Solving the Ideal Client Mystery

Catharine O'Leary: Hello, and welcome back to kickstart the conversation on your host, Catharine O'Leary. And today we are embarking on a journey to solve a crucial business mystery. And that is all about finding your ideal client. But before we begin, let me just share with you my personal story. A few years ago, I was honestly I was completely lost in my business. In particular, around client attraction, I was pouring money into ineffective advertising, I was on endless calls, sales calls that were completely useless. And my social media posts were more like shouting into the void. I call it spraying and praying these days. But that was really a real crossroads for me, because I was I was doing all of this client attraction or lead generation, you know, activities, and strategies that I thought were what I was supposed to be doing. And none of it was working. And one of the biggest reasons why was because I really didn't understand what my ideal client wanted and needed, I was not messaging correctly, I was not understanding what their pain points were, or as I say, with their 3am question was what was waking them up at night. And I got to a point where I either had to return to the corporate grind, which for me meant a three hour commute a day, back into the city, or I really had to crack this code of, you know, attracting high quality clients. So I really wasn't going to go back to corporate for all that I love podcasts. And I appreciate you tuning in, there are not enough podcasts or audiobooks in the world to make me get back in the car for three hours a day. So I went on a quest and wanted to find out how could I attract my high quality clients in a way that, you know, was easy, and was fun and effective. And, of course, I discovered the power quizzes, and it completely turned my business around, it not only turned my business around, it became my business. So I'm here now to just make sure that you never feel as lost as I did. Because there are so many marketing strategies out there. You know, you can market your your business as many ways as you know, you can come up with ideas. There is everything from social to, you know, traditional advertising, on TV and radio and things like that, or, you know, new ways of advertising on streaming or with new platforms that are coming out every day, it can be really overwhelming. And the common thread with all of these platforms, and all of these ways to market is that none of them will work. Let me repeat that. None of them will work. If you do not understand your ideal client. If you have not tapped into the way that your ideal client is worried about things or the way that they're desiring or dreaming things. If you don't have the way that they're talking about their their pain points, the right language, you know, the right messaging, then you are in for a rough ride. You your messaging is just not going to hit and that's when a lot of those unqualified prospects end up hitting your calendar or in your webinars or your masterclasses or, you know, within your conversations. So really what I wanted to do today was kind of unravel a little bit this, you know, the ideal client mystery. So I want you to think back to a time when you struggle to connect with the right clients. And you know, I want you to kind of feel into that frustration, it's not a happy place, right? What we're going to do today is tackle the, you know, this unraveling of your ideal client, it's all about understanding and identifying who your ideal client is, because, honestly, it's crucial part of your business strategy. getting this right is, you know, can be the difference between thriving and just surviving. So what I wanted to do today was just take a couple of minutes to go through some market research hacks, or some tips and tricks that are right at your fingertips, for you to really understand what's going on with your ideal clients. What are they looking for? What are their pain points? How are they talking about their problems, you know, so that you can then tweak your messaging or making sure that you are talking to the right pain points or the right, you know, the right transformation that you're going to be able to help people with. So let's go through why. First of all, pinpointing your ideal client is so critical. Well, okay, think of it like this. You're hosting a dinner party, and you want guests who appreciate your cooking, engage in lively conversation and bring joy to the table. your ideal clients are much the same, right? They want, you want the people that are going to value your services, resonate with your brand and with your community, and really bring that sustainable growth. But how do we find the perfect dinner? Guest right? And like, how do we find the perfect ideal client. And what I want to do today is just learn some tips around accurately identifying and targeting your guest or aka your ideal clients. You You know, by doing this, you're going to be able to deliver more effective marketing, and really increase in you know, create higher conversion rates, which, at the end of the day for business, more clients more revenue, right. So we want to make sure that you get to more revenue faster, by understanding your ideal clients. So let's start with my favorite way to get to know, clients and make sure that their ideal clients is through quizzes, because, you know, they're not just fun, it's not just all about what 80s Rock Band Are you or what Disney Princess are you, these can be really powerful Tools of Engagement. And, you know, by crafting quizzes, with just the right questions, you can uncover valuable insights into what your clients love what they need, and you know, kind of what they expect from you. And it's a great, you know, think of it as a really friendly conversation starter, that gives you a peek into their world. But not only that, it gives you a peek into their world and what they're struggling with and what you know what their desires are. But it also gives them a peek into your world, and what transformation that you can help them with, and how you can help them get to the other side of things. So engaging quizzes, can provide deep insights into your audit audiences or your ideal clients preferences, thereby enhancing your ability to cater to their needs. So we're not going to get all the way into quizzes, because I do want to spend some time on some of the lesser known research hacks. But you know, bottom line quizzes were my lifeline. And they can be yours too. They do offer clarity, not just for you, but also for your potential clients. Some of the clients that are going to take your quiz are not your ideal clients, they're going to, you know, break off, they're going to not complete the quiz. That's brilliant in my minds, because they shouldn't complete the quiz. If they can't take 60 seconds to get to the end and give you their emails, they're not your ideal clients, they're never going to buy from you. So let's not have them in your masterclass, let's not have them, you know, on your calendar, taking up time that you know, it's not going to be, you know, a good use of their time or your time. I know and quizzes, you know, are ways to engage, you know, your ideal clients and to understand them, and ultimately attract those people that you know, who will love what you offer, and who you're going to love to offer your services to, but look enough about quizzes. Let's look at some other research hacks to find out what's keeping your ideal clients up at night so that, you know that 3am question. First, let's put our digital detective hats on. Right? So find your digital detective hat. And let's delve into Google and particularly Google search and trends. Google, you know, I call it Google University, Google University is like, you know, it's a tool that is a window into the collective mind of your potential clients. So if you put your topic or your niche, or your solution into the search bar, you are effectively mimicking what your clients are doing.

