How to Define Your Ideal Client So You Attract More of Them

Your ideal client is someone who pays you. Being on your email list or downloading your freebies does not make someone your ideal client. Your ideal client is someone who is willing to pay you.

So how do you figure out who this person is?

She Knows Her Problem and Is Looking for a Solution

First you need a problem you are solving, and people need to be aware of it. Your ideal client is problem aware. Otherwise she cannot be a client.

Being problem aware is not enough. A lot of people know they have a problem. Maybe they need to lose weight, make more money or declutter their home. And they are just not interested in solving it.

Your ideal client is also looking for a solution. Maybe not actively. She could be browsing the internet and see a post on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn. She thinks, “I am looking for something like this”, and she clicks.

You Enjoy Spending Time With Her

Your ideal client is someone you enjoy working with. You can imagine having a coffee, a lunch or a dinner with her.

When I recorded this video I was at a retreat with 10 of my favourite clients. They are in my high-end mastermind, Red Circle. They are women making multiple 6 figures on their way to 7 figures, and many of them started with me at zero some years ago.

That is how I want you to think about your ideal client. She is someone you can hang out with at the pool, sit next to on a bus for a day and spend several days with. And she enjoys spending time with you too.

Describe One Person in Detail

You need to know a lot more about your ideal client. This is the exercise I see most people avoid at the start of their business.

They say, “It is women between 35 and 55.” Do you know how many women there are between 35 and 55? Very many.

It is much better to think of your ideal client as one person, even if that feels counterintuitive. Anna is 44 years old. She lives in a little village in Germany. I can even find the village on Google Maps and imagine Anna living there. Anna is married to Mark, who is 45. They met at university, where they both studied engineering. They have 2 children, and you give the children names and ages.

Am I making all of this up? Yes, in the beginning you make it all up. Then you look for these people. Maybe you never meet Anna. Maybe her name is Beatrix or Helga. But because you defined your ideal client so clearly, you find her, and you attract a lot of Annas who are similar to her.

My clients in Red Circle are not all the same. They come from the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Italy, Iceland and other countries. They are between 35 and 55. But on paper I have one ideal client.

Write 2 to 3 Pages About Her

I define my ideal client so clearly that I can write 2 to 3 pages about her in a Google Doc, font size 11. I know her intimately.

I describe:

• Her fears and worries
• What she is thinking about
• What she wants
• What she has done in the past 5 years that brought her to this problem and made her want a solution

When I spend a lot of time with my clients, like at this retreat, I get to know them better and add that to my description.

The better you describe your ideal client, the more likely you are to find her and a lot of people like her. Many people think that describing a big group attracts a big group. In fact, defining one ideal client attracts many more.

Where the Details Come From

In the beginning you make it up. If you have had friends with the problem you want to solve, you can pick a real person. Once you have clients, you can pick a client. Sometimes I take 3 clients and put them together into one.

With AI this is now easy. I put in my ideal client description and brainstorm more problems, solutions, fears, worries and wants. That is how our marketing message gets clearer, and we find it easier to attract people we like.

If your messaging is different from what your ideal client wants to hear, you cannot attract her.

Repeat the Exercise Every Year

The ideal client exercise is the one exercise I ask everyone to do when they start in my programs. I do not care if you are just starting out or have been in business for 10 years. This is probably the one exercise you have not done well enough.

I repeat it every year. My ideal client does not change that much, but I adapt, I grow and I attract different people. Now I can survey my clients and create a new version of my ideal client. It is a bit better every year, and so my marketing message gets better every year.

So whether you are starting out or further along in business, write your ideal client description and start to look for the real version of her.