Sit back for a moment and think of a client that makes your job easy. The client who needs, doesn’t mind paying for, and whose life tremendously benefits from what you offer.  The same client who advocates what you do, and truly sees the value in your product or service. Now imagine the opposite client – the one that exhausts every ounce of energy you have. The same client you have to work hard to sell and support, and more importantly, offers little return on your time.

Every small business has an ideal client and a nightmare client. If you find yourself having a lot more nightmare clients then you might be trying to sell to everyone (the impossible). The problem with selling to everyone is that you never truly understand your target market and they never truly understand you.

Take some time now to sit down and brainstorm your ideal client. Give your ideal client a name as well as an identity. Understand the life of your ideal client – their likes, and their pain points. Once you discover your ideal client and understand their problems, you can offer the best solution.

A few things to think on as you create your ideal client profile:

  1. What is the age, gender, occupation, and marital status of your ideal client?
  2. What industry does your ideal client work in? What role does he/she play in the company?
  3. What motivates your ideal client? What are his/her fundamental beliefs?
  4. What does a typical day look like for your ideal client?
  5. What frustrates your ideal client? What is his/her pain points?
  6. Why does your ideal client need a product or service like yours?
  7. Why is your business the most obvious fit for your ideal client over your competitor?

Now that you have brainstormed your ideal client – put your client into a clear-cut description.

Ideal Client Description (Rough) Example:

{Ideal Client Name} is a {x} year old {adjective} {gender} from {geographical location}. {Ideal Client Name} works within the {insert department and company name}. You can often find {Ideal Client Name} doing {insert hobbies and interests of client}. {Ideal Client Name} believes in {X,Y,Z that is of importance to the ideal client} that shapes {xyz}. {Ideal Client Name} faces {Insert problem} and looks to {Insert where client seeks information} to help form his/her buying decisions. {Ideal Client Name} would {Insert your business product/service} because of {Reasons why the client would use your product/service}.

Only after identifying your ideal client can you market to that person effectively. It’s a simple exercise, but could make a large impact for a small business in the sales process!