What’s an ICA and Why Do I Need One?

Why Bother Defining An ICA?

As a business owner, one of the questions we’re asked more and more often these days is “What’s your ICA?”. Many respond with a blank stare, especially older entrepreneurs like me. It’s a term that didn’t even exist, or at least wasn’t in common use when I started my accounting business 30 years ago.

For those of you who are still unfamiliar with the term, it stands for “Ideal Client Avatar”. Clear as mud, right? But once I learned what it meant, I realized how important it is to hone in on, because it helps target your attention on places were the people you want to work with hang out instead of blasting your message to the entire world in hopes it will stick to someone or something.

I’ve learned getting specific about who you can and want to serve gets you out of that sales rat race called the “numbers game” which dictates you have to make 100 calls to get maybe one sale. I, for one have always been resistant to this kind of sales. As I learn more about targeting your pitch and understanding your ideal market, I realize my resistance was well-placed.

You Are Unique. Why Shouldn’t Your Clients Be Unique Too?

Like most of you, my message is unique and frankly, it isn’t for everyone. Why put a lot of effort into creating generic content in hopes a piece or two will resonate with everyone? The reality is what I’d write would more likely resonate with no one, so I may as well have made those 100 calls or sent 1,000 emails out into cyberspace. The results would be the same. I might pick up a crumb here and there, but I wouldn’t be working with the people I love to work with, and from whom our association alone is an opportunity to expand my own horizons.

So what does an ICA look like? That depends on you, the product or service you offer, and who is most likely to find it useful and different than all the others out there. Here’s an example of what I’ve come up with for myself. Feel free to use any part that resonates with you, or better still, as an idea of some of the things you want to use to focus on on your own ideal client.

What’s in My ICA?

My ICA is a woman over 50 who has done her time in the corporate rat race. She was unfulfilled and might even have hated the work, especially if she had to give up part of her soul to get up every morning and go to her job. She’s smart, insightful, Conscious, and spiritual rather than religious. In fact, she’s a bit of a rebel who works better when she follows her own set of rules rather than the arbitrary and often foolish ones she encountered in the employ of others. She’s currently single and used to doing for herself, but not militantly so. She’s learning how to ask for help, and that outsourcing is a lifeline which allows her to focus on the parts of her business she loves while still getting all of the important and necessary tasks managed.

She’s slow to trust, but once you’ve earned her trust, she’ll open up like a rose on a sunny day. She doesn’t work well with people who either need to micromanage or need to be micromanaged. If she gives you a job, she expects you to get it done without excuses, and to ask questions rather than spinning your wheels.

Her life hasn’t traveled a smooth path. She’s weathered her share of hard knocks, but she’s learned to put the past behind her, healing, forgiving, and growing. It’s not a finite process, and she’s still working on some things, and uncovering others, and knows there will always be wounds to heal and people to forgive.

What Drives Her Passion?

She loves what she’s creating because it gives her the opportunity to help others thrive doing what they love, and to also outsource the things they either don’t like, or don’t have time for. Above all, she has no time for game playing or power struggles. She’s been there, done that, and found the whole process tedious and exhausting. So say what you mean and mean what you say or she’ll walk away mid-conversation. She’s unapologetic and strong, but compassionate too. She’s taken off her masks and expects the same of the people she works with long-term.

Her business is already successful so she doesn’t mind paying for the right people to help her make it more so. She’s learned to set realistic expectations, not only for herself but for the people she works with. She knows there’s a time to drive a project to completion and a time to step back and indulge in self-care. She may not have achieved the work-life balance she desires, but her current success and the lessons she’s learned are allowing her to move closer to it every day.

She’s still learning not to chase all the shiny objects, and to own her knowledge and abilities. In short, she’s far from perfect, and accepts herself that way, knowing she’s constantly improving, constantly changing, and constantly learning. She thrives on surrounding herself with people who can help her with her own evolution, and who she can help too.

Relating to Your Ideal Client

The key is being able to visualize the person you’re talking to and speak to her in a way that engages her and gives her the opportunity to learn and ask questions. In other words, she has to be a real person to you so the words you write or speak are easy and not stilted.

You might think defining age is limiting, but understand your ICA isn’t engraved in stone. You’ll find yourself constantly evolving and as time goes on, you’ll find you relate to people outside your initial description too. I’m also finding that sometimes, defining your ICA means looking at who you are attracting already.

You also want to be able to relate to the people you take on as clients as opposed to customers. The difference between the two is simply a question of long-term vs. short-term. If what you have to offer is a one-off, you might not find it necessary to engage with someone or even have an ICA, but so many of us in the entrepreneurial world are looking for people we can work with for a long time, and often as both client and service provider.

Working Both Sides of the Street

The last part might sound weird, but if you find people you love working with as clients, wouldn’t you be more likely to hire them if they provided a product or service you needed at some point? Know, like, and trust are important factors in our business relationships. When you’re building your client base, you’ll learn a lot about your clients from your interactions. Why wouldn’t you choose to hire those people? You already know them, like them, and trust them. It’s a small step to supporting their endeavors too.

The concept of an ICA isn’t limited to client relationships. We unconsciously apply the principles to all of our relationships; friends, business partners, employees, physicians, plumbers; anywhere you interact with people on a regular basis. All we’re really doing here is looking at the people we’re most comfortable with and taking a look at the qualities and characteristics they share. Once we’ve figured it out, we can tailor our messages to those people and reduce the amount of work it takes us to attract clients we’ll enjoy working with long-term.

Who do you feel most comfortable with? What qualities to they share? What is it that makes you relate to them better than you do to others? Pick someone in your social circle you admire and enjoy and start creating your ICA from there.

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a writer, blogger, ghostwriter, and advocate for cats. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income. If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.

Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming release of “Life Torn Asunder: Rebuilding After Suicide”.