Identifying the Ideal Client
Ep11
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Welcome and Big Mistake
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[00:00:00]
Speaker: Hey, welcome back. I am glad you're here joining me today. Today we're gonna be talking about something I think is really interesting that I think trips people up. A lot of times there's often a desire to go try and grab anybody and everybody, which I get. I understand that at the beginning of your side hustle journey, you want to just try to grab anybody who's gonna pay you a dollar to do what you do.
You want every customer that comes your way. Because you're trying to achieve those goals. You're trying to get that benefit of that extra income and, and that makes sense. You're ambitious and I love that. [00:01:00] But here's the problem.
Why You Need an ICP
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Speaker: If you try to speak to everyone, you end up speaking to no one. There's a maxim in marketing that says if you try to appeal to everyone, you end up appealing to nobody.
So what we're gonna talk about today is an ideal. Client profile, ICP, ideal customer profile, an avatar. This is the model in which we use to really clearly understand who it is we are selling to and why. And just because you develop this, I, I want to throw this caveat out, doesn't mean that other people that come along that don't necessarily look like this, you can't sell to them just because they are not this ICP.
You use it. So that you're more targeted and more specific on exactly why somebody is going to work with you. So it's very clear, the benefit because you understand who it is you are trying to speak to. There will be other people that come along that that [00:02:00] kind of get caught up in the wake of what you're doing and see the benefit and will still say yes, but you're a little less scattered.
You're a little less unfocused.
Focus Beats Scattered Marketing
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Speaker: Okay, we're just trying to make sure we're working in the right rooms, getting in front of the right. People we're trying to narrow our focus I mean, you've only got a few hours, right? We've got a limited amount of time to make this the most efficient. So we wanted to focus on those people that we are the best at helping.
Whether it's a product or service, we want to be reaching the right people, and then that's gonna allow you to continue being present with your family, getting time with them, and what's amazing. Is when you do this, when you get really narrowly focused on exactly who it is and why you can help them, it suddenly becomes like, well, why should I work with you?
And they, they hear the benefit and it becomes the meme that says, shut up and take my money. Give me that now. I want what you're offering [00:03:00] because now you really, really understand exactly who it is you're helping and why. So that is the main thing. When we get narrow, when we get focused, there's this inverse relationship.
It's almost like our selling power is more effective. So instead of wasting our time trying to get in front of anybody that might give us a buck, we really try to think through clearly who it is we can specifically reach
you can cast a net there that's wider because in some cases you, you maybe don't know what this ideal client looks like, what this ideal customer looks like quite yet. You may be experimenting a little bit. The goal is not necessarily to lock you into something, but it's to take information that we've got from other places, who it is we think we're helping, and then use that.
As a filter to go forward, who it is we're really trying to reach does not mean it's permanent. So if you're struggling to get traction for an extended period of time, again, experiments are good, but we don't [00:04:00] necessarily want to jump out of them too quickly.
If it's not working, it's okay to change. Okay, well maybe I'm not reaching the right person. Let's, let's look at that. Let's think about that a little more. So you can always come back and revisit this concept down the road.
Demographics Aren’t Enough
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Speaker: So when we're thinking about an ideal client, we automatically go to a demographics approach.
That's our nature. We start thinking gender, age, household income, location. That's natural and sometimes that gives us a good idea. You may be, I mean, this podcast, right? An ideal person is a dad who wants to have a side hustle business, right? Some of that is demographic. Okay. Male father. And probably married, maybe not, though.
There's definitely single fathers out there, so. But that's a, a framework. So we've got some demographics and some [00:05:00] demographics are fine, but it really doesn't tell us a lot other than maybe who you'd try to target in an ad campaign, right? It doesn't, doesn't move you. It's not clearly getting at the the purpose behind things.
The Five Whys Method
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Speaker: So what we like to do, or what I would recommend doing is what's called the five whys. Let's say you have a service. You ask why five times. And that gets, we start getting deeper into layers.
