How to find clients for your business that you WANT to work with?!
I get asked the question “how do I find clients?” more than I can count. It’s not necessarily about FINDING your ideal client but CREATING them. Then placing yourself in situations where they would hang out. Remember when you wrote down all the must-have qualities you wanted in your romantic partner? Not only did your diary have all your wants, but it also had any red flags you knew you didn’t want to deal with. You got to decide whether to move forward in the relationship because you knew what you wanted.
The same thing happens in business. You are identifying the people you enjoy working with and WANT to help. Because working with people you dread makes you not want to come to work. But what should you do when you haven't booked a client in months and are worrying about paying your bills? Relook at your ideal client avatar. I know it seems pointless, but I’m telling you…going back to the basics will have you going from “I need money” to “I booked another client!!!” In this blog post, you are going to learn:
Why your business needs an ideal client avatar
How to create an ideal client avatar for your business
BTS of my ideal client avatar process
Action steps to finding more clients today
Why your business needs an ideal client avatar
Your ideal client is the same thing as your target audience. It’s niching down to a specific group of people that you want to work with. Then you narrow it down to one person in that specific group and uncover their core values. By keeping this specific person in mind, you’ll tailor your offers and your content so it feels like it’s made for them. Because who doesn’t like to feel special?!
Before you say “Jasmin, my offer is perfect for everyone”, hear me out. Yes, your offer will help any person alive, but do you WANT to hang out and work with everyone you meet?! This is the key question you need to ask yourself. There are qualities in people you don’t find attractive and won’t bring out the best of you. So why add stress to your life when you can decide exactly who you WANT to work with? You’re the decision maker of your business so flex that CEO muscle.
Pro tip
If you hop on a sales call with someone and you aren’t a good fit for each other, refer them to someone else in your network. It’s a great way to support that lead and grow the wealth of your community.
How to create an ideal client avatar for your business
Don’t stress out. Creating your ideal client avatar is a fun exercise! It’s kind of like Kim Cattrall coming to life in Mannequin (yes, I’m an 80s teen movie fan lol).
Step 1: Getting started
There are 2 ways to get started on your ideal client avatar:
If you’ve been in business and have a favorite client, base your ideal client avatar on them. You want to think about all the qualities that attracted you to them
If you’re new to business and have yet to work with any clients (keyword yet)…don’t fret! Your goal is to dream up a client whose problem you can solve AND whom you can also connect with.
Step 2: Give your ideal client a name and write out their bio
For some reason, the name thing holds up some of my clients. Use whatever pops into your mind first. Its purpose is to help you talk to one person and not to the collective whole. For their bio, what would a day in their life look like? How would you describe their style? What are their favorite brands? What are they listening to? Watching? What do they like to do for fun? What annoys them? What is top of mind for them?!
I want you to get detailed. Because the more detailed you get, the easier it’ll be for you to establish their core values. This is where most ideal client avatar exercises miss the mark. They don't help you to dig deeper and figure out what that motivating factor is.
For example, Josie, my dream customer BFF, loves traveling as a local because she thinks it’s fun. It’s her way of immersing herself in the culture. She believes true connection comes from all the corners of a country and not what’s featured on a travel blog. This leads to more collaboration and less competition because there's mutual respect. See how in this example I asked myself why 5x to uncover what her core values are:
Connection
Collaboration vs competition
Mutual respect
If I stopped at “Josie loves to travel as a local because it’s fun” would I understand what’s important to her? Repeat this step with every part of your ideal client’s life until you have a clear idea of what their core values are.
Step 3: Understanding where they are now and where they want to be
Make 2 columns:
Title the first column as “where they are now”. List out all their current challenges both externally and internally. For example, Josie doesn’t like to send people to her website (external). She feels that people will judge her for DIY-ing her branding design (internal).
Title the second column as “where do they want to be”. List out all their desired transformations both externally and internally. For example, Josie wants her brand to look more professional (external). It will help her to feel more confident as she shares her business with potential clients (internal).
Aim for at least 8 points in each list.
Step 4: Who don’t you want to work with?
This question is as important as knowing who you want to work with. Again, there are qualities in people that don’t light you up and that’s ok…that’s part of being human.
Pro tip
If you are stuck figuring out who you want to work with, start with this question. As it’s usually easier to say what you don’t like first.
BTS of my ideal client avatar process
This part of my process is in the top 3 things I love to do in my business because I’m bringing your ideal client to life. In case you didn’t know, I love a good conversation. You and I will have a brand strategy session where we uncover all the details of your ideal client’s life.
You may want to grab your notebook and pencil right now. Because the below video has all the questions I ask during my Dream Customer BFF Blueprint brand strategy session. This IG live has 22 saves on Instagram so you know I’m not holding anything back. I was lucky to host an IG live with Cayla Merrill, a personal branding and energy coach. In this video, you’ll:
See what my brand strategy sessions look like
Realized how easy it is to uncover your ideal client’s core values, and
Learn all the questions you need to know to create your own ideal client avatar
After the brand strategy session, you get your very own Dream Customer BFF blueprint. It’s the solution for entrepreneurs who only want to fill up their calendars with super fans who do nothing but rave about your brand and help YOU attract more dream customers to your business. My clients like to print it out and keep it front row and center on their desks! The video below gives you an inside look at what it looks like:
Your dream customer BFF’s name, photo, and bio
A mood board representing your dream customer BFF’s style
Who their role models are, which brands they love, and what lights them up
A clear list of problems they are tackling and transformations they are seeking
Key phrases and words your ideal client uses so when they read your offer they think “oh, she def gets me!”
Collab ideas for you to pursue to more easily reach your new BFF
Actionable next steps to refine your content and offers with your ideal client in mind
Red flags to look out for so that identifying your dream customer BFF becomes a piece of cake
“It's so helpful to have this dialogue. Because yeah I can do a worksheet and answer questions. But it's the follow-up questions and the dialogue that comes after the initial question that is where the gold lies. I wouldn’t get there on my own.”
Cayla | Personal Branding and Energy Coach
Action steps to finding more clients today
Now that you have a deep understanding of who your ideal client is. The question you want to ask yourself is “where are they ‘hanging out’?” People tend to hang out with like-minded people. So look for places that reflect your ideal client’s likes, interests, career, etc. Check out:
Facebook groups
LinkedIn groups
Blog comments
Product reviews/testimonials
Forums
Podcasts
Social clubs
Networking events, and
Complementing businesses
Once you’ve found these places, build a relationship before pitching!!! That means adding value to the conversation by commenting on a post. But don't just leave a generic comment with an emoji. Write something that shows off your expertise on the topic.
Relationship building is a long game but if done strategically, you’ll gain quality leads in no time.
You’ve found where your ideal client is hanging out, you’ve built a relationship, and now it’s time to pitch. Pitch your offer to your ideal client or pitch a collaboration if it’s to a place where your ideal client hangs out. Collaborations are a great way to use other people’s platforms to share your story. It could be in the form of a:
Podcast interview
Guest blog post
Presentation/speaking engagement, or even
IG live
One place I tend to overlook is my current network. Tell your network that you would love an introduction to (insert your target audience). Your network may know someone who needs your services. So, don’t be afraid to ask.
This may seem like overkill to go into so much detail to find clients for your business but I promise you it’s not. It's a foundational step that every business owner should review at least yearly. Not only will it help you attract more clients to your business now. But it will also create super fans who will rave about your services after you've worked together.