How to Identify Your Ideal Client With a Lot Less Stress (No “Avatar” Worksheet Required!)

Let’s be real. Getting clear about who you’re here to serve in your business can be a straight-up struggle. Yep, it’s that whole thing about how to identify your “Ideal Client.” You know how it is. The Ideal Client “avatar” worksheets. The pressure. The endless things you have to know about this hypothetical, mythical person (up to and including their favorite brand of toothpaste…) 

What if there were a less stressful way to get clear on how to identify your ideal client? That’s what we’re here to share with you today! We’ve got three steps to narrow down who your business is here to serve. No long worksheets, no unnecessary details, and no pressure!  

So first, let’s by clarifying what “Ideal Clients” are, for both kinds of businesses.  

If you run a service-based business, your ideal clients are, one way or another, attached to you. You share something in common with your ideal client, and that’s what draws them to you. 

Your ideal client is frequently a previous version of you. They’re on a similar path, but might be a few steps behind. In this case, you serve your clients through your experience and expertise, as well as your personal unique spin.  

If you run a product-based business, it’s about filling a missing need in the industry. It’s the moment you see a hole in the market, think of a way to fill it, then ask yourself… 

“Why doesn’t this exist, and why don’t I create it?”  

So whether you provide a transformational service or an innovative product, you’re sharing value. You’re bringing something into the world that not only you love but others will be crazy about, too.  

Those “others,” of course, are your Ideal Clients!  

So now, how do you identify your ideal client, and how can you speak to them in such a way that they can’t say NO? 

We’ve broken it down into three steps. Each step gives you the freedom to explore, grow, and make a plan that will work for YOU.  

No worksheets, no endless customer profiles. We’ll help you learn things you need to know the most about the people you were meant to serve. 

Let’s jump into the ultimate guide on how to identify your ideal client!

Step 1: Get to know YOU. We know, the client comes first, the customer is always right, if you didn’t have customers, you wouldn’t have a business. We get that. So why are we suggesting you start with the person in the mirror before you dive into the details about your peeps? 

Here’s the thing. Most Ideal Client exercises start with a deep-dive into who your client is, and in all kinds of crazy detail. But here’s what we’ve found: listing excruciating details about a theoretical person is just plain frustrating. It’s especially aggravating if you’re not even sure of who you are, or what you do just yet.  

(BTW, sometimes even if you’ve been in business for a while, you might not be 100% sure of who you are or what you do! This is not at ALL unusual, and we’ve been through it ourselves.)  

So you need to know who you are first, as clearly as you can. You need to cultivate a deep understanding of your experiences and your skills. You need to know what drove you to create this business in the first place, and why you’re so passionate about it. 

Instead of starting by bombarding yourself with questions about them, start with YOU. Ask yourself a few questions like this… 

Who am I, how have I grown, and how have I made my life easier? 

Put your experiences and skills first. See how far you’ve come in the space that you serve. This will tell you the most important thing of all… 

You’ll discover what problem you solve. This. Is. EVERYTHING.  

The clearer you are on the problem you solve (i.e. “what you do,”) the more relatable you will become. Your marketing gets clearer by default. The way you show up in the world will naturally speak to your dream clients.  

Bottom line? The more that YOU know you, the more your dream clients will see you and think to themselves, “wow, they understand me.”  

So get to know yourself. Be honest about where you are on your path, and how it qualifies you to do for others. Let the problem that you solve come forth. Then decide how you’re going to share your gifts, and what kind of personal flair you’re going to bring to the table.  

Step 2: Get to know THEM. Now, don’t worry. This is not the part where we give you the 10-page worksheet where you write out a hypothetical ideal client’s life story! But it is a good idea to start out with a little basic demographic information to get the ball rolling.  

Make this part simple. Where does your ideal client live? How old are they? Are they male or female? Get the super-basic stuff down on paper. Then start to think about what kind of services or products they’d come to you for.  

If you’re already working with people (even if it’s only one or two clients), reach out to them. Talk to them, and ask them what they love about working with you. If possible, focus on the clients that you love working with the most. Then get to know them as well as you possibly can.  

Make it a natural, organic conversation. You don’t have to ask them directly. Just ask a few leading questions, and let them know you’re looking to improve your business and you’d like their help. (P.S. people love to give their opinions, so this shouldn’t be a tough sell!) 

Then, as you go along, take the opportunity to check in with your clients on a regular basis. Stay connected, and keep getting refined feedback from your people. This will serve you in two specific ways… 

First, the feedback will help you fine-tune your business and serve your people even better. Second, it will show your current clients that you truly care about their experiences. 

So you’re getting the information you need to draw in new ideal clients. You’re learning more about who you do (and don’t!) want to serve. You’re also nurturing the clients you already have, improving their experience, and turning them into raving fans. It’s a win-win-win!  

(P.P.S. What do you do if you’re brand new and have NO clients to talk to yet? Take a moment and consider who you think your ideal client might be. Do you know anyone personally who fits the description, even a little bit? Jot down a few questions, give them a call, and see if they’d be willing to help you out with a new thing you’re doing!) 

Step 3: Adapt your message and get outside feedback. The clearer you get on who you serve, the more specific your messaging needs to get. So take what you learn from the last two steps, and use it to add some crystal-clear dazzle to your messaging.  

Take a look at ALL the places you show up, both online and “IRL.” Check in with your website, social media outlets, and branding. Even review your in-person networking strategies.  

Wherever you connect with your audience, update and shift accordingly, so you can be sure that your message is clear and consistent.  

Not that this is always easy to do on your own. We all have blind spots when it comes to our business. Sometimes they keep us from seeing our own issues AND our own genius. 

This is where a fresh perspective can add some serious magic to your marketing! 

If you’re struggling to get your messaging down, don’t keep struggling! Get some guidance from a trusted outside party.  

This could be a marketing specialist. It could be a branding designer. It could even be a fellow business bestie. Sometimes a few tweaks from a fresh pair of eyes will help fine-tune your marketing and make it even more laser-specific to your ideal clients.

So there you have it! Get to know you. Get to know them. Then get some outside perspective to put the finest point on your marketing that you can. That’s how to identify your ideal client with ease!

Try this process the next time you find yourself slogging through an “avatar” exercise, and put a new spin on an old question.

What do you think? Leave a comment and share any insights or a-has you got from this post! We’d love to hear how you’ve been identifying your ideal clients, and how our process lands with you.  

Share your thoughts and ideas below! 

P.S. Check out the next episode of Money & Marketing right HERE, where you’ll learn 5 simple ways to delegate and automate your business so you can take back more of your time!