Whatever your business is, it’s imperative that you present the results you help your clients achieve in a way that is measurable and tangible.
Service-oriented professionals such as consultants, coaches, trainers, etc too often focus on things such as “better life balance,” “more fulfillment,” “deeper sense of meaning,” and the like, These are considered “soft promises” and, quite frankly, people don't usually pay for these hard-to-quantify results.
Example:
“I want to empower women to be more powerful and grab hold of their dreams.”
This is a lovely thought, but it’s so squishy and vague that it doesn’t really say anything.
Like it or not, most of us are motivated by some pain point in our lives. It’s the problem that consistently worries and plagues us that we are most desperate to solve. And, consequently, we will pay good money, take courageous action, and overcome tremendous obstacles in order to achieve relief.
Historically, the top three areas that people are willing to pay for help are:
- Earn Money / Build a Business / Be Successful
- Lose Weight / Feel Better / Relieve Physical Pain
- Find Love / Dating / Sex
Of course, there are more specific and nuanced niches, but these are the big three and probably always will be. Incidentally, by solving these kind of pressing problems your clients will often experience extra benefits as well.
For example, if they enroll more clients, they will certainly have more money. But they may also discover that serving more people gives them a deeper sense of meaning and more fulfillment.
That being said, you need to initially speak to where your clients are right now. You must address the places they are stuck and experiencing the most pain. Ideally, you want to communicate with your prospects from your own experience.
This is called the “Feel, Felt, Found” formula. It goes like this:
“I know that you feel (desperate, frustrated, lost, angry, etc.) about this problem. I understand, I felt that way too when I (your experience with the same problem). But what I found is (your solution in a straightforward, tangible, measurable way).”
The above is a condensed and simplified version. Take a look at your promotions, your blog posts, your About Me page, and such to see if you can fold in the “Feel, Felt, Found” message.
Creating a sense of empathy is the #1 quality of effective marketing. Your audience needs to not only understand that you can solve their problem, but why you care.
