Seeking Validation In Your Foot Care Business

When I started discussing the lack of foot care services years ago, the problem wasn't as prevalent as it is today.

I didn't receive the validation from the medical community I often sought after. 

Perhaps people didn't understand what it was because the concept of a foot care nurse was so new. Perhaps my delivery was not on point. That didn't deter my efforts. I knew there was a gap within our healthcare system setting as evident by what I witnessed in the hospital. 

When I began building Everyday Divinity, I had the validation of the patients, and this was the most important. After all, this was my ideal client. The patients were all having the same difficulty finding help. Performing their own foot care had become a burden. You don't need the validation of everyone to know you have something that will work, you only need the validation of your ideal client.

So, who is your ideal client? 

Your ideal client is someone who connects with your idea. Someone who is going to buy from you or use your services. You know their struggles and pain points and most importantly, you know their fears. And when you understand someone's struggles, pain points, and fears you can begin to connect with that person. When you know how to fix or solve their problem, your business becomes the solution to your ideal client. 

How do you assess if someone is your ideal client? 

As you are discussing your business proposition, the person you are talking to is really listening. They may be engaging or asking questions. Let me clarify, they are asking the right questions. Not the doubting question kind. I am talking about the “tell me more because I think I need this” type of questions. 

Let’s look at a foot care business for example. 

Our ideal client is someone who needs foot care services because they are no longer able to achieve this for themselves. This can be seniors or pregnant women!  

As we know, seniors lack the resources to access routine foot care services, and pregnant women may struggle to reach her feet. Granted the pregnant population may prefer the spa experience. Our seniors, we know their struggle/pain point may be in providing the service for themselves. 

We also know that they may struggle finding someone to provide the service for them. Insurance restrictions put on the podiatry industry has limited their offerings significantly. As we address the fear factors of our seniors some of them may fear the community podiatrist. Yes, this is a problem. I have heard of many not-so-great experiences that seniors have had with a certain podiatrist. They are quick to tell you all about it. 

The other fears patients often present with is they have been hurt, cut or harmed during the last foot care service. This can be from a Doctor, family member or from a salon. Once they have sustained pain or injury, they are very apprehensive. 

The ideal client may also extend beyond the patients themselves also. Over the years, I would learn that the Directors of senior living and senior centers struggled with finding someone to offer a foot care clinic within their facility.  

Once you focus your marketing efforts on your ideal client, your marketing efforts can extend out to others. You are no longer trying to sell or convince everyone that they need your product or your services because those who need it, get it right away. 

Not everyone is going to need your services, and that is OK! Spend your time wisely. Get to know your ideal client and understand how you can serve them. Growth in your foot care business is all the validation you need!

Learn more about growing a successful nursing business with the help of The Foot and Nail Institute®.