If you are in a service-based business – one where what you are selling is YOU – it can be hard to convince people to work with you.
I’m sure you get questions like:
Why should I choose you (over your competitor)?
What do you offer that is different, special or unique?
How do you answer?
Do you start touting your educational background and work experience?
That can work. But what if your competitor is more educated and more experienced?
Maybe you tell them that you’ve worked in third-world countries to show how compassionate you are, or that you’re a mountain climber to show them how adventurous you are.
That’s cool. It can set you apart, but they’re asking, “How does that help me?”
Maybe you tell them why you are so passionate about your work.
Now, you’re getting warm!
B-U-T…do you say something like, “I’m passionate about helping people live better lives” or “My mission is to empower women”?
Okay, yeah, I want to feel empowered and live a better life but I’m still not feeling connected to YOU. You’re not telling me your deep WHY. That’s what’s going to connect most with me because I likely feel similarly and I want to work with someone who believes what I believe. So, just what is your WHY, your purpose in life?
What is it inside of Y-O-U that drives you to even want to do this work?
It’s WHO YOU ARE, not what you do, that makes us want to work with you.
According to Simon Sinek, author of Start With WHY, each of us has only ONE Why. And it never changes.
Your WHY is the core purpose, cause or belief behind EVERYTHING you do. It’s how you naturally show up with everyone when you’re at your best. It’s who you are, always have been and always will be.
And…you’re usually blind to it.
Worse yet, it’s really hard to articulate because it lives in the realm of feeling where words are often vague, opaque and elusive.
However, once you CAN articulate it, it helps to verify to your prospect that you’re the one for them (or not).
You see, we make our decisions first from our gut (our instincts), then our hearts want a say, then we justify it with our heads. It’s a split-second thing but it’s true.
Let’s say your prospect already has a “gut feeling” about you; their gut has already told them that you’re a good fit. Their heart knows the answer too but they (like most of us) tend not to listen. They go straight to the brain for help but they’re confused (their gut has a feeling but no language, remember). What they’re looking for now is justification in words.
You need to communicate in a way that their brain understands.
If you can articulate what they’re feeling, they stop the back-and-forth pro/con list that’s rattling around in their head or on paper, and they connect “whole-heartedly” to the ‘Yes, you’re the one’ that their gut and heart have been saying all along.
Think about the last time you had to make a decision whether or not to work with someone. You likely went straight to your head to decide what to do. Then based on your decision, you either felt good (your heart felt peaceful, your gut was calm – this was the right decision for you) or you felt bad (you were upset, frustrated, berating yourself that you didn’t listen to your instincts, maybe you even felt nauseous – your heart is aching, your gut is churning).
When you’re in alignment (gut, heart and brain all saying the same thing – yes or no), your decision feels good and you’re happy with the result. If you’re out of alignment i.e.: heart and gut said no but you said yes, it’s not going to be a good experience.
Knowing your core WHY and being able to articulate it helps your prospects know if they’re a good fit, or not.
(Btw, the “not’s” are a good thing. In order to have a business that brings you joy, you only want to attract your ideal clients. Being able to speak from your WHY will do that. You will attract those who believe what you believe. Let those who are not a good fit go on their merry way…to your competitor (wink wink).
How do you find your WHY?
Unfortunately you can’t find your WHY alone – or you already would have.
However, I can help you find it and put words to it giving you a deeper awareness of who you are and what you bring to others. Plus once you can articulate it, you’ll be able to connect more easily and authentically with your ideal clients.
I like to say that knowing your WHY is your rear-view mirror, your anchor and your compass.
It’s your rear-view mirror because the WHY discovery process allows you to look back and understand why sometimes your life events felt good and sometimes they felt bad because your experience is based in who you are.
You will feel validated for your past actions.
It’s your anchor because the WHY discovery process removes your blinders and allows you to stand firmly with a greater awareness of the gifts you bring to others and why people are drawn to you.
You will feel grounded in your present self.
It’s your compass because the WHY discovery process helps you to see what you need to consistently show up as your best self so you can make choices that feel good and are aligned with who you naturally are.
You will feel empowered as you shape your future.
How will knowing your WHY help your biz?
Confidence:
- You’ll have greater clarity around who you are which means you will have greater confidence in your unique selling point.
Clear messaging:
- No more wishy-washy tongue-twisted gobbledy-gook when you talk or write about your work. (Wouldn’t that feel great?!)
Pricing:
- You will feel confident charging what you’re worth because both you and your clients understand your value.
Better Clients:
- Say goodbye to nightmare clients because you will be attracting people who believe what you believe and value what you have to offer.
You can’t own your value if you don’t know what it is.
Knowing your WHY and being able to clearly articulate it will not only set you apart from your competitors, it will help to magnetically attract your ideal customers.
When you know your WHY, you can take your messaging to a whole new level.
Your copywriting becomes attractive, your About Page is magnetic, your overall messaging is more powerful and people finally ‘get’ what you’re offering (and want it!).
(Psst…knowing your WHY also helps with ALL your relationships because you’ll know what you bring to the table and what you need from others.)
What’s my WHY?
It’s to encourage people to believe in themselves so we own our value and what we have to offer to the world. It’s how I show up for my kids, my family, my friends and each of my clients. It’s how I’ll show up for you because it’s who I am.
I’d love to help you discover your core WHY.
Click the button to schedule a 30-minute no-obligation call.