There are 5.7 million private sector businesses in the UK and 95% of them employ fewer than 10 people. That’s a lot of us looking for customers. So let me ask you a question, and please answer it truthfully. Who is your ideal customer and how do you go about finding them?
I’m not asking you to jot down the answer you scribbled on a course three years ago or to use the “anyone who needs what I do” sentence.
I’m talking about the real answer. With evidence behind it.
Earlier this year I asked my newsletter readers whether they knew (with evidence) who their profitable customers were. 75% said they knew their ideal customer “in theory”.
In theory!
Here’s the thing. You don’t find your ideal customer by imagining them. You find them by looking properly at the people who already buy from you. (No customers yet? Don’t worry, I’ve got some hints, tips and ideas for you further down – so keep reading.)
Below are five checks to help with that ‘closer look’. Each one has a quick question or activity and a ‘next step’ to move you forward. Grab a quick cuppa and a notepad. This won’t take you too long (but could make a massive difference).
Check 1: Look at Your Best Customers, Not All of Them
Your customer list is probably a bit of a mixed bag. Be honest, some of them were a joy to work with; knew what they wanted, paid on time, came back for more and referred you to their friends.
Others haggled over every penny, messaged you at 10pm on a Sunday evening – and then disappeared.
If you build your ideal customer from everyone you have worked with you will end up with an average. And average doesn’t sell as well as it includes those that were a pain in the b*m.
Try this quick test. Write down your last 10 to 20 customers. Put a star next to the ones you’d happily clone. Can you name at least three?
Your next step
For each starred customer write down what you liked about them, make a note of what they bought, how much they spent and how they found you.
Check 2: Find the Problem, Not Just the Profile
Then look for patterns. What do they have in common?
Demographic information, such as age, location and income are useful. But nobody buys from you because they’re 47 and live in Norfolk. They buy because they’ve got a problem they want solving.
Two customers who look nothing alike on paper can have exactly the same problem. That problem is what connects them to you. And the solution to that problem is what you are selling to them.
Write down the problem your best customers had in their words, not yours. [NB: this is why it’s so important to get as many testimonials and case studies as possible.]
Your next step
Dig out the first email or message each starred customer sent you. Highlight the words they used to describe what was wrong. Those words are marketing gold. Use them on your website, your networking introduction and in your social posts.
Check 3: Ask Them One Question
Many business owners never ask their customers why they bought from them (they’re busy, time slips away from them). Instead, they guess.
However, it’s vital that you get to know exactly why your customers chose you because your guess will be based on assumptions and the real reasons are often not what you think.
Quick question: When did you last ask a customer why they bought from you?
Your next step
Send each of your starred customers one short message this week: “What made you choose me?”
That’s it. Five replies will tell you more than five hours of guessing. (Next week I’ll show you how to dig deeper and find out what your customers really want.)
Check 4: Follow the Trail Back
Knowing who your ideal customer is only helps if you know where to find more of them.
If your best customers all came from networking or referrals, that’s where your time should go. Not chasing likes on a platform they never look at.
Do you know where your last five customers first heard about you? Not sure? Well, in that message “What made you choose me?” maybe you can add a supplementary question …
Your next step
Add “How did you hear about me?” to your enquiry form, your booking form, your first call or just in general conversation. Start keeping a note of the answers today.
Check 5: Write it Down, Then Test It
An ideal customer who only lives in your head changes every time you have a good (or bad) week. Writing it down gives you something solid to check your marketing, your offers and your prices against.
I gave mine a name. She’s called Audrey. It’s so much easier to write to one person than to a crowd.
Could you describe your ideal customer in one short paragraph right now? If the answer is “yes” – brilliant! If it’s “no” or “maybe”, have a go at my ‘next step’
Your next step
Fill in this sentence:
If you’re a ______ and you’re struggling with ______, I can help you ______ so that ______.
Then check every new enquiry against it for the next three months. Does it still hold? If not, tweak it.
Assume nothing!
So, What If You Haven’t Got Customers Yet?
Then you can’t look back. So look around (and forward) instead.
- Read reviews of businesses like yours (the complaints are especially useful)
- Listen to the questions people ask in online groups and at networking events
- Use AI tools to speed up your research. I’ve written a step-by-step guide to this, with prompts you can copy: Stop Guessing Who Your Customers Are: How to Use AI to Actually Find Out
Treat your first ideal customer as a best guess. Once you’ve got ten customers go back to my first point and start looking at your best customers, not all of them and see if you were right.
The Bottom Line
Your ideal customer isn’t someone you invent. They’re someone you notice.
Start with the people who already value what you do. Find the problem they share. Ask them. Follow the trail. Write it down.
Want to go deeper? Here are few things of mine you can use:
- Your Ideal Customer: How to Attract the Right Clients for Your Business for the values, buying habits and personality traits that make your ideal customer tick.
- And for some classic profile questions, there’s Business Branding: How to Answer the Question ‘Who Are My Customers?”
How I Can Help
Knowing your customer is the starting point for everything else in your business: what you sell, what you charge and how you get the word out.
If you’d like a simple plan for the rest of the year get my free guide, Back to Business: 7 Simple Steps to Boost Your Income and Impact This Autumn.
Or if you’d rather talk it through with someone who’s been there, done that and got the T-shirt find out how you can work with me.
Which of the five checks surprised you most? Let me know in the comments.