Why Ideal Isn’t Always Real
In the world of B2B marketing, we’re told to define our “ideal client” and build everything around them—our messaging, our content marketing, our sales pitch. But what happens when the person you’ve been designing for… doesn’t actually exist?
In this episode of The Marketing Phoenix Podcast, Melissa “Rogo” Rogozinski invites legal tech advisor Jared Carrillo to unpack a major problem in many marketing strategies: we’re often chasing an imagined audience while overlooking the one already knocking on our door.
This conversation is a wake-up call for lead generation agencies, sales teams, and marketers in law firms and B2B companies. You’ll learn how to base your growth strategy on real client conversations, real-time data, and the customer base you actually serve. When you stop guessing and start listening, your marketing efforts become more precise, your qualified leads improve, and your conversion rates rise.
Section 1: Why the “Ideal Client” May Be Hurting Your Growth
Most marketers are told to define their ideal client profile (ICP)—and that’s not necessarily wrong. But as Jared and Melissa explain, many teams stop there. They never validate that ICP against real customer experiences or sales data. That disconnect creates a marketing engine designed for the wrong audience.
When this happens, sales teams start reporting misaligned leads, marketing assets go underused, and your conversion rates flatline. You might be offering great products or services, but if they’re marketed to the wrong target audience, even the best content marketing won’t save you.
Melissa shares how this shows up in real life: an audience engaging with your podcast or newsletter might not be the same people who actually buy from you. And if you never close the loop—never ask, “Who are the people who convert, and why?”—you could be scaling the wrong strategy.
The solution? Build your real client persona based on interviews, CRM data, and closed-won reports. Treat your target market as a living, evolving group—and design for them.
Section 2: Content Strategy Starts With Real People
According to Jared, many law firms and legal tech providers want to become thought leaders—but they often define “thought leadership” too narrowly. Posting LinkedIn tips, recording a podcast, or writing a blog doesn’t automatically establish trust or credibility.
True thought leadership, they argue, starts by showing that you understand your audience’s actual problems. That means going beyond assumptions and tapping into your customer base. Who is already buying from you? Who is referring you? What’s keeping them up at night?
These insights don’t just support your marketing strategies—they shape your entire approach to business growth. If your content isn’t aligned with what your audience is really struggling with, it won’t generate the kind of qualified leads your sales team needs to succeed.
Content marketing that’s rooted in real-time feedback—whether from surveys, interviews, or CRM analytics—is more likely to resonate, get shared, and spark meaningful conversations. And that translates into long-term results.
Section 3: The Risk of “We Do Everything” Messaging
Another pitfall Melissa and Jared discuss is the generic “we do everything” pitch. This type of messaging often shows up in B2B marketing and lead generation services, especially when businesses feel pressure to appeal to everyone.
But this broad positioning can backfire.
When your products and services are communicated too vaguely, your audience has no clear reason to choose you. The more general your messaging, the more invisible you become.
In contrast, brands that articulate a focused value proposition based on their actual customer experiences tend to see stronger engagement, more strategic partnerships, and better product development outcomes.
It’s better to say “we help mid-sized law firms reduce eDiscovery costs by 30%” than to say “we’re a full-service legal tech provider.” The former speaks directly to your target market with specificity. The latter gets lost in the noise.
Section 4: Use Data to Refine Your Real Persona
One of the most actionable takeaways from this episode is how to use your CRM and lead tracking tools to build a real client persona.
Start by looking at your lead source reports. Where are your best clients coming from? Which content, events, or campaigns are driving the highest conversion rates? Then layer in sales team insights: who are they actually talking to, and what are those conversations revealing about needs, objections, and intent?
This combination of marketing and sales data allows you to fine-tune your persona with evidence—not guesswork. And the results affect more than your campaigns. They impact product development, pricing strategy, and even customer retention planning.
For example, if you notice that all of your best deals come from referrals rather than inbound leads, it may be time to invest in a strategic partnerships program rather than another paid ad campaign.
Or maybe your CRM shows that new clients always read one specific blog article before booking a call. That’s a signal to double down on content marketing that targets that buyer stage—and to repurpose that article into emails, LinkedIn posts, and podcast episodes.
In short: your real client persona already exists. You just need to look at the data, listen to your sales teams, and then turn those insights into action.
Section 5: Repurpose for Reach and Results
Content is time-consuming to create. But if you start with a strong, relevant idea—something rooted in your target audience’s needs—you can repurpose it across platforms to drive consistent results.
Melissa recommends choosing one “anchor” content type (such as a podcast, blog, or video) and building your other assets from that. For example, if a podcast episode performs well with your customer base, you can turn it into a carousel post, a series of email newsletters, a short-form video clip, and even a webinar topic.
Repurposing not only increases visibility, it supports customer retention and improves marketing efficiency. You’re meeting your audience where they are with the same core insight, adapted to different formats.
And when your content strategy is driven by real client needs, every repurposed piece strengthens your position as a trusted resource—not just a brand trying to sell.
Section 6: Know When to Walk Away
Finally, Jared and Melissa explore one of the harder lessons in client acquisition: knowing when to walk away. Not every lead is a good fit, and pushing a sale where there’s a values mismatch—or a bad cultural fit—can backfire.
The most successful lead generation agencies and marketing teams understand this. They design their messaging, sales funnels, and onboarding processes not only to attract but also to filter out. That’s a good thing.
Your target audience isn’t “everyone”—and your most powerful marketing strategies are those that help you focus. When you’re clear on who your real client is, you can say no to the wrong ones faster, and build deeper loyalty with the right ones.
Conclusion: Real Over Ideal Wins Every Time
If your marketing strategy is built entirely around an imagined persona, you’re missing opportunities—and possibly wasting money. Instead, turn to the audience you already have: your customer base, your lead data, your sales team insights.
Start building content marketing, messaging, and sales alignment around the people who are already saying yes. Use real-time feedback, CRM data, and direct conversations to guide your decisions.
This doesn’t just drive qualified leads. It improves customer retention, enhances your customer experiences, and lays the foundation for long-term success.
You don’t need a more polished pitch. You need a more honest one—built from what’s already working.