts.
Respond to DMs.
(08:31):
Ask questions.
Relationships are the way tooutsmart the algorithms.
Do you notice when somebodycomments on your posts?
Of course you do.
I do.
Especially when they do itconsistently.
It's easy enough to do that.
Don't just post and ghost.
Get into the comments and theDMs.
Next, email marketing.
Email marketing is stillgolden.
(08:53):
A consistent, helpfulnewsletter keeps you top of mind
for them.
Think of it as building along-term relationship with
people who already raise theirhand to hear from you.
I recommend reaching out weeklyto your audience.
Give them value.
When you're ready to sell tothem, they'll be more accepting.
Share excellent content andthey'll think of you when
they're ready to buy.
(09:14):
Next, referrals and word ofmouth.
Don't underestimate this.
The easiest way to attract moreof your dream clients is to
delight the ones you alreadyhave - so much that they can't
help but tell others.
And then incentivize referrals.
So send them a thank you giftif somebody sends a customer
your way.
Next, collaborations andpartnerships.
(09:35):
Borrow somebody else'saudience.
Be a podcast guest, partnerwith another business owner, or
do a joint workshop.
Get to know others who sharethe same audience and maybe a
slightly different business.
If you're a photographer, maybepartner with a makeup artist.
A bookkeeper might want to teamup with a marketing consultant.
Reach out on social media.
(09:55):
What's the worst that couldhappen?
They say no and you move on.
But if they say yes, you'vejust expanded your audience
exponentially and had fun in theprocess.
Finally, SEO and websitebasics.
If your dream clients aresearching for answers online,
and most of them are, you wantthem to be able to find you
easily.
That's where search engineoptimization or SEO comes in.
(10:18):
Even simple tweaks like clearmessaging on your homepage and
blog posts that answer FAQs canmake a huge difference.
SEO seems techy and scary, butI promise you it isn't.
There are simple things you cando on every page of your site
to make a difference.
I offer a free comprehensivechecklist for you to make sure
that your site is optimized forSEO, and I'll put the link in
(10:40):
the show notes today.
So what do all these thingshave in common?
You're building trust beforeyou ever ask for the sale.
But now let's take a minute andtalk about the traps.
There's a few traps that wefall into, some common sinkholes
that can get in the way ofattracting the right customer.
The first one is trying to talkto everyone.
(11:00):
When you water down yourmessage so that nobody feels
left out, no one feels likeyou're speaking to them.
That's why making sure youidentify and talk to your ideal
customer avatar, your ICA, withevery communication is so
important.
You're not leaving people out.
Others that even that aren'tyour ICA will come along for the
(11:20):
ride.
But you're aiming for your bestideal customer.
The second sinkhole isinconsistency.
Ghosting your audience killstrust.
When you're there weekly for afew weeks and then you fall off
the map, it makes you look likeyou're not dependable or solid.
Nobody wants to look like anamateur, so make sure you have
everything in place to beconsistent with whatever content
(11:42):
you decide to put out there.
The third trap is copyingcompetitors.
We've all thought, oh, that's agreat idea.
I should do that.
I can see it works for them.
But you're not them.
You have your own story, yourown strengths, and your own
unique voice.
Not that we can't use an ideaand try it for ourselves, never
copying, of course, but ask ifit's really right for your ICA
(12:06):
before jumping on to the nextshiny object.
And finally, expecting instantresults.
Organic attraction takes time,but it creates momentum that
lasts.
Once you find your message andyour pace, that's a time where
you can amplify with an adspend.
Remember, slow and steadybuilds a strong foundation.
(12:26):
So here's the big takeaway.
Attracting the right customersisn't about luck or a giant ad
budget.
It's about clarity andconsistency.
When you know who you'respeaking to and you show up for
them again and again, you createmagnetism.
And guess what?
That magnetism works whetheryou're just starting out or if
you've been in business foryears.
(12:48):
If you want some extra helpwith this, I've created a free
resource called the OverwhelmEntrepreneurs Marketing Strategy
Playbook.
It walks you through how to setup a simple marketing strategy
that actually works without theoverwhelm.
You can grab it at janicehostagercom forward slash trail,
or again, I'll put the link inthe show notes.
(13:08):
So for more information aboutanything we talked about today,
visit myweeklymarketingcomforward slash one twenty seven.
Thank you so much for joiningme today.
I'll see you next time.
Bye for now.
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