4 Steps to Find Your Ideal Customer

When you know your ideal customer, it changes everything in your business.

Your ideal customer is the starting point for everything you do – your business branding, your products, and services, the marketing channels you choose, and most important the way you interact with your customers.

It’s essential you take this crucial first step and identify exactly who your ideal customer is.

Who is Your Ideal Customer?

Your ideal customer is the person who most needs what you’re offering. They’re the one that will benefit the most from your products and services. It’s almost like your business was made for them.

You can create a persona or avatar that describes your ideal market as one person. It might be something like, “Shelly is a 42-year-old, small business owner in the American Southwest earning $75k per year and seeking to grow her professional services business. She’s married with two kids. She works out three days a week, likes luxury items, and always buys organic.”

It’s specific so that you know exactly who you’re talking to when marketing.

A great way to start creating your customer profile is to get as much data as you can about the actual people that currently buy from you. They are a good start and indicator on who your ideal customer is.

When creating your customer profile, start with these questions:

1. Where is your Ideal Customer, and what does she do?

An accurate snapshot of your ideal customers starts with figuring out where they are and what they do. You can collect demographic information like their location, job status, age, income, family situation, and so on. You want to answer the question “who are you?”

2. What problems does your ideal customer have that your products or services can solve?

You ideal customer has problems or challenges that they are looking to solve. You need to dig to find what pressing need they have so that you can position your products and services as the obvious answer to those challenges.

When finding the problems, your idea customer faces go deeper than the surface issue, and you’ll find there is a bigger underlying issue.

If she is looking to lose weight, it might first seem like it is about the weight, but after digging deeper, you find the real issue is about feeling worthy or being able to best care for herself and her family.

If the challenge is to grow her business, you need to find the why. Is it for status or security? Is it so she had more time with her family? All of those core challenges are different than just wanting to grow a business.

When figuring out their problem, keep asking “but why?” until you feel you have reached the real problem.

By digging in and finding the core issues, you can figure out what change your services and products will make in your ideal customer’s life.

You will be able to craft your message in a way that shows you not only truly understand your customer but that you can get her results as well.

3. What is your Ideal Customer Looking for when they buy?

Part of your customer profile is their buying behavior. You can figure out how and when your ideal customer shops, and how they feel about the money they spend.

Do they shop online, or do they need to be face to face? Do they look for a deal, or do they want a premium product? Do they plan well in advance or do they wait until they urgently need your services?

When you know their buying behavior, you can adjust your messaging and offer to be in line with your customers’ actions. They will feel like your products and services are a perfect match for what they need.

4. What objections do they have to buy?

It’s important to know the objections or concerns that your customer may have to purchasing your products or services.

What would make them get close to buying and they change their mind at the last minute? What worries do they have? What doubts are they feeling? Are they concerned about the price or the results they’ll get? Are they worried about what their spouse will think?

By understanding their objections, you can address them directly and help them get over their doubts and make the purchase with confidence.

Where do you find this Customer Information?

So you may be wondering, how am I supposed to find all of this out? There are quite a few different ways you can learn more about your customers.

Here are four easy ways to get you started.

1. Research your customers on social media and places like Q & A site and online forums.

2. Talk to your existing customers or your current audience.

3. Take a look at your competitors and see who follows and buys from them.

4. Conduct online surveys with people in your market.

Want to learn more about starting your business? I have a full course that takes you from step one to the launch of your business. If you’re ready to turn your business idea into a reality, check out my course here.