JST 199 – How to explain what you do
“Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
One of the things lots of people struggle with when they’re doing something new is how to explain it to other people. This often seems to be a particular challenge for people who have transitioned to doing something they’re passionate about (E.g. coaches, therapists, trainers, facilitators and other transformation professionals). In this article, I’m going to share a powerful distinction that can help you talk to anyone about whatever you do, from friends and family members to TV interviewers and Fortune 500 CEOs.
I was recently reflecting on the question, what are the key elements you need to have in place to get coaching clients, have an impact and grow a successful practice. This one seems obvious, but it needs saying:
You need to be able to talk to a prospective client about what you do; you need to engage them in a conversation.
Many coaches, therapists and transformation professionals really struggle to explain what they do. When someone asks, “What do you do?” or “What is this coaching stuff, anyway?”, they often feel on the spot. Typically, they either get anxious and go blank, or they start babbling and try and condense everything they’ve spent years learning into a two minute ‘pitch’.
In both cases, they end up coming across as vague and confusing, and they feel bad about it afterwards and beat themselves up. But they’re missing a crucial distinction: the difference between explaining what you do and engaging someone in a conversation.
DISTINCTION: Explaining VS Engaging
Think about it: when someone asks what you do, they’re typically looking for an easy way to pigeonhole you so they can file you away in their mental filing cabinet. This is natural – they want to make you ‘the same’ as something they’re already familiar with.
When you try to explain, you’re complying with that request, even though you intuitively recognise it’s not going to help them or you. That’s why coaches often respond in less-than-resourceful ways and feel anxious and on-the-spot.
Here’s the key distinction: In principle, everyone you meet is a prospective client, so instead of ‘closing the filing cabinet’ on you, you want them to open their mind on what’s possible for them, and what you have to offer. Instead of explaining what you do, experiment with engaging them in conversation. The great thing about this is that you can use all your coaching skills to get on the same page with them. This means…
– Asking questions, listening and getting an understanding of them and their world
– Connecting with them at a heart level
– Sparking curiosity and paving the way for deeper conversations
Speaking to you as a coach, you’re likely to relax and feel at ease as you start to ask questions and listen to their responses. You can come up with ways of talking about what you do that are relevant and meaningful to the person you’re speaking with. And as you get a deeper felt connection with them, they’re likely to like and trust you more. Here’s a simple example:
Bob: So what’s this coaching stuff you do? Is it life-coaching?
You: Yes and no. What have you heard about life-coaching?
Bob: Basically that life coaches give people advice about what they should do.
You: Well, people often ask me what they should do. But my approach works with helping people find the answers within themselves.
Bob: Finding the answers within themselves? How do you do that?
At this point, Bob has moved to curiosity; he’s engaged in the conversation.
If you’ve literally only got 15 seconds, and you believe you have to say something clear and concise, you can use the approach favoured by Certified Clarity Coach Pete Bryceland who says:
“I own a coaching business.”
Of course, you can use whatever version makes sense to you, E.g. “I own a coaching and consulting business”, “I run a therapy business”, “I own a training company”, “I run a public speaking company”.
[TCB] Question: What are some of the questions people ask you about what you do? Instead of explaining, what are some of the ways you can engage them in conversation?
By the way, this is one of the 5 things I cover on a simple checklist I’ve created in preparation for the launch of a new free video course I’m working on, called the Thriving Coaches Blueprint. I’ll be diving deeper into ‘how to talk about what you do’ in the free video course.
You can download your checklist FREE and get on the ‘advance notice’ list for the free video course at the link below…
Looking forward to seeing what you make of it!
Big love
Jamie
Jamie Smart
Sunday Times Bestselling Author, Speaker and Executive Coach
PLUS: Whenever you’re ready… here are 4 ways I can help you get the clarity and results that matter to you:
1. Hire me to speak at your event
If you want an entertaining and impactful keynote speech or breakout session for your conference, offsite or town hall meeting, click here https://www.jamiesmart.com/book-jamie-to-speak-about/
2. Join the Profitable Coaches Group
Join the Profitable Coaches Professional Group and connect with the growing community of like-minded transformation professionals who are passionate about exponentially increasing their grounding, impact and their livelihood. You can join for free at https://www.jamiesmart.com/profitable/
3. Join the next intake of Project Jupiter
If you want to transition from full-time employment to something more fulfilling and on-purpose for you, you may be a good fit for the next intake of Project Jupiter (starting January 2018). Here’s how you’ll know if you’re right for Jupiter (and vice-versa):
– You are currently in full-time employment, but…
– You want to transition from your job to something more fulfilling and “on-purpose”
– You sense that it’ll probably take 1-3 years to complete the transition, but…
– Your goal hasn’t been getting much closer; it seems to stay the same distance away
– You want to make progress, but lack clarity about either the ‘what’ or the ‘how’
– You know that if you were clear on those, with a solid plan, you’d do what it takes to make it happen
– You’ve been thinking about it for long enough, and you’re ready to do something about it NOW
If that’s you, email Nikki at info@jamiesmart.com and type “Project Jupiter” in the subject line.
4. Join the next intake of Project Glasswing
We’re putting together a new practice-building case study group at Coaching Package Power. Stay tuned for details… If you’d like to work with me and my team on growing your practice… email Nikki at info@jamiesmart.com and type “Project Glasswing” in the subject line.
PLUS: check these out :
Get your free Profitable Coaches Scorecard book www.JamieSmart.com/scorecard
Listen to the Results Mindset Podcast www.JamieSmart.com/resultspodcast
Listen to The Profitable Coaches Podcast www.JamieSmart.com/pcp
Read the first 2 chapters of my Sunday Times Bestseller RESULTS: Think Less, Achieve More www.JamieSmart.com/instantresults