Connect with the human, not the avatar

Do you see your customers as flat demographics or as real people?

If you are too caught up in creating a “client avatar” you may be missing the chance to connect with the real humans behind those numbers.

What is a client avatar?

Sometimes called a persona or ideal client, this is just an idealized version of who you want your clients to be. Most client avatar worksheets focus on you seeking and understanding your clients’ needs (or “pain points” which might be one of my least favorite terms ever). While it can be helpful to tease out your clients’ demographic information for yourself – especially when considering something like Facebook advertising (which has impressive ad targeting abilities), it is equally as valuable to approach it from a perspective of which clients are the best fit for what you offer.

For example, if you sell couches, you could say “I can sell to anyone! Everyone needs a couch!” This is true in an extremely broad sense. Most of us DO need couches at some point. However, you can’t sell to someone who doesn’t need a couch, doesn’t like the kind of couches you sell, or is opposed to couches entirely, and thinks only chairs are suitable for sitting.

By eliminating a few types of people, we’ve just narrowed down your audience a bit, right? Now you can say “I sell couches to people who need the kinds of couches I sell.”

Now we’re getting a little closer, but that still isn’t terrifically helpful to you.

But if we dig deeper, we can move closer and examine the kind of ideal client you are excited to see. At this point, take a look at which clients make you happy, energized, and thrilled to do the work you do. What common elements do they have? What is it about working with them that makes you happy? Which customers make you leap out of bed in the morning because you can’t wait to work with them?

Continuing our couch example, let’s look at the types of people who would be interested in buying a couch AND who would also be your ideal client:

Are they young families looking for something durable, yet comfortable? Maybe you love working with families and helping them find something in their budget.

Are they people who love interior design? Maybe helping people pull together all the pieces of home décor is fun for you.

Are they someone looking for unique furniture? Maybe you are most excited to work with someone looking for the perfect piece regardless of cost.

Are they someone who asks lots of questions? Maybe educating clients is something you love to do!

Obviously, your answers will vary depending on what you sell and your own personality. They may even change over time!

We can also flip this around and look at the types of customers you aren’t excited to see. What kinds of customers drain you? What types of interactions aren’t worth a sale to you? Which customers make you want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over your head?

Are they someone who is consistently rude to you or your staff?

Are they someone who drags out the sale process, but never decides?

Are they someone who makes demand after demand?

By avoiding those kinds of clients (or sending them to someone else), you can enjoy your work more as well as leaving space in your schedule for clients you are excited to see!

Yes, it can feel scary to set boundaries and stand up for ourselves, our time, and our business. Deciding there are some clients who aren’t a good fit for us can feel scary. What if we refer them to someone else and no one comes to take their place?

The next time you are tempted to segment your clients into little boxes, turn it around and look at it from the perspective of “who do I want to work with and what do I want to do” rather than “who will give me money” (and don’t get me wrong – money is awesome!).

Are generic client avatars helpful? They can be! But you don’t have to know every detail of a fake person’s life to connect with real people. Strictly following a client avatar worksheet may also inadvertently cause you to miss a great client because they didn’t fit into your predetermined client mold.