Ideal Client Profiles
The first step in exceeding your customer’s expectations is to know those expectations.
~ Roy H. Williams
So after you have identified 5 clients that you love working with, and the common threads between them, we are going to take it a step further and use those actual people to create the profile for your ideal client.
I know some of you are saying “Wait, my favourites were all very different from each other!
We will get to that. For this exercise, try to find the common link. Pick your most favourite group within the five – if you can 😉
Imagine you could literally create your dream client out of thin air.
Who would they be?
Every business owner should have a specific person in mind for their ideal client – real or imagined. You need a specific picture of who you want to work with so you know who you are speaking to in your marketing and in the architecture of your practice.
With the common factors between your favourite clients, imagine they were all present in one person.
This is your ideal client.
In order to get to know this ideal client better, create a detailed list outlining everything about them. No detail is too small.
Here is a list of question to get you started:
- What is their age?
- What is their gender?
- What is their sexual orientation?
- What is their relationship status?
- What is their preferred partnership style? (monogamous, open, poly)
- What is their family background?
- What is their Socioeconomic Status?
- What is their income level?
- What is their health status? Any medical conditions?
- What are they struggling with in their day-to-day?
- Do they have a mental health diagnosis?
- What do they do for work?/ Do they work?
- What is their cultural background?
- What language/s do they speak?
- What is their educational background?
- What is their reading level?
- Where do they live and work?
- Do they have children?
- How old are their children?
- Do their children live at home?
- What sort of place do they live in?
- Where do they live?
- How do they get around? (mode of transportation)
- What is their comfort level with technology?
- How do they take in information from the world? (online, print media, personal interactions)
- What films and books do they like?
- What are they passionate about?
- Do they have a religious or spiritual beliefs?
- Who are their social supports?
- Who do they already trust to provide services to them?
- What other practitioners are they seeing?
- Who do they trust to give them advice?
- What do they do in their spare time?
- What keeps them awake at night?
Most important question of all:
35. How does your client view change, healing and personal growth?
Anything you can think of that would describe your ideal client. The answers to these questions will inform all aspects of your business plan.
Does your ideal client have access to the internet? If not, you will be structuring your marketing very differently.
Does your ideal client work 9-5? Then you will probably need to be offering weekends and evening appointments, at least in the beginning.
Does your ideal client drive or take the bus? This will influence where your office is set up.
(Again remember, these are just questions to get your mind whirring. There may be certain ones that don’t apply to you, and others you need to answer that aren’t here. This is just a starting point)
The more complete the profile you have of your ideal client, the more specific you can be in tailoring your practice to meet their needs and be found by them.
And again, it’s OK if you don’t have some, or even many of these answers. They will come with time. Just know that as you start to get a clearer picture of your ideal client, the easier it will be to find them.
Action Items:
In your journal or in the worksheets explore your ideal client.
In the group share five main points (or more if you like) about your ideal client description. Ask for feedback on if it is clear who you want to work with. Now is the time to get clarity so you can tailor the rest of your process.