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Chapter 1/6

Ideal Clients and the Client Persona

Law Firm Clients

3 min read

Around 84% of companies that work to improve their customer experience report an increase in their revenue. Why? Consumers crave experiences that make them feel special and safe. Your clients are no exception.

This Guide will show you how to understand what your client wants, develop and use a client journey map, successfully onboard clients, create an amazing client experience, communicate effectively, and capture reviews and feedback.

Your Client Experience Starts With Your Ideal Client Persona or Profile

Did you know that 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase a service from a brand that provides a personalized experience? That’s because being seen and known are beautiful things. Offering an exceptional, personalized experience requires understanding your clients on a deeper level.

To get started, we have to be clear about who you serve and who you don’t.

Not Every Potential Client Is Meant to Be Yours

While you might think you need to make a cash grab for any client who will have you right now, take a breath. You can and should be discerning. You can’t serve everyone. 

You’re never going to please everyone, and if you do, there’s something wrong.

Constance Wu

The best way to find and attract the clients you want is to define them clearly. You do this using an ideal client persona. A client persona is simply a detailed description of who you serve, what they are struggling with, and what they need. Sometimes, it is easier to think about who you don’t want to serve as a way of determining who you are trying to attract. 

To begin defining your ideal client:

  1. Give your persona a name. Yes, a real name. Your persona is a living, breathing representation of who you serve. To make it as personal as possible, name your persona.

  2. List their defining demographics. Next, list the demographics that matter (this could include their age, where they live, their occupation, and so on).

  3. Identify their pain points. The most important service you can offer is one that eliminates your client’s pain points. Record these pain points in your persona and how you plan to solve them.

  4. Identify their goals. What will life look like for your persona after they work with you? For example, will they exit their marriage with confidence or continue to grow their business securely with your advice?

The more specific you can be when creating your persona, the better. To dive even deeper, ask yourself these questions about your ideal client:

  • What’s the most valuable thing a lawyer could provide for them right now?
  • What worries keep them up at night?
  • What are their hobbies?
  • How much money do they make?
  • Who do they follow on social media?
  • Do they have kids?
  • What is their daily routine?
  • Which influencers do they follow?
  • What might be getting in the way of them seeking help?

It is often helpful to think of actual people you know who would fit this persona. For instance, if you have already had clients, who were your favorites? What made them stand out? What other details about them should you record? Also, consider the clients that didn’t work out well.

What about those situations that made your job difficult or impossible for you to deliver what your clients needed?

Don’t Accidentally Exclude Demographics

As you create your persona, avoid accidentally excluding the demographics of those you want to attract. Double-check your persona for biases as you move forward. This means making sure you’re thinking more about your ideal client’s needs and only using demographics to support your persona. 

Do Your Research

If there’s one thing to gather from this guide, it’s this: don’t wing it. Put some elbow grease into developing your persona. Do online research and get out and talk to people. Look at NextDoor and Facebook groups to research and talk to your ideal clientele. 

The more information you can gather, the better and more comprehensive your persona will be.

Thoughts on Creating Multiple Ideal Client Personas

You may already be considering creating more than one persona for your firm. Perhaps this is because you have more than one practice area (e.g., family law and estate planning). Or, maybe it’s because you serve two very different audiences within one area of law (e.g., landlords and tenants). 

Before you move forward with multiple ideal client personas, we recommend getting really good at working with only one persona. Work through the process of defining one persona and then use that persona to move forward, as we outline in the sections below. 

If, and only if, you begin to connect with your first ideal client persona truly, should you consider creating more.