HOW TO USE THIS RECIPE: Building an ideal client avatar is one of the most important things you will do in your business. It will become the core of your message, marketing, and offerings. Your avatar is the filter through which all the other elements of your business are run. Take your time with these exercises. The work you do here will pay dividends in every other aspect of your business. If you don't already have existing or previous clients to base your answers on. If you don’t, you’ll need to interview some ideal clients in order to validate your avatar. If your story or journey mirrors your ideal clients, you can base your answers on your own experiences. Think back to what you went through when you were struggling and use your memories to fill in the avatar. If you choose to go this route, it's always best to back up your work with some real-world interviews. This worksheet will take an investment of time and some serious thinking. Trust the process and give it your all. The things that you write here will become the basis of almost every other part of your business. You cannot sell a high-end package if you aren't crystal clear about who you're talking to. Don't try to serve everyone. Your message will be uninspiring and unconvincing. Commit to helping a specific client with a specific problem and zero in on that. [Start Here: Answer these 6 questions inside the Content Brief.] >What? What is the concept, topic, or idea you want to relate to the reader? >Where? Where does this concept, topic, or idea, apply? >Why? Why does this matter? >Who? Who is this for, or who is involved? >When? Is there a concept of time involved? >How? Ask yourself how this will happen? The answers in the Content Brief should align with what your IDEAL client is experiencing right NOW. Here are some prompts to get you going: >What's the problem? >How big is the problem? >How long have they had it? >What's this problem costing them? >What do they want? >What's stopping them? >What have they tried before? >Why isn't what they are doing working now? *** DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL CLIENT: >If you had to describe the result that your work provides to your client in a single sentence, what would it be? This should be clear, concise, and tangible. >Describe the best client you’ve ever had. If you had a roster full of this client, you’d be a happy camper. >What is the single biggest thing your client is struggling externally with right now? Be specific. >What is the biggest internal struggle that they are experiencing right now? (For example: Feeling like a failure. Overwhelmed and stressed. Etc) >If you could put the thing they want the most into a single sentence, what would it be? THE PAIN AND PROBLEM: >What’s the biggest problem your ideal client has? (Be specific and use detail- what is the financial, emotional, and psychological pain that they are experiencing?) >What is the biggest headache your client faces on a daily basis? Be specific and use detail- what is the financial, emotional, and psychological pain that they are experiencing?) >How would your client describe what's currently causing them pain? >What worry or fear haunts your perfect client? What keeps them up at night? >What does your client believe will happen if they don't succeed? (A situation, event, or circumstance that they are deeply afraid of? The nightmare scenario.) >Why is it important that he/she fix this problem now? What are the consequences of waiting or continuing on like they are? (Emotional, financial, relationship, business, health) RESEARCH AND INFORMATION GATHERING: >How does your perfect client describe themselves in one sentence? >What do they wish other people knew about them? What makes them unique and special in the world? >What is the underlying cause of the problem or pain they are experiencing? (the thing that they need to fix immediately)? >Do they realize that this is the root cause of their pain, or are they chasing something else? >What things do your client no longer want to experience/ deal with? (feelings? actions, interactions? circumstances, tasks?) THE PROCESS: >What are the four to five areas that you focus on in your work in order to get your client the result they want? Keep these broad. (The specific strategies you use in each area can be customized to the client later.) >What are the biggest tips/ strategies you would give someone who needed to get results quickly? (3-5 steps they could take to turn things around now.) SERVICES BEFORE/AFTER: >What is one low-level thing that your ideal client could do before working with you? (something they probably hate doing) >What is one high-level thing that your ideal client would be able to do following their work with you? >What are the mistakes that your perfect client making right now that are keeping them stuck (focusing on the wrong area, implementing the wrong strategy, missing the foundation)? THE GAP: >What are the biggest obstacles that stand in the way of your client getting the results they want? Do they lack information, motivation, a strategy? Be specific. >Who are your biggest competitors for this offer/ niche? Name 3-5. Link to their website. >Has your perfect client had other experiences with business or services like yours? What didn't they like about those experiences? >What about your offering needs to be different in order for your perfect client to invest in you? What do they need to know/ believe before they can commit? THE VISION: >If they could wave a magic wand, what would their life look like in 6 months to a year? (Where would they live, what would they be doing, making? With who?) >If they could wave a magic wand, what would their life look like in 5 years? (Where would they live, what would they be doing, making? With who?) >What does your perfect client need to accomplish BEFORE they invest in you? >What does your perfect client need to accomplish AFTER they invest in you? >Describe your perfect client's deepest desire in a single sentence (the secret wish that holds onto but doesn't often talk about): >Name the 3 things that, if they had them, would make your client feel completely fulfilled. Be specific and not general on this. (Could be emotional, financial, relationships, career, wellness.)