Who Will Actually Buy From You?

In partnership with

Jake and Nikki here. 

Feels like people are enjoying our back and forth style. Last week we got an email that said:

"The Dynamic Duo... (yes we know Nikki is Batman...😁)"

N: I'm Batman?

J: Apparently.

N: I guess that makes you the Joker

J: And you are the Bane of my existence.

N: OK, that was good.

J: It was from the heart. And we’re here to talk about chaos this week.

N: What kind of chaos?

J: The chaos that happens when you don’t know who will actually hire you. 

The "Everyone" Trap

J: Let me tell you what happened the first time I went on my own. I knew I wanted to help companies improve their sales process. So I started telling people: "I help companies build sales playbooks."

N: I can already see where this is going…

J: I went for it. I figured, cast a wide net, any company that needed a sales process, I could help.

N: How'd that work out?

J: Learned a lot.

N: Meaning you got zero clients?

J: yes…but I did learn my lesson. I spent 4 months taking calls with companies who'd say "interesting!" and then said “no.”

N: Because "any company" is the same as no company.

J: Eventually, I looked at where I actually had experience. Amazon service provider space. I knew those companies. So I got specific: "I help Amazon service providers transition beyond founder led sales."

Did I cut out 95% of potential clients? Yes.

Did the right 5% start calling me? Also yes.

N: And those people know immediately if they're in that world or not.

J: Exactly. No confusion.

Here's what most people don't get: The narrower you go, the easier everything becomes.

Finding clients? Talking to them? Getting them to say yes? Way easier.

But everyone resists narrowing down because they think "If I'm too specific, I'll miss opportunities."

N: When really the opposite happens.

J: The more specific you are, the more the right people find you.

This Week's Video from Jake:

N: What?!

J: Just kidding. Nobody wants that.

This week's video is from Nikki (as always).

She's breaking down how to start narrowing down your ideal customer profile.

Watch this before you do the exercise below. It'll make way more sense.

So How Do You Figure Out Who Will Actually Hire You?

Remember your sentence from Newsletter #1?

"When someone needs [X], they call me."

Now we're going to get specific about who that "someone" actually is.

The 3-Question Framework

Question 1: Who has this problem RIGHT NOW?

Not someday. Who's actively dealing with it today?

Think about the last 3-5 people who came to you for help with this thing.

What did they actually have in common?

• What was their job title?

• What industry were they in?

• What stage were they at in their career or business?

• What just happened that made them need help NOW?

Write down actual details. Not what you think sounds good. What's actually true.

The wrong answer: "I help mid-level managers."

The right answer: "I help people who just got promoted to director 3-6 months ago and are drowning in responsibilities they don't know how to delegate."

See the difference?

N: One is a job title.

J: The other is a situation.

Question 2: What just happened in their world that creates this problem?

This is the question most people skip. And it's the most important one.

Your ideal client isn't just "someone with a problem."

They're someone whose situation predictably creates that problem.

Examples:

• "First-time managers who got promoted 3 months ago and suddenly have direct reports" (the promotion creates the problem)

• "Founders who just hired their first AE and realize they don't have an onboarding plan" (the hire creates the problem)

See how that's different from "anyone who needs help with leadership" or "growing companies"?

N: You're looking for the trigger.

J: The thing that makes them wake up and think "I need help with this NOW."

Can you name the event or situation that makes someone realize they need you?

If you can't, you're still too broad.

Question 3: How do you actually find these people?

If you can't answer this specifically, your "who" isn't narrow enough.

Your ideal client is somewhere right now. Actually findable. Where are they?

• Specific LinkedIn groups or communities

• Specific Slack channels

• Specific conferences or events they attend every year

• Specific podcasts they all listen to

• Specific newsletters they all read

If you’re thinking "they're everywhere" or "LinkedIn" - go back to Question 1.

Examples of specific enough:

• "Post-Series A founders" → They're in specific Slack communities, specific VC newsletters, specific founder groups

• "Amazon FBA sellers doing $2-5M" → They're in Whatsapp groups, masterminds/meet ups, conferences

Not specific enough:

• "Marketing professionals" (what level? what industry? where do they hang out?)

• "Small business owners" (what kind? what stage? where are they?)

The Mistakes Everyone Makes (Including Us)

Mistake #1: Confusing demographics with the actual situation

❌ "My ideal client is 35-50 years old, makes $100K+, works in tech"

✅ "My ideal client just got promoted from IC to leader 6 months ago and has never led a team before."

The second person is someone you can actually find and talk to.

Mistake #2: Picking who you WISH was your client

Your ideal client TODAY is the person you can actually help TODAY with the experience you actually have.

Not the person you want to help in 3 years after you've leveled up.

J: Build credibility with who you can serve now.

N: The dream clients come later.

Mistake #3: Making it about you, not their situation

❌ "I work with ambitious professionals who value growth and excellence"

✅ "I work with people who just got passed over for promotion and need to figure out what's actually holding them back"

The first one is about YOUR values and who YOU want to work with.

The second one is about THEIR problem and the specific situation they're in.

N: Nobody wakes up thinking "I need to find someone who values excellence."

J: They wake up thinking "I got passed over again. What am I doing wrong?"

Now Let's Get Tactical

Here's your homework. Works whether you're Building Now, Preparing to Launch, or Learning the Playbook:

If You're Building Now:

List 10 specific people who fit your "who."

Not types of people. Not companies. Actual humans with names that you could message today.

• 3 from your existing network

• 3 from LinkedIn (search by title, industry, recent job changes)

• 4 from wherever your ideal client hangs out online

Don't reach out yet. Just identify them.

Next week we're talking about what to actually say when you do reach out.

If You're Preparing to Launch:

Answer the 3 questions above in writing. Be brutally specific.

Test your answers:

• Could you find 10 of these people this week if you had to?

• Do you know exactly where they hang out online?

• Can you name the trigger event that creates their problem?

If any answer is fuzzy, go narrower.

Write it down: "I help [specific person in specific situation] do [specific thing]."

If You're Learning the Playbook:

Pick any business you admire and reverse-engineer their "who."

Go to their website. Read their content. Look at their testimonials.

Who are they actually talking to? Not who they say they serve - who do they clearly serve based on the language they use?

What situation do they keep calling out? What specific problems do they mention? What industry/role keeps showing up in their examples?

This teaches you how to identify ideal clients, even if you're not launching yet.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

Here's what happens when you get your "who" right:

Your marketing writes itself.

Finding clients stops feeling impossible.

Your pricing makes sense.

You stop shouting into the void.

You're not talking to everyone. You're talking to someone specific who either recognizes themselves or doesn't.

Keep in mind: Getting specific doesn't shrink your opportunity. It creates it.

The moment someone sees themselves in your words - their exact situation, their exact problem, their exact "holy shit, that's me" moment - that's when they stop browsing and start buying.

You're not looking for everyone.

You're looking for the people who've been looking for you.

Your One Assignment

Reply with your "who" in one specific sentence:

"I help [specific person in specific situation] do [specific outcome]."

We're reading every single one. And we'll tell you if you're specific enough or still too broad.

(And yes, if you said "small businesses" or "professionals" - we're calling you out.)

Next week: The validation conversation. What to actually say when you reach out to these people.

Jake + Nikki (Batman and Joker)

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