Ideal Customer Profile Worksheet

IDEAL CUSTOMER PROFILE — [Business Name]

THE BASICS
Type of customer: [individual / business / both]
If a business: industry, size, revenue range → [details]
If an individual: life stage, role, situation → [details]
Location: [Location]
Budget reality: [what they can genuinely afford]

THE SITUATION
What's happening in their life or business right now: [description]
What triggers them to look for help: [the specific event]
How long they've been putting it off: [timeframe]
What they've tried already: [previous attempts]

WHAT THEY WANT
Stated goal: [what they say they want]
Real goal underneath: [what they actually want]
How they'll measure success: [their measure, not yours]

WHAT'S IN THE WAY
Biggest fear about hiring someone like you: [fear]
Biggest practical obstacle: [obstacle]
Who else has a say in the decision: [other decision-makers]

WHERE THEY ARE
Where they look for answers: [search, social platform, forums, word of mouth]
Who they trust: [peers, associations, specific voices]
What they read, watch, or attend: [publications, events, groups]

HOW THEY TALK
Words they use for their problem: [their exact phrases]
Words they'd never use: [industry jargon to avoid]

WHO IS NOT YOUR CUSTOMER
[Describe the person you should politely turn away, and why.]

THREE REAL EXAMPLES
1. [Customer name or initials] — [why they fit]
2. [Customer name or initials] — [why they fit]
3. [Customer name or initials] — [why they fit]

- Call three past customers and ask what was going on when they decided to get in touch.
- Read your own inquiry emails and note the exact phrases people use.
- Check reviews of competitors in [Location] — they describe the problem for you.
- Ask your team who the easiest and hardest customers have been, and why.