“Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody’s looking for something”
– The Eurythmics
In this week’s article, we’re going to be exploring one of the biggest stumbling blocks to building a principles-based practice, and the surprisingly simple thing you can do to overcome it. But first, a story…
Last summer, I created a workshop called “The Awakened Business Bootcamp”. The purpose of the event was to help coaches, trainers and consultants to enjoy growing their practice, and I was feeling very inspired. I wrote a juicy sales page, recorded a video and worked with our designer to create some very cool imagery. We launched the event and waited with bated breath. This was a workshop for 100 people, but by the end of the first day, only 4 people had booked (I was counting on 30 people or more on the first day!) Something had gone terribly wrong…
I couldn’t understand it. The page was great, the video was compelling, the offer was tempting. I asked several of my friends who are particularly good at this stuff to have a look at the page, and they couldn’t understand it either. They all said, “I’d go on that programme – it looks amazing”. Finally, I gave up trying to fix it and went for a walk, when suddenly it hit me: Most coaches I know feel uncomfortable and anxious when they think about “business”; why would they go on a business bootcamp, awakened or not? I’m very interested in business, and so are the friends whose advice I’d asked, but I’d overlooked the cardinal rule of influence…
The Cardinal Rule of Influence: It’s not about you, it’s about your client.
In a flash, I knew what to do. The event had the wrong name, so that night I changed it to “Making Your Living From the Inside Out”. I didn’t change anything else. The next day, 30 people booked the programme; it was at 70 by the end of the week and sold out not long after.
The mistake I often see coaches make is this: they focus on what matters to them (ie. the coach – usually coaching, their methodology or approach) instead of finding out and focusing on what matters to the client.
So what can you do about this? Stop thinking about yourself, and start thinking about your client! What do they want? What are they passionate about? What keeps them awake at night? What do they dream of? What do they long for?
While you may have amazing things to offer your client, wonderful skills, possibilities and understandings, there’s an important “step 1”: Meet them where they are. As The Eurythmics’ singer Annie Lennox famously sang, “Everybody’s looking for something”. What is your client looking for? What matters to them? If you’re not talking about something that matters to them, they’re going to filter you out and keep looking.
Think about it: the only reason you’re still reading this article is because something about it speaks to something that matters to you. I can make some assumptions about that, for instance…
– The fact that you’re reading this means that you’re interested in the domain of coaching / training / 1:1 work
– The fact that you’re reading something by me probably means you’re interested in the principles behind clarity
– Chances are that you’ve also been “touched” by these principles at some point, or in some way
– If you’re like most coaches, the subject of “business” fills you with boredom and yet
– You probably would love to grow a practice in a way that feels great, serves people and makes you a decent living
At the “Making Your Living From The Inside Out” event, on Saturday afternoon, standing on the stage in front of a room full of coaches, I asked, “Is anyone here interested in business?” Four people put up their hand (likely the same four people who had booked on it the first day). Then I said, “How about this: Would you like to make your living from the inside out?” Almost everyone in the room put up their hand!
So how do you find out what matters to a person? Ask them. Or guess and then test it to see if you’re right. Or both. The more you’re able to understand where your potential client is, the easier it is to show them the relevance and value of what you have to offer.
I’m looking forward to your input and feedback on this, so please post your comments below. Thanks! If you want to learn more about how you can see through the outside-in misunderstanding, and start waking up to the principles behind clarity, you can explore the materials here at www.JamieSmart.com or read my book, the #1 bestseller CLARITY: Clear Mind, Better Performance, Bigger Results. or my new #1 bestseller The Little Book of Clarity.
To your increasing clarity!
Big love
Jamie