Find Your Ideal Client by Doing This Easy Exercise

September 30, 2020

If you’re just starting to spread the word about your business, it’s tempting to think that your products and services are so amazing, they can benefit everyone!

Don’t get me wrong – I’m sure they can! But the truth is, we have to stay humble to succeed. Niching your business to cater to a specific market is the only bulletproof way to get noticed nowadays, because you’re not watering down your messaging.

The more specific you are about who you’re talking to—the more specific you are about who you can help—the easier it becomes to find and target them.

Finding out exactly who you’re talking to may be a bit of a struggle in the beginning, so here’s a quick exercise to help you narrow down who’s your ideal client.

This method is also known as Life Before/After.

At least that’s what I like to call it! The best part is, it’s really simple to nail it down, as it doesn’t require you to get lost into spreadsheets of endless data.
Answer these questions:

What’s life like for my clients BEFORE they’re introduced to my product and/or services? What are their daily struggles? What are the thoughts they have on a daily level?
What’s life like AFTER they’ve used one of my products/services? How has their life transformed? What’s their day like NOW?

Dive down to a much deeper level!

These simple questions enable you to go past the basic demographics and really dive into the psychology of your client.

Their thoughts, feelings, fears, frustrations — and most importantly — their desires.

A lot of people spend hours obsessing about whether their ideal client is 42 or 45, lives downtown or in the suburbs, drives an SUV or a minivan; but I promise you that all of that isn’t as important as finding the answer to the questions above.

Let’s try and put this into an example!

For instance, you’re a coach who’s helping stay-at-home moms start a business from scratch without investing tons of money upfront.

Now, at first, it’s tempting to think about the demographics alone.

You’re obviously targeting women the age of 30-40 who have kids and would love to contribute to the household budget.

So, it shouldn’t be that difficult, right?

Well, there’s a catch.

Think about it: is every stay-at-home mom interested in starting her own business?

Some of them aren’t! Some of them are looking into homeschooling ideas or Montessori or DIY ways to spruce up their home

And even if they are interested in hearing what you have to say… some of them don’t have the means to get started with a sound investment.

See how easy it is to fall into the trap of thinking that putting down “stay-at-home moms” as your target audience means you’ve narrowed it down?

This is where the Life Before/After really shines through!

If we were to use the method right here, you’ll notice how your product/service is transforming the life of your target group.

Life before: worrying about money, tight budget, struggles with the mortgage, fears about the future, etc.
Life after: a life without worries, doing what they love, more flexibility, able to save for kids’ college education with ease, travel, and decorate, etc.

Of course, this is just an example (and you should be a bit more detailed when answering), but you get the idea.

By doing this little exercise, you’ll be able to crystalize your brand messaging and talk to all the right people who’re willing to listen to what you have to say!