Is it already Day 3?
Time flies when you’re having fun.
Let’s have a quick look at yesterday’s lessons:
1. Question yourself to refine your skill:
* Which topic can you discuss for hours?
* What are your strengths and weaknesses?
* Which problem have you solved multiple times?
* Which type of clients do you love to work with?
* Do you have client results that make you proud?
* What type of advice do people always come to you for?
2. Fill in the problem-solution statement:
I help [TARGET AUDIENCE] [benefit or solve a problem] by providing
[your product or service] with [key feature].
Let’s jump into one of the most important parts of your course-creation machine.
Now it’s time to find your ideal client: AKA your avatar.
Also known as your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). But I don’t like that term.
Finding your avatar.
The biggest mistake I see people make is not having a well-defined avatar.
Most entrepreneurs believe they can’t get clients when they specialise too much.
For a long time I was struggling with sales.
After decades of average results I was fed up.
I hired a coach. And he asked me this:
What if, god forbid, you burned your face? And you needed a facial reconstruction.
Would you go to a general plastic surgeon? Or would you go to the specialist in facial reconstruction for 3rd-degree burn victims?
Be an expert plastic surgeon.
I know it’s quite a harsh example.
But I need to wake you up.
People love specialists.
To become a specialist you need to solve 1 specific problem for 1 avatar.
The moment you know your ideal client, everything will become easier.
So let’s put an end to your avatar dilemma.
But…
Before we go into details, I would like you to understand one thing.
Life is constantly changing.
Here’s an example:
You help Jack grow his real estate business.
He gets more business because of you.
He tells everybody how great you are.
As a result, you get more clients.
Your workload becomes too much, so you invest in building a team.
Before you know it, you teach Jack how to do the same.
You get more excited about working with entrepreneurs who are established.
You can ask more, and it’s less hand-holding.
Higher price points attract a higher quality of people.
After a while, you decide to help only clients like Jack.
The absolute beginner was just a phase. Your avatar has changed.
Don’t get obsessed with your ideal client. Define it today and let your experience change your avatar over time.
The power of internal pain points.
Before we dive into our research, I want you to understand two types of pain.
External pain.
Let’s go back to Jack. Remember the real estate guy?
His external pain point is that he needs more clients to grow his business.
But that’s not Jack’s real pain.
Internal pain.
Jack grew up in poverty without a father. He needed to work hard to get to where he is today.
Now Jack has two daughters: Marie and Claudia. They are the apples of his eyes.
His internal pain is that he does not want his two daughters to suffer hardship.
He works hard to make sure that there is enough money to put them through school. But more importantly, he wants to be there as their father.
To do so, he needs to free himself from his business. So he can focus on the thing that matters: his family.
When you can solve internal emotional pain points, you build a true connection with your avatar.
We have another set of questions to find the internal and external pain points.
The Avatar-inder exercise.
Here we go:
You know the drill:
1. Grab a pen and paper.
2. Answer the questions quickly.
Questions:
Do they have kids?
Where do they live?
What do they read?
Do they have a family?
What is their biggest desire?
Who are your current clients?
Where do they go on holiday?
What’s their financial situation?
What type of house do they live in?
What keeps them awake at night?
Which social media does your avatar use?
How do they see themselves 10 years from now?
Which social media platform do they hang out on?
Create your avatar.
When you have more clarity about who your avatar is, give them a name.
Mine are Harry and Harriet.
Avatar profile example:
Harry/Harriet lives in an above-average neighbourhood. He earns a nice 6-figure-year income. He loves life, but he has one big problem.
He’d love to spend more time with family and friends. But instead, he’s busy trading time for money. Harry is fed up with long working hours.
His favourite platform is Linkedin. And he is a very active guy. One day he would like to live in another country.
He knows that courses are the way forward. Only Harry does not know where to start.
Now that you know the ins and outs of your avatar.
Your action steps for today:
- Answer the questions in the Avatar-inder exercise.
2. Create your avatar profile.
This avatar exercise is not hard. But it will change your business forever when you get it right.
Tomorrow we’re talking about how to validate your course.
You kick ass. Keep going.
Virgil “Avatar is a great movie” Brewster.