[UPDATED] How To Define Your Ideal Client!

Joie Thompson April 20, 2020 5 Comments

Many businesses have got it all worked out about what they are about and what they are selling. There are quarterly reviews and evaluation sessions that ensure targets given are achieved. That’s exceptional and fine.

But you find that this is not the case for most businesses. They have an idea of what they are about, the kind of business they want to become but are not clear on the people they need to help them achieve that goal. If you don’t know who you want to sell to, or who it is best for your business to sell to, your best laid out plans will likely fall through.

In this post, I will take you through a few steps you need to consider or questions you need to answer to help you define who your ideal clients are.

Defining your ideal client is key to developing and selling products/services that will speak directly to their needs and desires. Your client will only buy from you if what you have to offer contains the solution to their problem.

So how do you identify who your ideal client is?

Your ideal client is that “person” who finds the perfect solution to his problems or needs in the services or products you provide. They are the customers you would like to have hundreds more of.

In defining your ideal client, there is some basic information you need to have such as; Gender, Age, Education, Occupation, Income level, etc. This can be categorized as the demography of your ideal client.

You can also drill further down to how your ideal client thinks, feels, what he says, what he does etc. This consists of their Personality, Attitudes, Beliefs, Values, Lifestyle, Interests, etc.

Then you also have the Geography of your ideal client: where do they live, where do they work, their network, etc.

Then finally, find out what their needs/problems/pains are and ask yourself how what you sell is a solution to that need.

A much simpler way to look at it is by asking yourself these questions:

1. Who is your ideal customer? (That person you want to have hundreds more of)
2. What benefit is your ideal customer looking for as a solution to his wants or needs?
3. What does your competitor provide in addressing those needs? (What do they do better than you or worse than you?)
4. What solution do you provide? (What things do you better and worse than your competitors?)
5. What is your ideal client’s biggest problem that is not being met? Many people term it as “that thing they are constantly looking for a solution to”…  how can you help them solve it?

Once you are able to clearly articulate the answers to the questions above, you are well on your way to defining your ideal clients. You will come up with what is called a “customer avatar”.

And then, anytime you are talking to potential customers, whether it’s to tell them of new services, discounts, promotions, etc, you do so like you are talking to that one person – your customer avatar.

Believe it or not, implementing this one strategy has the potential to transform your business because now, you’re talking directly to your customers, you know who they are, what they think, how they feel and they will see you as a friend and adviser who knows them and cares about them enough to offer them a solution.

Let’s have an example so it’s clearer.

Let’s say you sell used cars for a living and I am your ideal client.

Here is a simple example of what your customer avatar might look like using the parameters I listed above:

 “Her name is Mosun, a female business owner, aged 33, Christian, internet marketing savvy, loves traveling, love being with lots of people and going out with friends, income btw N150,000 – N200,000 per month, live at Isolo, spends a lot of time on her computer, has very little time for herself, wants to be able to move around easily and feels a car will help her but does not feel she can afford one now, does not particularly trust used cars as she has had a previous bad experience etc.”

 Your job is to take all the information you know about me and use it to sell me on why buying a used car from you is actually the solution to my problem right now.

This is a rough example and I know this might sound quite technical to you but it really is quite simple. And, the more you do it, the better you get at it.

You may be wondering just how you can get all this information?

Simple. ‘Ask’ your already existing clients. Yes. It’s that simple.

Ask them and they will provide you with the details you need. Develop a questionnaire and send it out to them and they will respond. Chances are your potential clients will be a lot like them.

You can also create surveys and encourage your potential clients to describe what they are looking for.

Once this is done, develop a document that aggregates all the answers. The answers would be similar in various ways.

This will give you a clearer picture of your ideal client, it will also show you where and how you can reach them and more importantly, let you know how to get them to come to you, ready to buy.

That’s it.

As promised, since you’re still reading, I have a gift for you. Click here to download a worksheet that can help you develop your own questionnaire for your ideal client.

AboutJoie Thompson

The Content Marketing Executive at iVEN Digital. She helps brands develop effective marketing stories, to attract their ideal customers to their business, products, and services, engage with them and convert them to sales and also, repeat sales. She is responsible for digital content creation, curation, and editing on social media platforms and other digital platforms.