So that you can build your business around their goals and challenges.
If you don’t have a dream client persona, hang your head 🤭 that stops right now.
For the greater good, make one. They changed Diagnostax from hopeful to successful.
A dream client persona is the key to standing out, to the right people. The more detail you build into this persona, the more you can build your business around the needs of your favourite clients… and attract more of them.
With a dream client persona in your back pocket, you can find your ‘thing’, your unique selling points and your identity within a busy market.
Who should you base the dream client persona on?
When thinking about ‘who’ your dream client is, think of real life…
Clients that just ‘get’ what you’re about
Clients that were easiest to sell to
Clients that were easiest to onboard
Clients that are a pleasure to work with
Clients that give you the most value
Clients that shout about you
Keep it real, keep it factual.
You can have more than one dream client persona. We do. We have the Solopreneur (Mark Telford, Telfords) and The Owner Managed Accountancy Business Innovator (Paul Barnes, MAP.).
We’ve got a detailed example dream client persona in page 26 of this eBook, I hope it inspires!
The reason why we’re building our business around these personas is because we sell advisory software. These people are experienced in onboarding software, they’re sorted when it comes to compliance and they’re in the 1% of accountants looking for what’s next. For those trying to impress their clients and hold onto the high-value ones, tax advice is next.
Through cloud technology, Solopreneurs & OMB Accountancy Business Innovators can match and trump the larger firms and hold onto high-value clients.
Diagnostax is perfect for them, when you put it like that. But nothing’s that simple.
That’s why businesses should obsess over their perfect client, so that they can understand them, reduce the barriers to sale and find new ways of helping them grow.
It all starts with a dream client persona.
Here’s a template structure, featuring examples from the Diagnostax dream client:
Statistics (e.g. Minimum 70% clients on the cloud)
Personal Characteristics (e.g. Accountancy Business Owner, Natural consultancy skillset)
Experience (e.g. previously working in industry as an accountant)
Business Approach (e.g. Set out to create a lifestyle business)
Goals (e.g. To achieve scalability through outsourcing)
Challenges (e.g. To identify exactly who their perfect client is and why) THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTION
Weaknesses (e.g. Lack of ability to take tax advisory beyond the basics)
Fears (e.g. Not challenging the status quo enough)
Feel Good When (e.g. They are recognised as innovators)
Dreams (e.g. To build a business to be proud of, that achieves what they set out to do)
Shit They Wouldn’t Admit (e.g. They Need Recognition)
Would Like to Say, But Don’t (e.g. Don’t tell me how to run my business, unless you’ve run an accountancy business
(there’s more detail on page 26 of the eBook!)
Once you have a dream client persona, you can harness the information to generate ideas, subjects and content that attract them towards you.
In another blog post, I’ve written a 6-step process that you can follow, so that you and your team can easily generate real, relatable ideas to attract and service your dream client persona. Check it out!