We often compare discovering your ideal client with dating. Truth is, there are so many similarities between working with a client and developing a personal relationship, basically because, it’s all about human to human contact. Working with just any client that comes your way is like dating just anyone who walks in through the door.
Now if your business is such that a customer transaction is a short term, “once and done” matter, then you may feel there’s not much of a headache 
involved when you’re facing a “bad match”. But even so – imagine a string of short term bad experiences – it all adds up to one giant migraine. It doesn’t have to be that way – I promise.
Discovering your ideal client is a delicate and complex formula that yields a very natural result. Just as the love of your life rarely just falls into your lap (unless you’re in a Lifetime movie), figuring out your best match customer takes some analysis and yes, some good old “fall-on-your-face and learn from mistakes” life lessons.
The advice you’ve heard and read about give you part of the picture, but is by no means the full story. I do not adhere to the advice about “creating the avatar” and I believe it sends you down the wrong path altogether. An avatar is artificial; something you make up. You’ve been told to take the best parts of different people and put it all together. Like a composite sketch investigators would use.
The problem with that is that you’ll be seeking someone that doesn’t exist. No one will match that description. You’re set up for failure.
I approach it differently, based on lots of real life factors.
And just to make things more complex – your Ideal Client profile is bound to change (even just a little) every few months or so, because new experience and knowledge has entered into your life.
Working with my clients through the Pumpkin Plan, Ideal Client is a very critical factor that we tackle together. And it doesn’t happen in 15 minutes.
My clients will often say, after ¾ of a year has gone by, “we need to re-address this; I’ve made some new discoveries”. And they’re right. We look at their learning experiences and their original profile and we make the changes. Here’s the awesome part – it’s not that the ideal client has changed from one type of person to another, it’s that new intricate details about the ideal client have been discovered so that the picture has more depth and granularity. It’s an exciting discovery!
As you probably have figured out by now, it’s not a process to be taken alone. Listen to what one client said, after she scheduled a strategy session to discover her ideal client:
For years, I marketed myself to all small business owners, but it wasn’t working for me. I knew I needed to focus on a niche market but agonized over how to identify an ideal client. I tried targeting a certain revenue level. I then concentrated on an industry that needs the services I offer, but quickly learned they do not want my services. I was frustrated and ready to give up.
In a single session with Susana, she asked all the right questions, and we realized that the real estate industry would be a perfect target audience for me. By focusing on an industry I liked and was familiar with because of personal experience, it was a natural match. I began to incorporate this into my audio logo while networking, and before long, I was referred for a project that is a perfect match. This has created a fantastic opportunity for a new business model with guaranteed growth. The sky’s the limit! Thank you, Susana!
As a business owner, even though I’m certified as a strategist, I myself can’t “see” all aspects of my business as well as someone who’s looking at it from the outside. I LOVE getting mentored and coached!
Running a business is a lonely job, even if you run a team. Every owner needs a consultant, a mentor, a coach, a strategist, someone who is in your corner, advising you from their own experience and knowledge and process. Someone to talk things out with, brainstorm problems with, analyze choices with.
When you book and pay for a strategy session with me, I’ll send you my Ideal Client checklist. Let’s do this together.