This post was contributed by Candace Conradi, a longtime Hera Hub member and founder of Writers Inner Circle, whose aim is to help authors create their best work.
In my last post I suggested not to “… leave yourself out of your message or your business.” We do that when we mask our voice with what we think we are supposed to do rather than being transparent and authentic.
Here are three essential ingredients for writing yourself into your business message. Leaving even one of these ingredients out is like making a cake without baking powder and expecting it to rise.
Consider how these tips could change how your client see you!
1. Your Personal Story
If your past fuels your passion as an entrepreneur, your personal story means everything to your ideal client. If your business was created as a result of successfully navigating the challenge represented by your expertise, clients will trust you. Selling clients on the idea of expertise v your experience is the difference between eating cold day-old dry bread and bread freshly pulled from a hot oven. Attempting to appear “the expert” separates us from clients who may assume we have never failed or experienced their challenges. Consider Alcoholics Anonymous. Recovering alcoholics support others faced with addiction. (Always keep in mind there are effective and ineffective ways to tell your story. It cannot be a “tell all,” but instead must be a transformational experience that helps clients know that you understand them).
2. Inform, Don’t Sell
Don’t sell them your product or service with a dry laundry list of what you think they need or want them to consider buying. Tell them about its transformational experience in your own life and/or the lives of those who trust you to guide them through their own stormy life. List these benefits through story and then perhaps bullet point them as a summary.
3. Don’t Try to Fix Anything
Write as if you were having coffee with a dear friend facing the financial uncertainty of divorce. You might acknowledge their fears: I completely understand your fears and concerns about being alone and feeling financially insecure. The future is so uncertain and scary right now. It would keep me up nights too. You would continue to listen attentively and, when the moment was right, you would share what worked for you when you went through your own divorce. You might even refer them to another professional who could help them, such as an attorney or a real estate agent. If, in this scenario, you were approached by your friend because they knew you had just gone through this, you would be compassionate and supportive. Write that into your business copy. It’s genuine and builds trust.
Let the heart of your business speak for you. Be present and transparent. Women have for thousands of years gifted and served their families, their children, and their girlfriends in mystical ways unknown to man. As women, we cry together, encourage each other, and, if we are lucky, care enough to be honest with each other. Why wouldn’t we show up in this powerful way for our clients?
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Candace George Conradi is a bestselling author with four published books. She continues to be passionate about her work as an author while at the same time creating a successful coaching program for fellow writers and authors. Her signature style has inspired writers to connect to their work, remain dedicated, engaged and focused on their passion, as they move from self-doubt to published.
For more information about Candace, the author, visit her official website at www.candaceconradi.com. For information about her writing programs, visit her website for authors at www.writersinnercircle.com.
