I recently had the pleasure of hearing Liz DiAlto (of the Wild Soul Movement) speak live at Off The Charts, a business conference for online entrepreneurs. Her entire talk was incredibly powerful, but the one part that made me stop in my tracks was this truth nugget:
“People don’t pay to get in to heaven, they pay to get out of hell.”
Ah. So true.
When I work with my clients, they often are looking to take people from good to great. This can actually hinder their business growth. They want to help people reach their highest potential, whether that’s through web copy, energy work, nutrition or coaching. This phrase nails the problem with that. Business owners need to cut through the fat and get to the truth of what they’re doing by focusing on the problem they are solving. What hell are you helping people get out of?
It’s incredibly easy to over-focus on the positive. We may know we want to help people feel better or do better, which is all fine and good but to really have a successful, sustainable business, you have to get crystal clear about what the problem is you fix for your clients.
People don’t pay to do better, they pay because they have been struggling, or failing at something. People pay for solutions and to see results.
Not sure what hell you are helping clients escape? I’ve got you covered. Here are three ways to nail that down.
Identify Key Pain Points.
So if you know you want to help someone feel connected to their body, what would they be experiencing or noticing that would make them realize that they’re not connected to their body? For example, if they’re taking an advil everyday for headaches. How can you alert people to the fact that they might have a problem that they’re ignoring?
What are they struggling with right now that you can fix?
If you’re a copywriter, perhaps your clients get great website views, but no conversions. This problem can act like a golden arrow pointing directly towards your services. Often we see it laid out as “if you struggle with this, I can help.” The clearer you can be about this, the better.
What’s at stake? If they don’t fix this problem now, what happens?
It’s important for people to understand why your services can help them now and how you help them create a better future. Again specificity here is your friend. For example a relationship coach that helps you find your dream guy, or a health coach that helps you develop better eating and movement habits so that you can stay active and healthy as your future unfolds.
I know we all want the best for people, but the truth is that people convert into clients when they are struggling with a problem that you can solve for them. The more clearly you can lay out the problems you solve, and why they need to be addressed now, the more clients you’ll be able to help.
So, what hell do you help your clients escape? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Super helpful post, thank you. My biz is still a work in progress, but I’m pretty sure the ‘hell’ I save people from is feeling lonely or alone…
Great post Ellen! This really helped me get clear on what problems I solve. It made it so easy.