Developing an Ideal Client Profile
In my last post, I talked about Knowing Your Ideal Client and knowing them so well that your law firm is able to deliver advice and legal services that respond to your client’s needs often before the client understands what is needed.
Identifying your Ideal Client also allows you to communicate with them in the most focused, targeted way possible through your law firm marketing and to make operational choices in your law firm that will deliver a truly excellent experience for your client.
One of the best ways to identify and know your Ideal Client is to develop an Ideal Client Profile. But what kind of information do you need about your Ideal Client and where do you find it?
Developing an Ideal Client Profile
First, think about who your Ideal Client is. The demographics. What do you know about their age, race, ethnicity, gender, location, occupation, income range, and professional or family status that might influence how you deliver an excellent legal experience? If you serve an older clientele, do you make sure your physical location is more accessible? If you serve a multilingual clientele, do you offer translation services?
Next, think about what motivates your Ideal Client to operate the way they do. The psychographics. What about their personality, characteristics, values, habits, and lifestyle make them well-suited to work with you? If you serve clients with a preference for technology, do you offer a client portal for managing their legal matter? If you serve clients who tend to be unavailable during the weekday, do you offer evening or weekend consultations?
Finally, think about your Ideal Client’s wants and needs. Their goals and their pain points. What unique value can you and your law firm can provide to your Ideal Client to help them reach their goals and make the pain points less painful?
If you are already practicing, much of this information will come from listening to or observing your current clients in the course of representation. What are some of the common demographic or psychographic threads that you can recognize in the clients your firm is particularly well suited to serve? What are their common pain points? What is important to them? You can also ask your current clients for this information through a client survey.
If you are new to practice or are simply looking to gain new perspective on your ideal client, you may wish to also do a little outside research on who your potential ideal clients might be. What can publicly available demographic data tell you about your potential ideal clients in your community? What can your attorney colleagues in other law firms tell you about the demographics, psychographics, or needs and wants of the clients they work with?
Sample Ideal Client Profile
As you develop a profile of your Ideal Client, you might find the below format a helpful example to follow. This Ideal Client Profile might have been drafted by a business law firm seeking to work with small, entrepreneurial businesses and offering guidance on legal and compliance issues.
Ideal Client Profile: Maria, business entrepreneur seeking guidance on legal and compliance issues
Demographics: Maria is a female entrepreneur in her mid-30s to mid-40s. She resides in a suburban or urban area in the Midwest. Maria has a master’s degree. She is married and may have children. Her small photography business operates in a variety of industries, including retail, services, technology, and professional services.
Psychographics: Maria is highly motivated and passionate about her business. She is tech-savvy and uses various online tools and platforms to manage her business. Maria is aware of the importance of legal compliance but often finds the legal aspects of her business overwhelming.
Pain Points: Maria struggles with legal aspects of her business, such as contracts, intellectual property, and employment issues. Time constraints and the need to focus on business operations make it difficult for her to navigate complex legal matters. She is sensitive to unclear communication and high costs.
Goals and Desires: Maria wants a trusted legal partner who understands her specific business needs. She seeks proactive legal advice to prevent legal issues before they arise. She desires clear and transparent communication with her legal counsel.
Where to Reach Maria: Maria frequents local business events, chambers of commerce, and industry-specific trade shows. She is also very online savvy and is a frequent user of social media. To reach an Ideal Client like Maria, your law firm might utilize online marketing and content marketing through social media, blog posts, targeted Google ads, and a professional website. You might also consider offering educational webinars or seminars on common legal issues faced by small business owners.
Putting It All Together
As a final point, some firms may also have more than one Ideal Client and may find it useful to develop more than one Ideal Client Profile. For example, if you have multiple practice areas, you may have an Ideal Client Profile for each practice area. Or if you have potential clients in one practice area who bring very different perspectives, you might develop an Ideal Client Profile reflecting each of those needs and interests.
An Ideal Client Profile is a powerful tool that allows you to communicate with your potential clients in the most focused, targeted way possible whether through your law firm marketing or your one-on-one client communications. It also enables you to make smart choices about your law firm operations that will deliver a truly excellent experience for the clients your firm is best suited to serve.
