You Know More Than You Think

When It Comes To Your Ideal Customer

The hardest part about the Ideal Customer Profile is that it’s intimidating. Much like the business plan, it’s something that has to come from you. No one else can help you with this, but how do you even know where to start?

Choose Your Ideal Customer

You’re in a business, even if you’re just starting. You created this business because you have expertise in this field. That experience  came with customers. You’ve served several people in the past. You’ve had people you hated serving and you’ve had people you enjoyed working with.

So, choose one of the good ones. Not two. Not ten. One. Choose one.

If you have a customer resource management system, or CRM, then you already have a lot of their information. A CRM isn’t just your newsletter manager. It’s your project or service management software as well. It could be Service Titan, Jobber, Bonsai, or even Quickbooks. There are dozens of systems out there and they all help you manage your customers’ information so you’re not juggling it in your head.

Pull Up Their Information

Chances are good that you don’t have a ton of this information. You’ll have their contact information and their name. But, trust me, you’ve got more than that, especially if this is a client you enjoyed working with.

Do they have a “senior” tag because they requested a senior citizen discount? What about a veteran tag?

Are there notes in the customer file about a husband or wife? What about kids? Or dogs on the premises?

Are there notes about needing a payment plan?

Pull up the phone conversations you’ve had with them. Some of these programs allow you to record the calls, but a good receptionist or administrative assistant will have some of this information, too. Who has spoken with this customer the most and can recall the information that was exchanged in normal conversations?

Demographics

Most of your demographics can be found in easy information scrapes. The first page of your Rippling Roots Ideal Client Profile Workbook is just the basics. You should be able to fill out the first part pretty easily.

In Digging Deeper, talk to your CSR, or your Customer Service Representative, usually your receptionist.

Are they super talkative?

Are they fact focused?

Do they go with their gut?

Are they able to make quick decisions?

What came up in conversation? Lifestyle isn’t a huge focus in some industries, but it’s huge in others. If it’s big in your industry, then she’ll know the answer to some of the lifestyle questions.

Ask the person who has worked with your customer the most about their mental health and stress levels. If your field technicians did most of the talking, they will probably balk at filling this in. Their job is to provide the service, not pay attention to how well the customer slept. However, any clues they might have could help you hone in on how to rate these.

Why It Matters

Demographics helps you create the picture of your ideal customer more easily, and it helps you with targeted ads.

Personality characteristics help you define the voice of your content, from marketing to operations to retention.

Lifestyle helps you figure out where and when you can reconnect with your ideal customer for return work or referrals.

Mental Health and Stress help you define what other pain points your ideal customer is feeling that haven’t been answered yet, and help you figure out if there’s anything more you can offer.

Make the Time

Take five minutes and fill out the first page of the Rippling Roots Ideal Client Profile Workbook now while you’re thinking about it. Don’t wait. You’ve finished reading this article already, so what’s five more minutes?

Hey, I know what five more minutes could do for you, but if you carve out the time for the things that will help you in the long run, it’ll help you make time for the things that matter in your life.

Come on. I’ll see you on the other side.