We’ve all been there.
We spend time carefully defining our “ideal client.” We get excited about working with those purpose-driven business owners, or those high-potential leaders ready to grow. We write our brand messages, post on social media, build a website, and set intentions.
And then the phone rings or the inbox pings… and we’re attracting the wrong people.
The ones who want discounts.
The ones who want you to do all the work.
The ones who ghost after one session or expect miracles without effort.
It’s disheartening. It’s confusing.
And it’s very, very common.
Over the past 38 years—first in retail, later in coaching—I’ve seen this same pattern emerge again and again: there’s often a massive gap between the audience we think we’re speaking to and the one actually showing up. This blog is about that gap.
The Misalignment Between Brand Messaging and Client Attraction
1. The Ideal Client Illusion
Most businesses—whether a corner bakery, a law firm, or a coaching practice—have some version of an “ideal client profile.” Maybe they even hired someone to help them build it. These profiles are often based on:
- Income level
- Industry or job title
- Psychographics (ambition, pain points, values)
- Age and stage of life or business
But here’s the truth: ideal client profiles are often aspirational, not actual.
They reflect who we want to work with, not who we are truly equipped (or positioned) to serve. Sometimes they’re based on who we think we should want—especially if we’re trying to scale or “uplevel” our offering.
So we market to the top-tier entrepreneur, but price like we’re still in startup mode.
We say we want long-term partnerships, but our funnel and sales process attract one-off problem solvers.
And then we wonder why our “ideal” clients never show up.
2. What You Say vs. What They Hear
Your message isn’t what you type—it’s what’s received.
In my retail days, we would spend weeks planning campaigns, packaging language just right. But the most telling data came not from what we wrote, but from who actually responded. Promotions intended to attract premium buyers often brought in bargain-hunters. Freebie campaigns rarely translated to loyal customers.
And now, as a coach, I see the same thing happening with social media posts, course launches, and even emails.
We say: “This program is for ambitious business owners who are ready to grow.”
But if our content consistently focuses on pain, burnout, and struggle, we may actually be attracting those still in survival mode—because that’s who resonates most.
We say: “I work with committed leaders.”
But our own inconsistent posting, discounting, or over-explaining may signal that we’re not holding strong boundaries—so we attract people who test them.
Your content is a mirror.
It reflects where you truly stand.
It amplifies not just what you intend—but what you tolerate.
Why the Wrong Audience Keeps Showing Up
So, if we’re putting “positive intentions” out there, why are we still attracting the wrong clients?
Because intention is only half the equation. The rest is positioning, pricing, presence, and patterns.
Let’s unpack that.
1. Positioning Problems
Your positioning is the place you occupy in the market.
Are you positioned as a premium brand or a starter solution?
Are you the expert or the best-kept secret?
Do people find you through referrals or random hashtags?
Your content might sound high-value, but if your offers are all “just starting out” programs… your positioning may be unclear.
The wrong clients aren’t always bad people.
They’re often just responding to the invitation you’ve unconsciously extended.
2. Pricing Confusion
One of the clearest filters for attracting the right clients is your pricing.
I learned this early in retail: premium brands don’t just have better packaging—they have pricing that signals quality. And those price tags repel bargain hunters on purpose.
The same applies in coaching and service businesses.
If your pricing doesn’t match your ideal client’s perception of value, you’ll attract clients looking for a deal—not a transformation.
3. Presence and Energy
Yes, we’re getting a bit intangible here—but this matters.
The energy you show up with communicates far more than your landing page. Are you showing up with confidence, consistency, and clarity? Or are you still second-guessing your value?
Potential clients feel your energy long before they meet you.
If you’re marketing from a place of scarcity, doubt, or desperation, it leaks through every word—even if the graphics look polished.
4. Patterns of Tolerance
Here’s where it gets uncomfortable: we attract the wrong clients when we haven’t yet healed the parts of ourselves that still tolerate misalignment.
You can declare “I only work with clients who respect my time”—but if you consistently over-deliver, undercharge, or say yes to red-flag requests, you’ll keep drawing in the ones who don’t.
This isn’t about blame. It’s about ownership.
As I often say in coaching: your business is a mirror.
It reflects your boundaries, beliefs, and blind spots.
From Retail Floors to Coaching Rooms: What I’ve Learned
In retail, we learned quickly that packaging matters.
So does placement. So does the way you greet someone when they walk through the door.
That physical space taught me the importance of first impressions and silent messages—the things your brand is saying even when your mouth is closed.
As a coach, the lesson deepened.
Because now it wasn’t just about visual presentation—it was about emotional resonance.
If I spoke with passion, but my systems were a mess, the wrong clients would feel the dissonance and either ghost—or worse, sign up and then become a drain.
Over the years, I’ve learned to listen to the data.
Not the likes. Not the comments. But the pattern of who engages, converts, and sticks around.
The clients who finish the program.
The ones who refer.
The ones who light up the room and elevate others.
Those are the ones to build from.
How to Align Messaging with Your Ideal Client
If you’re reading this and realising, “Wow, I’ve been attracting the wrong audience,” don’t panic.
Here’s how to start shifting the pattern.
1. Audit Your Content Voice
Go back through your social posts, emails, and offers. Look at the tone, not just the topic.
Are you:
- Leading with pain or possibility?
- Speaking to beginners or established business owners?
- Offering support or solutions?
- Sounding grounded or apologetic?
Even subtle shifts—like changing “I hope this helps” to “Here’s what works”—can transform how you’re perceived.
2. Clarify Your Filters
A clear message not only attracts—it filters.
Who is this not for? What do you say no to?
If your application form, discovery call script, or homepage doesn’t include qualifiers, you may be inviting misalignment.
Don’t be afraid to say:
“This program isn’t for everyone. It’s for those who are ready to do the work, invest in themselves, and take ownership.”
3. Let Results Do the Talking
The best way to attract ideal clients?
Showcase the results of ideal clients you’ve already helped.
Case studies, testimonials, stories—not just about how great you are, but about how they showed up.
Celebrate the behaviour you want to see more of.
4. Stand in Your Value
This might be the hardest—and most powerful—shift of all.
It requires you to stop chasing, explaining, and justifying… and start embodying.
When you stand fully in the value of your work, the wrong clients will self-select out. That’s a good thing.
Because space opens up for the right ones to step in.
Final Thoughts: You Teach the Market How to Treat You
If you’re attracting clients who are inconsistent, demanding, or uncommitted—it’s not because you’re failing.
It’s because somewhere in your message, your method, or your mindset… there’s a match.
The good news? You can change it.
I’ve done it—multiple times, across multiple careers.
So have my clients.
The magic happens when your inner alignment meets your outer message.
When you stop chasing and start curating.
When you stop being surprised by misaligned clients—because you’ve learned how to filter them out before they ever step through the door.
So here’s your prompt, if you’re ready:
Clarity Practice:
What messages—spoken or unspoken—might be inviting the wrong audience into your business?
And what are you now ready to change?
Your ideal clients are out there.
But first, you must become the business that speaks directly to them—and unapologetically filters the rest.
