Start by looking at your book of business, and by asking yourself a few key questions. After answering those questions, put your profile in writing, and into practice.
As a reminder, an ideal client profile is a detailed and specific outline of the organizations you want to do business with. It is not a profile of individual decision-makers or buyers within a specific agency but rather a description of the agency itself.
How do I create an ideal client profile?
To create an ideal client profile, start by looking at your book of business to find out:
- What clients have the best return on investment (ROI).
- What clients are easy to manage while still being profitable.
- What clients bring nothing but problems, busy work, and frustration.
Now, ask a few key questions:
What kinds of clients do I want more of?
- How much revenue do they bring in?
- How many employees do they have?
- What industry are they in?
- Where are they located?
- What do they care about?
- What value do they place on employee benefits?
What kinds of clients do I want fewer of?
- How much revenue do they bring in?
- How many employees do they have?
- What industry are they in?
- Where are they located?
- What makes them a challenge to work with?
- How are we misaligned in our values?
Make sure to receive input from various departments and roles within your agency.
Make it a team effort
Leadership, sales, and service have valuable insight to contribute. Get together and discuss what makes a good client and what kinds of clients create barriers to success.
Once determining ideal client size, industry, location, employee count, and revenue, rank these factors with your team. Which of these characteristics is most important? Which is least important?
This helps you decide how to look for the kinds of clients you want.
Put it in writing and into practice
Having these conversations is a great start, but follow through by putting your ideal client profile in writing and putting it to work for you.