Are Standard Ideal Client Profiles Racist? with India Jackson

Most business owners have been told at some point that they need to have an ideal client profile.

These profiles are meant to be tools to figure out who we’re marketing to and who we’re selling to. But in practice, they create a Frankenstein of demographics that don’t reflect real people.

These amalgamations of traits are also heavily rooted in white supremacist structures, ignoring whole humans for what we think are the most desirable pieces.

India Jackson joins Erica to discuss how these profiles go wrong, and why rooting your marketing in your values allows you to attract the customers, clients, and collaborators you really want.

In this discussion:

How ideal client profiles reinforce stereotypes and biases by forcing us to make assumptions based on demographics Why ideal client profiles are inherently exclusionary and racist How using your values to guide your client relationships gives you freedom to evolve Why values-based ideal clients are better customers and collaborators

Ready to dive deeper?

If you’re ready to be in action with your values, Pause on the Play, The Community is offering an opportunity to dive deeper and question what values really are, and what’s really happening when they’re touted as something you need to have, but you’re not sure what to do with them. 

Join us  for From Implicit to Explicit: Reconsidering What You Know About Values. Erica and India will discuss why pausing to establish shared meanings and definitions is an important part of understanding what your values are across your team and your life, as well as why personal values are so important for leaders.

Get access to this workshop, replays, community discussions, and more by joining the Community at pauseontheplay.com/community

Resources:

Listen to Chelsea Stevenson on using your values to inform your ideal client