6 Questions to Help You Define Your Ideal Client

Most of my own clients are ambitious individuals who either work for themselves or are part of an organisation. They are leaders in their own ways and are looking to step up in their leadership by either getting promoted or increasing the value of their business.

My Leader Women clients often ask themselves – “Who are my ideal clients? Should I specialise in a type of client?”

As my teacher Kim Morgan from Barefoot Coaching says: “Do not hurry in the process of finding your Niche. It is something that needs to align with your heart, passions and interest and finally your values”. This is where coaching helps. We explore what matters to you and why you do what you do in the sessions. We discover what is missing in your life and what you need to get rid of!

There is no recipe for success, and we should not rush to understand who our ideal client is. It evolves with you and your business. In my case, to find out whether to Niche or not as a coach, I found it extremely useful to answer these questions, which Kim Morgan asked me:

Question 1: Which client do you feel the most comfortable with?

Question 2: Who do you want to jump out of bed to work with?

Question 3: Which client have you had the most impact on?

Name a client you love and say this to yourself: I want more of that client. Chances are, he/she might know a lot of people like themselves. Ask them for recommendations.

Here you can either do a client avatar questionnaire on their tastes, hobbies, marital situation etc. Or you can also find out whether it’s the feeling of a type of client that comes out for you, for instance ‘ambitious working women in finance’.

Question 4: Which client triggers your own impostor syndrome?

This is a great question, because it does not necessarily mean you should not work with them at all, only because they make you feel uncomfortable. The question is what is it that brings up the impostor syndrome and HOW do you choose to respond to it? Will you take on the challenge, despite hating the type of client or will you decide to do something about it and see if the feeling continues as you get on? Coaching is great here at understanding what happens within yourself.

Question 5: What are you passionate about? Life, work? Which charity do you support if any? What matters to you?

We want more of what we like. How can we combine or bring more of what we love into our jobs? What is it that gives us joy, pleasure and meaning? This is also an important part of coaching.

Question 6: Testimonials from you clients… What do they say?

Very often we do not ask for testimonials because we are just scared to look needy or what they might say about us. This is a great way to build confidence and to keep going. Analyse the words that they have used and understand where you might have been positively or negatively surprised.

Hope this helps! To find out more about Coaching and how I can help you, book a chemistry session with me here.