Everyone knows that in order to find more clients it’s a good idea to define your target market. But, to really get a feeling for who your ideal clients are you must dive into areas beyond the reach of typical demographic characteristics.

Somehow you’ve got to start understanding what your clients value, fear, want, need and dream. No easy task to say the least. It may be a bit uncomfortable going up to a client and asking, “So Bill, what keeps you us at night?” But, if you knew that, would it help you better understand how to best serve all the Bills in your market?

Here are a couple questions that I have invented that I use with clients to help me get at this deeper level of understanding in some clever ways. Understand that this is more art than science so you might as well have some fun with it.

I think you can tell a lot about how a person approaches life by looking into some favorite places. What do you think I could learn about you if I knew:
~ What was currently on your refrigerator
~ What kind of car you drove (and what it looked like at the moment)
~ Your favorite books
~ Your favorite songs

People don’t seem to mind me asking these types of questions and often the answers, combined with the demographic information I already have, completes the ideal client picture in sometimes fascinating ways.

So, what on your refrigerator?

• Scrapes of quotes torn from the last issue of O.
• A magnetic business card from Acme Plumbing
• A photo of your next vacation destination
• School art projects mixed with soccer schedules
• The latest low fat recipe
• Neatly arranged magnetic letters
• Party invitations
• Nothing

It all means something to the marketer willing to dig deep enough to assemble the puzzle.