Example Consultant to Family Time
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Speaker: Let's say you're a business consultant. Let's say you're, you're an operational business consultant, right? You come in, you fix processes, you help businesses improve their processes, and you're a consultant.
You know, somebody hires you and they're paying a thousand bucks a month on a retainer, and you do a few hours of work for them a week. That all seems reasonable, right? How you get to be in the right place in front of the right person in a way that [00:06:00] motivates them to reach out to you is a bit trickier.
So we go to the why's. Okay, so there's a business owner who wants a consultant. Why do they want a consultant? They want to fix their workflow. Okay. Why do they want to fix their workflow? They need to save 10 hours a week. We're getting somewhere now. So we know they need to save 10 hours a week. Why do they need to save 10 hours a week to stop working late?
Why do they need to save 10 hours a week to stop working late? They've been staying an extra three or four hours on Thursday, Friday to close out things. Why is it so important that they stop working late? Because they want to be the one who puts their kids to bed at night? Okay, now we've taken this business concept, this idea of a consultant that comes and helps me run my business, and we've [00:07:00] transformed that into something that is visceral.
We've taken that and said, okay, they wanna put their kids to bed. We are a business that solves the problems that allow you to be available for your family so that the business works without you. We're the consultant who helps the business work without you. So you put the family, the kids to bed.
Example Web Developer to Survival
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Speaker: Maybe you're a web developer. Same thing. Okay. Why? Do they want a new website? Somebody says they want a new website. Why do they want a new website? Well, they need more leads. Okay. Why do they need more leads? Because they need to grow revenue by 30% in the next three months, or they have to lay off some of their staff.
Oh, okay. So now you're able to. Connect to things and, and you can go layers deeper. So sometimes after a few why's, you start to get, get in [00:08:00] there. So when you're trying to figure out this ideal client, this ideal client profile, you need to push deeper and deeper. You have to get past the initial business problem and find the human one.
You want to find the person who's exhausted, who feels incapable of solving whatever problem they've got.
Example Patio Builder to Community
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Speaker: If, if, you know, the, the problem might be, let's say you, let's go to a construction example. Let's say you do decks, outdoor patios. Oh, okay. Outdoor patios. Yep. We, we do. We use the best stone work. We use this and that and the other.
And we're so good at that. Not necessarily gonna move the needle. Let's start asking why. So somebody wants an outdoor living space, they want a fire pit, let's say they want an outdoor grill built in. You know, those sorts of things. You can get the demographics. Okay, well this is the household income. They [00:09:00] need to have a house that's this expensive.
These neighborhoods are where I'm targeting demographics. Let's go to the why's. Why do they want an outdoor living space? Well, they like to, you know, have family and friends over. Why do they like to have family and friends over?
Because they get the opportunity to serve other people. Okay. Why? Why do they like that? 'cause they're, they're passionate about community. Okay. What? Why? Why are they passionate about community? Because every time they get on their phone, they feel polarization and they're frustrated by that, and they want to do something about it.
Maybe just with the few people that they have influence over, because it gives them a little semblance of control in a chaotic world. Wow. Okay. That if that's why. They want an outdoor living space, outdoor patio like that. We've taken [00:10:00] something that we think is just transactional.
But we're communicating that we understand them, we're able to speak to that specific person. When we say, this is my ideal client, this is who I want to help, and you start to put language and messaging around that and all of the things you do, the stuff you share on social media.
gonna start putting pictures of your living spaces with 30 people there laughing and having a good time with their tiki torches up and everything, because now you understand your ideal client in a different way.
Speak to Emotion Not Price
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Speaker: And when you uncover that emotion, whether it's the pain they're feeling, or the aspiration that they see. You speak a different language. No longer do they see you as just like it's price X from him and price y from this other guy and price Z from this other company. You are now communicating. I get you.
