Asking the right questions is so important when it comes to designing successful campaigns to build your personal chef business and get more clients dialing your number. Getting the right answers is just as crucial. You have to match the right services to the right clients and understand where they're coming from in order to do it successfully.

When is it appropriate to think outside of the box and 'WOW' your clients and when should you stick to the tried and true?

Considering, to some, adding extras is a welcomed surprise and viewed as going the extra mile and pays off in dividends, while to others it can be taken as an insult and seen as both inappropriate, inefficient and a waste of their resources [even if you're the one footing the bill and springing for the extras]. You're going to want to know which category you're falling into, at what times and under what circumstances.

In this article I'm going to go over a series of questions that will help you get the best snapshot of who your ideal personal chef clients are, get them booked and help you not only stay on their good side, but increase your chances of repeat and referral business.

When it comes to building your thriving client base you've gotta be clear on who those individuals are. Years ago, in my production days, I use to create character backgrounds. This is where I would take the characters in a proposed production and create their life stories: who they were, what they wanted in life, what their hardships were, their strengths and weaknesses, education, family life, etc. What all this did was give a detailed backdrop behind the psychology of the character, which gave the writer the foundation on which to create a believable storyline.

You pretty much need to do the same thing to understand your ideal personal chef client base. Look at it from these two perspectives: 1.)Who you'd like to work with and 2.)Who'd like to work with you.

Here are some great questions to begin with. Answer these questions, in as much detail as possible to get the best understanding of your ideal client.

• Who's your ideal client?
• Where do they shop, play, vacation, work?
• What do they like, want, need?
• What do they value most?
• What's they're annual income/hourly wages?
• Where do they live?
• What's their highest level of education?
• What are their social norms?
• What political party do they belong to?
• What are their religious beliefs and convictions?
• What types of publications do they read and/or programs do they watch?
• Do they have a housekeeper/house cleaning service, gardener?
• Do they have children? if so, Do they use a nanny service or are they more hands-on in the raising of their kids?
• Are they more private or public people?
• Where do they see themselves in the next 5, 10, 20 years?
• What types of entertainment do they take part in?
• What car do they drive? [describe it in full detail]
• What type of house do they live in? [describe in full detail]
• How do they maintain themselves? [house, attire, car, etc.]
• What type of community do they live in? [describe in full detail]
• What are their family values?
• What are their ethical norms?
• Are they analytical, creative, structured in their approaches, spontaneous?
• What types of folks do they keep as friends?
• What's their personality type?
• Where are they located?
• Do they like surprises or do they want only what they pay for and nothing more?
• Do they foster lasting relationships or do they burn through friends and acquaintances fairly quickly?
• Do they know that your services exist?
• Do they recognize that they need your services?
• What type of clothes do they wear? [describe in full detail]
• Are they creatures of habit or are they all over the board?
• What are their strengths and weaknesses?
• What are their influencers and motivators?
• How do you get an audience with them? Are they approachable or do you need an introduction?
• How do you get more of the same?
• Why would your services be important to them? How can your services bring them benefit that justify their investment in you?

The more you know about your ideal client, the better you are able to speak their language, appeal to their value systems and place your services in their line of sight.

Although breaking down these 40+ questions is time consuming, if done properly, can give you one of the best insurance plans against trying to grow the wrong client base and getting caught off-guard, losing a contract and worst yet, getting a bad rep.

Discover more personal chef business building tools and resources here where we'll delve deeper into the 'whys' and 'hows' of the questions in this article.

I'm dedicated to helping you achieve your personal chef business success! Follow my channel where we roll up our sleeves and design the most innovative growth and exposure strategies for your year.