So if your clients are looking for money mindset, or if your clients are looking for, you know how to lose that last 10 pounds, or you know, whatever it is putting it into Google and then seeing almost reverse engineering, what they might be seeing when they put your topic in, it gives you clarity as to what searches are coming up what ads are coming up, what you know, people also ask is coming up all of these ways to really, you know, kind of reverse engineer and figure out okay, now if I put this topic in, these are the kinds of things that they're coming up with. Is that right? Is that what you want to be coming up? Is that what you want to be associated with? Because if that's not right, if that's not quite it, then your topic needs to be tweaked. So you can you can spend some time kind of playing around with search and even Google Trends with your topic and you know, get into, you know, what kind of information our clients seeing when they start searching for your topic. You know, what problems are coming up that they're they're trying to solve For, and, you know, really understanding these trends in these searches can guide your your strategy, straight to the heart of your ideal clients needs. So, really by staying ahead of and staying informed about these trends can align your offerings with what your ideal clients are actively seeking for. And that's just going to increase your, you know, business relevance. So, Google University is fantastic. Google University also has at the top of the sheet, a little tab called news. And, you know, this is another way that Google university can help. So you can go in and see, you know, what's going on in the news, in the sense of, when you type in your topic, what is being written about it, who's writing about it, what magazines, what, you know, what journalists, you know, what topics are being covered. And, in this is a way to keep your finger on the pulse of your industry, which is also crucial, it's a fantastic way to stay informed about latest trends and topics that are buzzing in your field, maybe something like you are in any way, shape, or form connected with AI, like this is a great way to figure out what the breaking news is on AI and so on is just by going into Google News and you know, typing in a topic and seeing what you know, you know, AI for coaches, or AI for business plan writing, or something along those lines. So whatever your topic is, you can go in and see who's writing about it, and what you know, what journals or what magazines are coming from, it's, it's not just about staying informed. It's about staying relevant to your ideal clients. So if if the, you know, if the trends or the language is starting to shift a little bit, you want to be on on the right bright side of that shift, you want to make sure that your business strategies are adaptive, and informed by the, you know, the latest industry developments. Now, it is less important to be kind of, you know, concerned about the latest industry developments on industries that are a little more mature, and they're not moving quite as quickly as something like AI. But it's always good to go in and just double check and make sure that you know, the way that people are talking about lead generation are the way that people are talking about, you know, getting right with their finances, you know that you are still using similar language in your messaging. Because bottom line, you want to ensure that you're remaining competitive. Okay, so that's Google University. The other really interesting place that not a lot of people think of when they think of market research is Amazon. I mean, Amazon is the biggest marketplace in the world. And hardly anyone uses it to my knowledge, to really understand their ideal clients. And in particular, if you don't have products, per se, if you more of a services, entrepreneur, Amazon books is a great resource. You can go on Amazon books, you can type in your topic, and you can check out what's you know, what's topping the charts in your niche, you know, what's being written about? What are your ideal clients reading? Who is, you know, authoring these things? And these books, you know, what are the topics? What are the, the summaries look like, I mean, these, these books are already vetted. And they've already gone through a process to be keyword SEO maximized or optimized. So you can you can kind of see what words that they're using to get, you know, to hit the top the top of the charts, in their, you know, not only in their book titles, but also in their book summaries and the little blurbs that you get, when you're looking to buy a book, you know, you can, you can really check out, you know, what your ideal clients are consuming and tapping into this is insight into their interests into their worries into their aspirations. This is not an exact science, right? So the way that Amazon books is categorized as books is actually by what the authors say it is. So sometimes you'll get you know, you'll go into your niche, type in you know, your topic and get books that are completely not even close to what you do or what your what you thought your ideal clients were looking for. That's okay, take it with a grain of salt, because some authors might be putting you know themselves into categories to help them get to a number one best seller. sticker, right? So don't worry too much about it, but it is it does give you some insights. None of these tips and tricks are intended to replace talking directly to your ideal client, right? That is always always, always going to be your number One source of information, you know, what they're worried about how they're talking about it, and so on. This is more to flush out, you know, give you a holistic 360 view of, you know, what they're searching for, what the trends are, what they're reading, who's writing about it? Is it Forbes? Is it Entrepreneur Magazine? Is it cooking light? Is it you know, what is it. So these are all pieces to the puzzle of your client of your ideal client and getting into their headspace and becoming what I call a client whisperer, you need to take them all kind of together and putting the puzzle