“You’re the only person who can help me.”
Those are the words we all dream of hearing from clients, isn’t it?
I heard them twice in the past 6 weeks.
I also heard, “You’re the only person I’d want to work with on this.”
That came from a potential JV partner who wanted to discuss a potentially lucrative project idea he had.
Let me tell you what I did — that you can do too — that got the right people – to say those things to me and how you can hear them too.
- Embrace your story. I was talking with a potential joint venture (JV) partner last week and this was a recurring theme. One of the things he complimented me on was how I’ve embraced my story and how I don’t hide from it. It was hard to come to terms with to be honest. But once I did I started to see how important it was to what differentiated me.Your story – your hero’s journey if you will – is what gives you the unique perspective on the problem you solve. It’s part of what gives you your street cred if you will.
No one wants diet tips from Kate Moss. We want diet tips from Jennifer Hudson, Marie Osmond, and others who’ve struggled and won the battle. Your mistakes, obstacles, or challenges aren’t wounds; they’re medals of honor. Wear them proudly.
Just make sure you’re using your story to help others learn the key points you want them to get out of your message. Remember, there are 4 steps to the marketing / sales process: educate, elevate, inspire, and invite.
Use multi-media. I produce a podcast, called The Courageous Entrepreneur Show. I film it as a video and release it as an audio podcast. I also do Facebook Live videos once a week. Video and audio are powerful because of the emotional connection viewers and listeners are able to make with you. Sometimes I’ve gotten choked up doing an interview or doing a livestream. I just let it happen.What I’ve heard 4 times over the past 6 weeks is that people have watched either my main show or the FB Lives I do as an “after show” on Wednesdays and they’ve felt connected to me. They emotionally knew I was the right person for them. It’s that combination of your message and the emotions you communicate that really connects.
Believe me, I’m not perfect when I do them. And that’s what they actually like most.
If you’re resisting using video or audio, ask yourself why. If you can stay focused on the message your sharing and the people who need and want to hear it you’ll become a lot less self-conscious
- Write. The written word is still powerful and makes up the foundation of the web. I use my show and FB Lives as fuel for written content. You don’t have to be Shakespeare or JK Rowlings for that matter. Just organize your thoughts and write in a conversational tone and you’ll be fine.You do want to do basic things like use spell check and grammar check. And it can help if you’ve got someone who can review your writing and edit it, but don’t let that stop you.
Participate in online groups. I’m geographically impaired – I live north of Niagara Falls, NY on the US side and if you pay even modest attention to the weather, you know it’s not exactly a fun place to drive in winter – which starts in October or November and lasts until early April and sometimes the beginning of May. So participating in online groups is my primary networking strategy. Follow the group leader’s rules and focus on giving first. Be helpful, supportive, and kind. Let people know what you do without being pushy about it. I now get 98% of my clients and students through groups.- Be you. You can’t be me. I have a hard enough time being me. But I can’t be you either. A massive part of client attraction is attracting the right clients. Few things suck more than working with a client who isn’t a good fit. Marketing and sales are all about helping people decide. A recent study showed that buyers are typically about 60% of the way through the buying process before they want to talk to someone in sales. That means we need to give them plenty of information so when they reach out to us we can help them make that final decision. We’re either right for them or not. And if they decide not, then we should be happy for them and for ourselves. The hardest part of all this is owning who you are and being comfortable with being you. I’m long since passed trying to be someone I’m not. It’s one of the gifts of aging.
We all want clients to come to us ready to buy. And it would be fabulous if JV partners came to us convinced we’d be a perfect match for each other.
To achieve that, we’ve got to get comfortable with and clear about our message, then have the courage to put it out there.
Don’t worry about the people who unsubscribe, tune out, or disconnect from you. They wouldn’t have bought anyway. You don’t need that many buyers to make a really good living and from there you need a few passionate advocates to help you share your story.
But it all starts with a clear message that you courageously share.
So what’s holding you back from getting your message out there?
