Where do my clients hangout?

[Excel-Expert]

I have gone through the process of identifying two customer types that are my ideal customers, and I have built a mini profile around each.

The first (called Duncan) are directors that are under pressure to get work done with data but either (a) doesn't have the time to wait for their own teams to complete work (happens a lot in big companies), or (b) wants the work done away from eyes in the business (happens a lot). These are normally operations directors or directors in charge of changing and updating processes in a business

The second (called Alex) is an office worker (often a team/department manager or an operations manager) who ends up with too much data and reporting work to do themselves. Their desktops are a sea of spreadsheets. They are seen as low priority reports by the IT department, but high priority by Alex's bosses. So he needs someone he can turn to that he can off load work to.

The question is how do I find out where Alex and Duncan hang out? Especially on LinkedIn. For Duncan, I could join groups for directors of large companies, but I am not a director myself - I would soon get kicked out or wouldn't be able to contribute much, making it pointless.

 

[japancool]

I recently completed a project to move 350 spreadsheets with around 1500 workbooks to SQL Server with Excel as a front end.

The client was an "Alex", or more accurately, a department of Alexes. The project isn't something our company normally does, but we provide other IT and telecom services to them, and they asked us to assist, so muggins here, the internal database programmer, got handed the project.

I imagine there are companies in our position who would have clients looking for similar assistance. You could pitch your services to them.

 

[Excel-Expert]

The fact you recognise "Alex" reassures me my profiling is on the right track - Thanks.

BTW "Alex" is based on a real-life Alex and he was as described above. I started working for "Alex" on a few jobs and then I ended up being employed by the company he worked for (that is where I vanished for the last 5 years).

I have worked with a few IT/Telecoms support companies in the past and basically, white labelled my services for them. It kind of worked but wasn't completely successful (nothing went wrong, it just wasn't my main focus at the time). It could be worth me trying it again.

 

[NickGrogan]

You don't need to know where Duncan and Alex hang out, you need to make somewhere for Duncan and Alex to hang out.

This could be on Linkedin or other social media, but it's better if it's somewhere you control eventually - like moving them to a mailing list.

Create a tool for Duncan / Alex
Create a web page that does something useful, like converting an excel query to SQL or something
Create how-to guides for stuff that's annoying, but not worth your time

How to import a column of numbers into access as text for example.

Promote any/all of the above on Linkedin or wherever and then use it to collect email subscribers.

 

[Excel-Expert]

Thanks @NickGrogan. That is certainly a big part of my plans - I already have a huge pile of content lined up (I don't go live until August 1st) and I have planned out how I am going to get it all written up. I also have a load of Excel-based tools and utilities ready to give away.

However, until I get that built up and to a critical mass I have no choice but to chase Duncan and Alex about. It is a chicken and egg kind of thing.

 

[NickGrogan]

Find the excel experts that are already on LinkedIn and comment on their posts, adding your own insight, correcting things, showing a better way, etc.

They already have the following.

Same on Twitter or wherever.