You're [00:11:00] communicating beyond the transaction and you're communicating to a transformation Whoo That's amazing. That's a business that will get those people jumping at work, wanting to work with you, at hiring you at buying your products, at buying your services because you're clearly able to connect to something that is human.
And I think so often we are. I, I think, and maybe, maybe it's in an age of ai, because there's all the funnels and the email campaigns and ads that we are just constantly bombarded with offering us this product and that product, and this thing that we want somebody who really sees us and understands us as a person.
And maybe that's what makes that so much more effective. So being human, really understanding the human piece is so critical. And the five why's is how you get [00:12:00] there. Continue to dive deeper and don't be afraid of it again. This is all a framework. This is a filter that we're gonna look at at everything through.
ROI Beyond Money Peace and Joy
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Speaker: Now 'cause you understand the who, you understand the demographics 'cause you understand how their actual life is better because of your products and services. Okay, well now you're, you're able to communicate a return on investment or an ROI. And sometimes I think people think of ROI and it makes sense.
It's like dollars, right? If you do this service, you know, we guarantee X numbers of things going up. And sometimes it works very tangibly. And it's very obvious. You can measure it easily. Your income went up X percent, your time to accomplish this task went down. There's some measurable things, but also [00:13:00] as we talked about with some of the whys, there's things that aren't measurable, and sometimes it could just be peace.
You can't just show an ROI on a spreadsheet all the time, like it might just be peace. What is the dollars that they're spending by them? Maybe they know that their mind is freed up, that they don't have to think about something anymore. Maybe they're not worried about that being handled, or they're able to engage in a way that allows them joy.
Joy is a hard thing to put a price tag on. But that might be the thing that you have to sell. That might be the thing you need to communicate, is that's what people experience. They experience ease that you are walking with them through a process that buying your product is going to provide them relief.
Maybe you're selling like this [00:14:00] amazing steak rub, right? Dry rubs for, for all my fans of cooking meats, smoking meats, I've got some rubs to put on and it's just, this is just spice and you just have that joy. It's like just excites your taste buds. You're just feeling something different when you're eating food that you use that product on.
Those things are what you have to communicate. That is an ROI. Even though it's not financial, it's an ROI. So don't, don't get stuck in thinking about those things when you're thinking about your ideal clients and ideal customers. Think about the ROI in all aspects of someone's life. It's really how it comes across, throughout their journey.
Your 10 Minute ICP Exercise
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Speaker: So let's rewind a little bit. Let's take a moment. Thinking about the ideal customer, the [00:15:00] ideal client, take 10 minutes. Think about those things. write down some demographics, some of those basics, and then start asking the why. Why? Is that person going to hire you? Maybe they've got a role and that's the right person to reach 'cause they're the person who would hire you.
But why? And then ask why, and peel back those layers and understand why is it they would want your product, your service. And after you've got that nailed down, start to think about what is the return on investment for working with you, and how does it speak into the various whys that they experience?
So when you come up with your 30 second pitch, or you are putting together a social media post, or you are putting together a slide deck to pitch to people, investors, maybe. What I recommend is you look at [00:16:00] this, you get this nailed down, you understand this ideal client, and you speak to that person in whatever format it's taking.
Name Your Avatar and Take Action
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Speaker: Speak to that person, give them a name. May feel silly. I'm speaking to Fred, but that's incredibly valuable as far as Giving you a razor sharp focus on who and why you're trying to help somebody, and I recommend that you might not just do one. My starting point is just do one.
Come up with one in the next couple days. Come up with your one. Ideal client, ICP. Come up with that one. You might have two or three. There might be a couple differences and maybe you look at your existing clients and you go, actually, there's a couple different types of people that I work with here. So you might develop a few different ones in this regard, but that's what I recommend you do.
That is the step I want you to take. Think about that ideal client and go from there.
Wrap Up and Next Time
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Speaker: So [00:17:00] great to have you here with me today. Looking forward to talking to you again real soon.
