Tips & Strategies to Define Your Ideal Client
Wondering how you identify your ideal client? And why it’s even important?
Your marketing and business plan will change based on your ideal client, and your business will solve problems for them.
However, an “ideal client” might not be realistic at the beginning stages of business. Keep reading to learn what an ideal-ish client is, and how to understand your client’s transformation so you can better serve them.
Do you want at least 3 new ideal clients in your private practice? Sign up to design a marketing plan in our free challenge Marketing Bootcamp!
What is an Ideal Client?
An ideal client is your “perfect” customer. Someone who benefits the most from your services AND aligns perfectly with your goals and values. Here is what your ideal client means:
- They benefit from you: Your services solve a problem for your ideal client.
- Willing to pay: Your ideal client appreciates your work and is willing to pay for your expertise.
- Repeat customers: They’re more likely to become repeat customers.
- Goals & values align: You have goals and values similar to those of your ideal client. They align with you on multiple aspects of life and business.
Defining your ideal client has many benefits. It allows you to focus your marketing efforts and target that specific audience. It can improve customer satisfaction and ultimately lead to more effective business growth.
However, when you’re just starting your business, defining and sticking to your “ideal client” might not be realistic.
How do you know who your “ideal client” is if you haven’t worked with my clients before? Or maybe you have, but it’s been in a completely different setting.
Let’s talk about an alternative way to define your “ideal client’ when you’re just starting out in business.
What is an Ideal-ish Client?
When you’re just getting started, you might not know your exact ideal client yet, but you’ll likely have an idea of who you might want to help and how your business will serve them.
As you start to see different clients, you’ll get a better sense of who you like to work with. In this stage of business, you’re also sometimes willing to see a “less than ideal” client because you want experience!
It’s important to define your ideal-ish client because your first marketing plan will be done with them in mind. However, you WILL change this as you gain more experience.
Think About Who You Want to Serve
To define your ideal-ish client, think about an area of interest that inspires and excites you, while taking into consideration the demand for your services. Other considerations such as location, age, and demographics could be other ways to niche down, or even “within a niche”.
You will build your business around attracting your ideal-ish client to your solution and you will market and advertise to these clients.
Start by brainstorming:
- Write down who your ideal client is
- Think about where they look for information to solve their problems
- Write down what you can offer them
Next, you’ll need to think about how you can help solve their problems.
How to Get Your Ideal-ish Client to Purchase NOW
To get your ideal-ish client to purchase your services, you need to understand their “pain points”.
To identify your client’s pain points, do some research. Think about where they look to solve their problems and do some of your own digging.
If they go to Instagram, you’ll likely be able to see business owners who are already targeting their pain points.
Additionally, you can have direct conversations with individuals. Ask them about their struggles and frustrations.
Or maybe you already know from working with individuals in the past.
Once you have identified some pain points, you’ll be able to tailor your messaging. You can tailor your marketing to directly address these pain points.
Show your clients that you understand their problems and have the solutions they need. Use specific language and scenarios that resonate with specific challenges.
Focus your messaging on solutions to their pain points. Communicate the benefits and outcomes that clients will experience, making it clear that your services are designed to address their exact problem.
Understand Who You Are NOT Targeting as Your Ideal Client
In addition to understanding who you want to target as your ideal client, you should understand who you’re NOT targeting.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- People who aren’t ready: Not everyone will be ready to make the changes needed to see solutions to their problems, and that’s ok. Maybe someday they will be ready, and then they will be your ideal client.
- People who already have the solutions: Some people have already solved the problem you specialize in and therefore don’t need your services.
Knowing who you’re not serving is just as important as knowing your ideal client because it will save you time, money, and effort in your business. When understanding your ideal client, you can get really specific with your marketing, which can increase reach and engagement with the people you want to work with.
Your Ideal-Ish Clients Transformation
Your potential client has a problem. That problem is causing them all sorts of negative emotions:
- Pain
- Frustration
- Annoyance
- Anxiety
- Overwhelm
This person is looking for a solution to help them manage their problem.
Your offer comes into their lives to help them with their problem, and your ideal client receives value in working with your business. When making a change in their life, your client receives positive feedback from their change and can contribute this to your business.
This transformation can range from an ah-ha moment to a complete life change.
When your business continues to serve your ideal client, you have a customer who wants to buy over and over and over again. This work is HARD though, and serving your client can sometimes mean that they’ll experience a wide range of emotions. Boundaries and expectations of your work together can contribute to their client experience with your business.
A “true” ideal client does graduate from you at some point. You’re allowed to set ideal clients “free”. This gives you more room to focus on the people that need you. Your “graduates” will go out and spread your message!
Clients struggle with problems to varying degrees. Many factors contribute to this including, but not limited to:
- Mental health
- Physical health
- Society
- privilege/oppression
- Family
- Friends
- Personality
- Support
- Community
- Resilience
Some clients with certain pain points will not be ready for you. Some clients with certain pain points will have “graduated” from these particular pain points. Some clients are in the middle: they’re ready for support and are usually ideal clients.
The Stages of Change Theory
Understanding the stages of change theory is important because your ideal-ish client will cycle through these throughout your work together.
- Pre-contemplation: They’re not ready for you. Your marketing won’t work because they don’t want you.
- Contemplation: They’re experiencing pain points. Something might work to catch their awareness.
- Preparation: They’re ready to change. This stage is perfect for marketing!
- Action: They’re making changes. Your marketing may grab their attention.
- Maintenance: They will love you. Your marketing won’t work because they don’t need you.
Tips & Strategies to Define Your Ideal Client: The Takeaway
As a business owner, you should work on defining your ideal client. Most likely, it will start as your ideal-ish client, and that’s okay. Eventually, you’ll get to a point where you have your ideal client defined, and that’s who you’re working with.
Start defining their pain points and tailoring your marketing to solve a problem for them.
Keep in mind your client’s transformation as you work with them, and remember, it’s okay to set your clients “free” when they graduate from their pain points.
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