Who is Your Ideal Customer?

I’ll never forget the first time someone asked me, “Who do you like to work with?” I remember fumbling over my answer because I had never thought of that before.

The prospect of being able to select who I wanted to work with was just delicious to me. The first moment I got, later on that very same day, I began to sat down and was ready to start my list of what I liked most about working with certain clients and I went blank. So, I changed tactics and began writing down what I didn’t like. I then decided that for everything I did not like I had to come up with the opposite – something I did like. That took me a couple of days to finish.

Since that first list I have refined my process. Below are the steps I use when I am identifying or refining what my ideal client looks like.

1. What qualities do I want my ideal client to possess and demonstrate?
For this question, I usually write down very descriptive bullet points, they are quick and to the point. My style may not work for, so instead you may want to try and write a short story of your vision of an ideal client. I include such details as to how great it feels to be paid on time every time, that I really enjoy receiving phone calls from this client, that their information they submit for us to work on is always neat and on time, always says thank you after every transaction, always responds to your phone calls, has a sense of humor, etc. The more detail you can give yourself the better. Use your current clients as examples.

2. What do I want my perfect client to expect me to deliver in services and attention?
As we all know, any relationship is a two way street, so it is only fair that we turn our attention to what our client’s expectations of us may be. This does not mean that we have to fulfill their every expectation, it just means we need to be clear about what we want to personally deliver to our clients. To answer this question, start by asking yourself, if I hired a bookkeeper, what expectations would I have? For example, I would expect the bookkeeper I hired to have a business that makes a profit, to be an expert at what they do, be courteous, to communicate with me on a regular basis, etc.

3. What do I need to improve to attract or maintain my client relationships with my ideal clients?
This is the easiest of all the questions – refer back to your answers in question #2. You basically have to do exactly what is on your list for each and every client.

Answering these questions the first time around will definitely give you food for thought as you continue to work with clients and meet potential new clients. I encourage you to revisit your answers periodically and refine your answers. As you grow and develop your business, you will find that your vision of an ideal customer grows and changes to. Answering and updating these questions will keep your vision of your ideal customer in the forefront of your mind.