Before we jump in, if you already know your buyer personas and are at a place in your business where you are looking to grow your team, this is a good exercise for you too. Consider what roles you want to fill (or create) in your team and draft an outline of your team members. The high level questions should relate to your team’s mission statement. As always, if you’d like more personalized help, that’s exactly what
Creating an ideal client profile, or buyer persona, is one of those things that everyone agrees makes a lot of sense to do, but which few people ever actually do. It can feel tedious to drill down to the typically recommended level of detail, let alone actually write it all down (isn’t it enough to just know it?). Compound that with the fact you have more than one ideal client (think buyers, seller, investors, etc.) and suddenly it’s a to-do that lives on the list, constantly delegated to tomorrow-you, the you who is full of endless energy and promise.
Still, having even a basic sense of the types of clients you want to work with is important.
When you can name and identify the traits of your ideal clients you will…
Find good clients easily & know exactly how to speak to them
Cut through the noise so they hear you
Have clients who appreciate you
Know how to overcome their objections
Feel valued and respected
Feel a sense of teamwork and partnership in each relationship
Enjoy the people you work with
Get high quality referrals because good people know good people
Now that you know the benefits of defining your ideal client, let’s get to the meat of it. Though you have multiple types of clients, there are certain characteristics you will want to have in everyone you work with, like people who value you professionally, are respectful of your time and energy, are ready to transact and won’t waste your time, are experienced buyer/seller, etc.. Begin by making a list of those traits you want in every client. If you struggle to get started, begin with traits you want to avoid. Just like I tell my first time buyers, it’s often easier to name what you don’t want than pin down what’s most important.
Think about how you prefer to spend your time and energy and what kind of clients respond best to how you naturally work. There are types who need more hand holding and emotional support, and others who need to know the smallest of details down to the R-value of the insulation.
Imagine getting an actual phone call from different kinds of clients -- Which calls are you going to pick up, and which will go to voicemail so you can prepare a response? There are hints all around about who your ideal client is, and they begin with you.
There is a professional for every client. When you encounter someone you know is not your kind of client, someone who will make the next months of your life hell, refer them out with a smile to a colleague who loves that kind of client. You can still get paid and save your sanity!
Okay, so, high-level traits are done. You can stop right there if you choose. You have named what you will and will not accept. You will find that more of what you want will begin to come to you. You will have a better sense for red flags and you may find it easier to refer those out quickly and waste little to none of your time on them.
BUT, if you really want to be intentional about your business, you have to keep going. Getting into the nitty gritty details of your ideal client will tell you where to put your marketing dollars and what words, images, and videos will work to reach their ears. Getting a laser focus on who your target market is will increase the potency of your marketing. And who doesn’t want that?
Going deeper into the details, use the prompts below for each type of ideal client you want to get to know better.
Role
Seller
Buyer
Investor
Other
Basics
Name/pronouns:
Age:
Occupation:
Work location:
Marital status:
Annual income:
Children:
Level of education:
Where do they live now:
Where are they originally from:
Get in their head
What are their goals (in this process, personally, professionally, for family):
What are their values (personally & professionally):
What is their risk tolerance:
Current challenges (personal & professional):
Pain points (related to this process, personal, & professional) (what keeps them up at night? What are they worried about? What are their fears around buying/selling/working with you?):
Objections to process:
Information Intake Books
Magazines
Websites
Conferences
Gurus
Other
If you’d like help doing this exercise, it’s not a bad way to utilize a free strategy session with me. You can schedule it here.