How To Market Your Services Correctly in 2026

Quick Overview

Successful people spend money to save time, while unsuccessful people spend time to save money, a key lesson Chris Do learned from his coach emphasizing the value of investing in efficiency and expertise to achieve greater financial returns and professional growth, illustrated by his own business scaling from $100k to $200k projects by focusing on ideal client profiles who value premium services.

Key Points: Successful people prioritize spending money to save time, whereas unsuccessful people spend time trying to save money. Chris Do learned that focusing on an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) who has high spending capacity (like the 45-year-old VP/Presume who makes $200k+) unlocks higher-value projects, exemplified by his own jump from $100k to $200k+ jobs. The speaker contrasts chasing low-paying clients (who are often broke and demand too much) with attracting high-value clients who align in taste and creativity and are happy to pay premium rates. A crucial business lesson is that if your client's perceived value of your work is low, they will trade up to someone else, leading to a 'dead chase' scenario for creatives. The process involves deep psychographic understanding (not just demographics) of the ideal client to build empathy and ensure alignment in taste and creativity. The speaker advises against operating on a small percentage of a client's budget (e.g., 10% of $200k = $20k) and instead securing clients who can afford 10x that amount ($200k+).

Context: Chris Do shares critical business lessons learned from his coach, contrasting the mindsets of successful and unsuccessful service providers, particularly focusing on the importance of defining and targeting an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) with significant financial means and shared values rather than chasing every available project or client.

Detailed Analysis

The central theme of the presentation is the distinction between successful and unsuccessful business practices, primarily revolving around how one values time versus money when dealing with clients. Successful individuals, like the example of the VP/Presume Chris Do wrote on the board (Age 45, Married, 2 kids aged 8 & 14, Income $200k+), invest money in processes and expertise to save time, allowing them to scale to larger, more lucrative projects (e.g., from $100k to $200k+ jobs). Conversely, unsuccessful individuals waste time trying to save money, often ending up chasing low-paying clients who are not aligned in taste or creativity. The speaker emphasizes that if you don't deeply understand your ICP's psychographics—their feelings, fears, and aspirations—you risk doing a 'dead chase' where clients who value creativity eventually trade up to someone who commands higher rates. The key takeaway is that deep empathy and focusing efforts on clients who can afford and appreciate world-class service (like the $200k+ clients who spend 10% annually on marketing) leads to sustainable, high-value business growth.