Five Reasons you need to do the “Ideal Client” exercise again. (and you need to do mine).

Quick trip down memory lane: I remember a time when I was first starting my business in 2017 and talking to another entrepreneur who had 10+ years more experience. I shared what I was doing and my experience of building my first brand (the initial planning, throwing things at the wall to see what stuck, and truly experimenting to get my first clients) and he remarked how envious he was of what stage I was at. He implied that he was too far into his business to take a ‘back to basics’ approach. This is bonkers to me. Back to basics doesn’t mean you’re moving backwards or regressing on your progress. It means you’re letting yourself be creative WITH the advantage of having experience and data on your side!

This memory reminds me why many people get into business – so that we have freedom to be creative, to design our lives, change our minds…and yet somehow, can succumb to the idea that we only get to ‘light things on fire’ and reimagine how we do things in the beginning and therefore succumb to ‘stuckness’ – that we get one shot and then must move on to something else.

So here I am, encouraging you to let yourself be creative again, to do an activity that you may not have looked at for a long time, or that you forgot you even did when you started. Let your brain play, use the new information you have from your experience and clients, AND use this tool to help you get more of what you want.

The goal of the ideal client exercise is to help you

get into their hearts, minds, and wallets.

And this doesn’t always happen on the first try, or with the ideal client exercise you did before you had clients/buyers.

1.     You haven’t done one since you did your original branding, or the last time your graphic designer asked you.

“I did one of those when I first started, I’m good now, I’ve been running my business for years.”

This is not a one-time document. And chances are, if you’ve been doing this for years, you know a hell of a lot more about this person than you used to. 

You know what makes them tick. You know how they spend their money. You know how they like to be supported. And you know what they are afraid of.

Time to pull this baby out and try again, with the information you have NOW.

 2.     Chances are, you dug into demographics.

It’s not your fault, this is where most exercises start AND finish.  

If you can find the perfect woman between the ages of 32 and 35 who has a household income of $105K-$125K, has three children and one dog – you know who you’re looking for, right?

NOT QUITE. You may be able to describe their appearance, or get a sense of ‘that’s them!’ if you see them online. It doesn’t, however, get you any closer to making them your client and being clear about why they need you. You’ll see the questions I include, that this is ONE of the questions, not the only one.

3.     What you discovered about your client isn’t helping you with copywriting, captions, social media posts, or converting lookers into buyers.

If this exercise is completed and never looked at again, you’re doing it wrong.

This work HAS to help you over and over again. And it’s a working document. This is NOT one-and-done and I will say with confidence that even if you’ve been in business for months or years, chances are, you’re still learning new things about these people and how they are changing too. This means, you need new ways to speak to them.

4.     If you’ve worked with anyone between the last time you did one of these exercises and now, chances are, you’ve had some favourite clients and some ‘hell no’ clients. Use this data to help you get even clearer on who you’re talking to.

This is the BEST DATA EVER.

Make your list of your “hell no” clients or buyers and their red flag behaviours.

Make a list of your “hell yes” clients or buyers and what it is about them that makes them your favourite.

Ask yourself: “if all my clients were like this person, would I feel like I won the lottery?” If yes, then it’s time to get REAL deep on what makes your favourite people tick!

When you download this list of 20 Questions, consider them with this specific person in mind.

5.     Last time, you did the exercise because you’re ‘supposed to’. This time, you’re going to use what you learn to ASK for clients.

 Instead of letting your discoveries live and die in this document, it’s time to make them work for you.

Listen to this:

“If you feel __________________, it’s time to call me.”

“If __________________ keeps you up at night, I can help you with that.”

“If you are tired of _________________ and instead want ___________________, we need to talk.”

“If you committed to doing ____________ but you haven’t made progress yet, I’m here for you.”

Where do you get the answers for the blanks? By answering these questions of course!"

 Bottom line: The ideal client is not a one-and-done exercise. It’s a working document that you adapt when you get new information and gather more data. You also adjust it when you adjust your business or services or products. And if you’re not using this information to find better people, you’re doing it wrong.

Giddy up. Go find your people.

Get the 20 Questions here.

And when things change (you find more red flags, more favourites, or are building out a new service or product, come on back and we’ll do it again!)