01/24/2023
WHY THE STORIES IN YOUR CLIENT'S MIND MATTERS
When you meet a mentor in real life, it's hard to really articulate to them just what a profound impact they have had on their life (it's impossible I've recently learned!).
Recently I was invited to help as a coach at my mentor, Sarah Mae Ive's Event. I've been working with her for 1:1 for over 2 years now.
She's had a tremendous impact on my business, the way I run my agency, the effectiveness of my ad campaigns and I was so excited beyond belief to be a part of what she had going on.
One of the most important things (of many!) she taught me is just how important the beliefs of others are, even in business (where we're conditioned to think they don't or shouldn't matter, as they're "other people's" personal business).
But knowing the beliefs of your ideal customers, your potential clients, your CURRENT clients cannot be understated. Here's why:
BELIEFS AND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS
When it comes to business, BELIEFS make up the 3 core reasons potential customers won't buy from you (said this way by Jesse Elder who presented at the event):
1) They don't believe in the product or service.
2) They don't believe in YOU.
3) They don't believe in themselves.
It's hard to articulate just how important these 3 areas are.
Therefore, we've got to meet our potential customers at where they're at (addressing their concerns and thoughts about what's possible), be open about who we are (by regularly showing up and being open and honest) and regularly sharing results of the work we do.
BELIEFS & CURRENT CUSTOMERS
If you've ever lost a great client without being able to figure out why, then you KNOW beliefs run central to effective relationships and open communication with current clients as well.
In my agency now, I do my best to regularly ask: How do you feel? How does that sound?
Here's the hard part:
There is no playbook about what's always right but if you don't know what your client is thinking, then you can't help them.
The stories in their mind matter.
Some clients will always tell you - it's their nature and personality to be open. But some clients will not tell you.
They will stay quiet when they are worried and keep things bottled inside. So while you may feel like things are going great, they're having worries and hesitations and this can be the kiss of death for the project, as they're giving up in you, or themselves or their product!
Nothing is more important than making this open communication a part of regular talks which I now do with my clients on a regular basis.
While it can be scary to ask your clients how things are going, I've learned it can make or break relationships and contribute to long-term, healthy ones.
The clients I've now had for one year are--without a doubt--the ones with whom I'm able to keep these lines of communication open (and those who are willing to be honest with me when I ask).
If you're still reading, I really hope this is helpful for you :-) It's been KEY in transforming my business.
And thank you, Sarah, for your support and belief in me.
B, xo
