Who Is Your Ideal Client?
If you ask different business owners who their ideal client is, many might say, “Anyone with money” or “Anyone who wants to buy from me.” When I first considered this question in the early 2000s, my answer was the same. But when I revisited it in 2011, I decided to take a more analytical approach.
Step 1: Analyzing Past Projects
The first thing I wanted to know was: What types of projects consistently met our ideal job cost, and why? To figure this out, I reviewed data from the past three years and categorized projects by:
Project type (kitchen, bathroom, master bathroom, main level, outdoor living, whole house)
Home price point
Profitability and timeliness
The results surprised me. Kitchen remodels—particularly high-end ones—were the most consistently profitable and completed on time. Why? These projects required upfront decision-making, and we had smooth systems in place with trade partners who delivered reliably. That meant projects stayed on budget and schedule.
So, my ideal client was likely someone planning a high-end kitchen renovation.
Step 2: Identifying Common Traits Among Ideal Clients
Next, I analyzed the clients from projects where we consistently hit our job cost. I asked:
Were they married or single?
What did they do for a living?
Where was their home located?
Did they pay with cash or a home equity loan?
Did they work from home or in an office?
Did they refer us to friends?
We also studied projects that didn’t go well—looking for common traits—and reviewed leads who didn’t hire us. This required my team’s input since I couldn’t remember every detail myself.
Here’s what we discovered about our ideal clients:
Married professionals (at least one spouse worked from home)
Financially comfortable (but not ultra-wealthy)
Respected each other in meetings
Lived in a specific geographical area—so we narrowed our service area
Made decisions together—so we required both spouses at initial consultations
This last point was a game-changer. We found that “one-legged appointments” (where only one spouse attended) rarely led to a sale. From then on, both had to be present at the initial meeting—and later, at mandatory weekly meetings.
Step 3: Applying the Data
With this knowledge, we made key business decisions:
We only worked within a predefined geographical area, ensuring the homes met our price point targets.
Both spouses had to attend the initial consultation, eliminating time-wasting appointments.
We refined our client vetting process to assess their professions, decision-making styles, and potential fit.
By sticking to this framework, we ensured profitable projects, happy clients, and strong referrals.
So, who’s your ideal client? And are you saying yes to the right projects?
Want to know how I prequalify potential clients? Check out my post: [Prequalifying Potential Clients].