A customer avatar, also known as an ideal customer profile, is a detailed description of the specific type of customer a business is targeting with its sales efforts. This description typically includes demographic information, as well as information about the customer’s needs, preferences, pain points, and behaviors. By defining a customer avatar, businesses can better understand the customers they are trying to reach, and can tailor their sales efforts accordingly. This information can be used as a basis for prospecting, lead qualification, and the development of marketing materials and other collateral. By creating a clear and detailed customer avatar, businesses can improve their chances of success in the sales process. The following are common elements of an ideal customer profile.

Target Market
A description of your target market in areas such as demographics, lifestyle and preferences. In the case of B2B sales, you may define the industry, firm size, organizational function and job titles that you are targeting. For example, a target market of the CISO office of large and mid-sized banks.

Regions
The geographical reach of your sales efforts.

Customer Needs
A list of problems that you can solve for the customer. For example, customers who are using outdated software that you can improve upon.

Time
Defining the timeline of closing the sale. Some sales efforts may require careful relationship building that take years to close. Other sales efforts may only consider customers with strong potential to buy immediately. This has tradeoffs as your pool of customers shrinks if you’re restricted to those who have immediate needs.

Attributes
Attributes that make it more likely to close the sale. For example, a firm that currently buys from a weak competitor that you know to have poor customer satisfaction.

Budget
The financials of the customer and the likelihood they will have budget for your product.

Channels
Customers that can be reached by particular sales channels. For example, customers that can be engaged at industry events or through referrals without cold calling.

Buying Process
The processes, influencers and stakeholders involved in the customer purchase decision. For example, some sales teams may have a history of success selling to business units but not to IT departments. As such, they may avoid firms that strictly buy all technology through the IT department.