So what on earth is a customer avatar? It’s the kind of phrase you hear banded around all the time like ideal client profile or customer persona, but do you know what they mean?
In a nutshell, it’s the client you would love to work with or to buy your product. It’s the one that’s most suited to your stuff, the best fit if you like.
Why can’t I sell to everybody?
Believe it not, however much you may think you’d like it, you can’t sell to everybody. Even if you had the marketing budget of Coca Cola and “everyone” turned up on your doorstep tomorrow, can’t you imagine handling all that demand?
You’re in charge of your business and you can take on or turn away clients as you please.
Not wanting to sell to some people is fine. If the idea of turning away business freaks you out, think about this. Just because someone wants to give you money doesn’t mean you should take it.
If you’ve ever had a nightmare client, you’ll know what I mean.
Selling to anyone is understandable, we’ve all done it, especially when starting out. It’s natural to fear turning down work. It feels like turning down real money.
But here’s the thing. Are you “actually” turning down money?
Or are you turning down?
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- That time waster you saw last week who bought your cheapest product but came back again and again with questions and problems?
- The one that asked question after question but is never going to buy anything?
- The ones that are always going to complain about the price and try and knock you down?
- Or the ones that spend their time telling you how to do your job?
I thought so.
So you need to sort out what you’re selling and who you’re selling to.
It’s marketing 101.
Don’t just think features and benefits (they’re important, but there’s more). Think outcomes.
What do I get when I buy from you?
If I repaired computers, for example, and you brought me your broken laptop, you wouldn’t just want me to fix it. You’d want to be able to enjoy all the things you do with it when I’ve fixed it like work, organising your photographs or playing Solitaire.
If you were looking for someone to write you a new website (me … hint, hint) you wouldn’t just want my eloquent words, you’d want tangible results like enquires, sign-ups or sales.
The same goes for your customer avatar.
You don’t want a generic static description of a customer avatar that may or may not exist, a kind of Everyman that no-one can relate to, you want a living, breathing person.
Go into detail, have fun, imagine their lives in as much detail as you can. You are a problem solver, but you need to know what those problems are.
At every stage, ask “how can I help them with that”.
That’s rather a lot to think of, isn’t it?
If only there were a guide I could use to help me through…
Well, dear reader, I’m ahead of you.
I’ve written a free workbook you can download and use to work all those details out.
You can get it here.
Done properly, it’s hard work, and it’ll take time. But, it’ll give you a much clearer idea of what you’re selling and who you’re selling to.
What’s more, you’ll have a list of problems to address in your marketing.
Gold dust.
Get it here.
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