Your Glass Slipper Solution

Have you ever wondered what Cinderella’s prince was thinking?

I mean, he made EVERY girl in the kingdom try that glass slipper on.

EVERY

SINGLE

ONE!

Could he not have asked some qualifying questions? Maybe an age range at least, if not a foot size? This is without considering that shoe sizes are not THAT MUCH of an identifying feature, but we’ll just go with it okay?

I want to talk to you about being clear about who you want to try on YOUR glass slipper and I will use Prince Charming as an example.

The Glass Slipper Conundrum

Here’s what we know about Charming’s glass slipper conundrum:

1. He has one half of a pair of very impractical footwear.
2. He has prosopagnosia (a neurological disorder characterised by the inability to recognise faces)
3. He is looking for a single lady at a marriageable age (which we will let him define based on his preference and the societal values of Far Far Away Land).

Now, we can narrow this down a little further still. He has a shoe, so he can measure a shoe size. Even if he cannot remember a single one of her physical features, surely someone in that ballroom can remember a hair colour? Perhaps he can consider a height range, they did dance together after all. All of this information can help to narrow down the pool of women that need to actually try on the glass slipper.

Defining Your Target Audience

Essentially what we are doing here is niching. We are defining characteristics that make a woman part of Prince Charming’s target audience for a shoe fitting. Unfortunately, a lot of the advice around creating a client avatar misses the point of the exercise. They ask entrepreneurs to define attributes that are irrelevant to their business. Here are some examples:

Does your ideal client have a dog?

Important if you are a dog trainer, but pointless if you are a life coach.

Is your ideal client between 30-40 years old?

Important if your work focuses on life events that generally happen in that decade, but less important if your work applies to people of any age.

Does your ideal client live within a 10-mile radius of you?

Important if you deliver services in person, but less important if you deliver services online.

You may still have preferences, of course, but it’s important to understand which attributes are definitive, which are preferential and which are of no interest for your business.