When you are in business, (and you are the minute you start charging for your coaching, consulting or healing), you need to know who your ideal clients are.

As I shared in my article: Understand who your ideal clients are, a lot of your business success depends on you figuring that out.

So many decisions are based on who your clients are, from the type of content you’ll create, the topics you’ll cover, to the problems you’ll solve with your services. Because all is tied to who your ideal clients are, the sooner you figure out who you love to work with, the better.

You might need a bit of experience working with people before you can identify commonalities between them, but you can also use archetypes to gain that understanding more quickly.

What are Archetypes? A Quick Definition.

The easiest definition I’ve found of archetypes is this: Roles our Soul guides us to embrace at different stages of our lives.

Archetypes are coded into our DNA, and that’s why every one of us has an innate understanding of them.

I only need to say the word “Child”, for you to get a basic idea of who that person is. If I say Artist, you’ll have a clearer mental image but if I say Bully you’ll immediately add a lot more negative details to your previous idea of this kid.

That’s the nature of archetypes.
A simple word that conveys a lot a meaning.

The 12 Main Archetypes Active in Today’s Society

These are the twelve archetypes that have the most meaning for us.
Idealist, Leader, Explorer, Alchemist, Nurturer, Jester,
Warrior, Everyperson, Sage, Artist, Maverick, and Passionate.

(NOTE: I’ve created an assessment to help you discover your most active Archetype. And the accompanying pdf will also tell you which are your gifts when you embrace the archetype, and who will be naturally attracted to your work style and personality. In other words, who your ideal clients can be.

You can go take it for free by visiting: What makes you different? Assessment.)

Isn’t this labeling thing too superficial?

If you feel a bit uncomfortable using archetypes, or think it’s a bit manipulative, let me tell you it couldn’t be further from the truth.

In my studies of Jung and Depth Psychology, I’ve learned we are constantly guided. There is a source of profound knowledge inside of us who knows what path we are meant to walk and who we’re meant to become.

Call it Higher Self or Guiding Self, this aspect of you wants to help you evolve, grow and realize your full potential.

According to Carl Jung, that Guiding Self speaks to us through archetypes. It moves us by activating certain archetypes dormant in us.

So when you help someone embody and live from the truth of her active archetype, you are not just doing your coaching, healing or consulting.

You infuse your work with a deeper meaning, that of helping your clients live their purpose.

Who said that was superficial?

Where do your clients hang out?

Both online and offline, that’s not an easy question to answer. But if you know which archetype is active in your clients right now, it will give you clues to where they like to spend their time.

Each Archetype has a natural environment in which she thrives. Ask yourself:

• Where could I find people with an active _________?
  (fill in the blank with your client’s archetype)
• Which is her natural environment?

These are just a few examples of natural places where some archetypes tend to gather. Feel free to add yours.

For example, Sages value learning a lot. Their natural environments include libraries, bookstores, schools, book presentations, TED talks…

Warriors value strength and being in good shape. Their natural habitats are the gym, and sports competitions, just to name a few.

Artists love craft stores, art museums, writing classes, photo expositions.

And so on.

Make your own list of places, both online and offline. It’s not difficult once you understand what they value and feel called to become.

How to show up there

Look at those places and see if you could become a sponsor somehow, leave brochures there, give a talk or share your valuable resources somehow. Of course, make sure you help them solve a problem that is relevant to them, more on that in a future article.

And if you want to know more about how archetypes can help you stand out and attract better clients, I encourage you to start by taking my What Makes Your Different? assessment.
You’ll find a totally new way of looking at yourself and your clients.

Which is your most active Archetype right now? Please share below.