Finding your business core (pt 3): It is about you

In part 1, we talked about finding your business sweet spot at the intersection between you and your audience. In part 2 we talked about your audience. And today (surprise, surprise!) we’re talking about you.

It’s not about you

That’s what many marketers, copywriters and sales-types will chant over and over again.

Focus only on your customer.
Give them what they want, how they want it.
Tell them what they want to hear.
And remember, no-one cares about you.

I don’t think that’s true for most businesses these days, and it’s especially not true for coaches, consultants and creative entrepreneurs.

You are an equally important in the equation. You need to be present in the essence of your business – and present in the message that brings you into connection and conversation with your ideal customers.

It’s about you because you need to believe

If you go by the old-school marketing rules, finding your message means drilling down to the people who want your thing (AKA ‘desperate’ buyers) and then saying whatever is necessary to push them over the line to buy.

That might get you some sales, but does it really work for you? If your business is about making a difference and sharing your passion, can you really approach your marketing like a robot crunching on target demographics and trigger words?

The other danger is that you attract people who, although they want your thing, aren’t necessarily the kind of people you want to work with – which further erodes your self-belief and enthusiasm.

You can’t get to your ideal people without bringing you into the equation. And you can’t rock your marketing as a mindful entrepreneur, if your message doesn’t reflect your truth.

It’s about you because your people need to believe

We’re exposed to so many marketing message (thousands every day) and we’re cynical. What did you think the last time you dealt with a sales person who just keep telling you what (they thought) you wanted to hear? You know the type – fast talkers promising that their thing is the biggest and the best you just can’t do without.

Your gut tells you there’s no substance, there’s nothing behind the facade, and your defenses shoot right up.

There can’t be trust unless your people have a sense of the person behind the sale. They need that feeling of substance, of knowing what you’re about and why you’re talking to them, so they can make their own judgements and be comfortable in their choices.

It’s about you because your people want connection and conversation (and that takes two)

This is about the experience of making a purchase – everything that leads up to the decision to buy and everything that follows.

There was a time when big companies treated you like you were lucky to have the opportunity to buy from them – you got exactly what you paid for and not much else. But the world got bigger and smaller at the same time, consumers got more choice, and now people demand a lot more out of their buying experience. From a more convenient sales process, to nicer packaging, to ongoing help.

Connection and conversation is part of that experience. Your people want more intimacy – I believe that’s why there’s increasing interest in buying services from micro and solo businesses.

Just as you’re looking for your ideal people, they’re looking for their ideal service provider – the person with whom they can connect and converse. They can only find that if you show them who you are.

So, where is this sweet spot, exactly?

It’s tempting to talk about this an an equation in terms of balance and exact measurements – mixing just the right amount of your values and just the right amount of your audience’s needs.

But in my experience it’s much more organic than that. There is no precise formula.

The best way I can describe it is to say, it’s a meeting place.

It’s where you meet your ideal person, discover shared stories, and offer up your help. You reside in this place together. You give information you believe will be useful, but you also leave space for their response. You don’t get caught up in your own narrative. You are absolutely present, but you are present without ego. You are true and whole, but in service to them.

Despite my headline, I’ll admit it’s not really about you. But it’s not about them either.

It’s about the potential that arises from your connection and exchange. That’s your business core.

24 Jan 10   |   Read more on Your Business Core   |   3 Comments »