pieces together. So these are not quantitative research skills by any means. And that's okay. They're just giving you an idea and giving you some qualitative insights into your ideal clients, which is all we're trying to do. So that's, that's perfect. So we've talked about Google, we've talked about Amazon, and talked about Amazon books, in particular, as a way to explore popular content in your niche and gain, you know, a deeper understanding of your clients interest in their pain points. Next up, I mean, YouTube, right? Don't overlook YouTube, what type of content is capturing the attention in your field? Right, these videos can give you a direct line into what engages and excites your ideal clients. So again, coming from a topic point of view, put it into YouTube, whose videos are popping, what are they talking about? You know, who are they talking to, if they have guests on their shows, this is a goldmine. For content ideas, right? absolute goldmine, you can leverage this popular video content and these strategies to increase your visibility and appeal to your ideal client base. So if you know that your ideal clients are watching Seth Rogen, for example. And Seth Rogan's most popular podcast is on you know, X, Y, Z, you can go in, and you can create a YouTube on, hey, I just watched the Seth Rogen podcast on XYZ and I have an opinion on it, or I want to talk about it and, and and wanted or, you know, I disagree with it, whatever it is, but you can actually leverage what you know, the other person did within your content, and then tag it so that you're also you know, coming up when, when something like that is being searched, all types of different ways to hack into, you know, getting visible and really driving and capturing your ideal clients, you know, eyeballs, really, and their, you know, their interest, because that's what's going to get them to, you know, continue on with conversing with you, hopefully, to your quiz, right. nudge nudge, wink, wink. And then. So we've talked about YouTube, there's also I mean, podcast, podcasts are massive right now, there are something like 4 million podcasts being produced right now. And, you know, like, it's just, it's on every kind of subject line that you can possibly think of. So, you know, if you can tune in to the world of podcasts, I mean, it's more than just a way to pass time, they're really a window into what your ideal clients are listening to. So pay attention to popular podcasts within your niche. So you know, again, you can go into something like, Listen, notes.com, which is a listing of, you know, popular podcasts, and type in your topics and see what podcasts might come up that are talking about that topic. You know, what, like, who's got a podcast? Right? Any of you? Do any of your competitors have podcasts? So they're using what guests, if any, are they featuring, you know, podcast gives you a glimpse into who your clients are trusting for information that is usually more timely than, you know, some of the other channels that we talked about, except for the news, obviously, and what subjects are really resonating with them? So it's not just about the topics? There's also a bit of a style and approach of these podcasts, podcasts and YouTube channels? I would say.

So, you know, like, is it more formal? Is it more casual? Is it a lot of people talking to their friends? Is it a lot of people talking to industry experts, I mean, you can glean a lot about your topic and about how these podcasts are, are produced, and what kind of kind of business model they're using, but also the topics that they're covering, the people that they have on, you know, what episodes are doing really well. This is all invaluable for understanding what your ideal clients are consuming, as well as understanding some emerging trends and the trusted voices in your industry. So really being in that, you know, concentrating on building that authority. There might be some, you know, bigger podcasts in your industry that you want to try to get on in order to build that that authority already within yourself and your business. So another way to kind of increase your visibility and your authority is, you know, by looking at podcasts and what's going on in your topic area in your in your niche. So, we've gone through quizzes, we've gone through Google University, we've gone through Amazon, YouTubes, and podcasts, all of these, you know, acts or all of these ideas are easily implementable by, you know, like at your computer right now, you can go on, you can search these things, so. And every one of them provides unique insights into the world of your ideal client. They form a toolkit for understanding, connecting with the people who will most value what you have to offer. So again, you're just putting those puzzle pieces together, right? And really kind of understanding your ideal client. Now, I want you to think about, like, how much longer can your business keep floating without connecting to your ideal clients? It's a tough question, right? But it is crucial. Today's strategies, you know, they're not just options, they're necessities, for thriving, for, you know, making sure that your business is thriving and resilient. The world is changing, the conversations are changing, there's a deeper relationship that is being expected between the business or the entrepreneur and the ideal client than ever before. So you want to be nurturing and developing and deepening this relationship with you know, at every point that you possibly can, so I don't want you to wait another day. And you know, end up with misconnections and opportunities. If you want to see how a quiz can be working for your business, just head over to quiz for my biz.com right now. You can discover the missing gaps in your client attraction strategy, and start attracting your ideal clients today. Because your business future can't wait. And neither should you. And that, my friends, is how you solve the mystery of the ideal client. So I thank you for joining me. Stay curious, stay innovative, and let's keep cracking these entrepreneurial codes together. Until next time, stay curious and stay connected. Bye bye