Who Is Your Ideal Customer? 3 Steps To Finding Out

Maximize your time by defining your ideal customer

When we use the term Ideal Customer, we're not referring to an actual, real-life customer. The "perfect" customer just doesn't exist. The Ideal Customer is a standard that you identify to help you measure your prospects to see if they fit. Why? So you can focus on the good ones, get rid of the truly bad ones, and anticipate problems with those who fall in the middle. So, you'll take a hard look at your most profitable customer in order to produce the hypothetical perfect customer you'd like to have. This will become the definition of your Ideal Customer.

Step 1: List Best And Worst. It's Up To You

Start with those companies with whom you've done business. Just customers, not prospects. Limit yourself to those accounts where you've already done some business. List the best and list the worst. The best will include those that have given you the maximum number of wins and the least trouble. Then list those accounts that are the worst - possibly because even though you've closed the deal, either you or the customer feel that you've lost. Remember, you set the criteria.