It’s that hopeful, delicious instant, filled with possibility, where you still have a chance.
I’m talking about the initial words out of your mouth that can either:
Instantly ignite interest
Or consign yourself to the scrap heap of back-burner business owners.
It’s a cliche to say you never get a 2nd chance to make a first impression.
That doesn’t make it any less true.
And there’s one mistake you may be making that’s dooming any chance you may have with a prospect.
With the first words out of your mouth.
The fundamental messaging mistake
I know you’ve been told over and over it’s crucial to convey what you do.
But that’s the last thing anyone wants too hear about.
Because no one cares what you do.
I’m going to say that again because it probably stung. But you really need to hear it:
Nobody cares what you do.
They DO CARE passionately about what you do FOR THEM:
The primary problem you solve.
And the primary outcome you deliver.
That means you must develop the confidence to position yourself as someone who helps create a specific desired outcome, instead of just walking someone through a process.
Because talking about “what you do” can be a great place to hide. And get lost in the weeds.
But not a great way to fill your programs.
Your message is a Marketing Pick-up Line
What do the best pick-up lines do?
They disrupt expectations.
They disarm defenses.
They evoke a positive emotional reaction.
They create interest.
So you want to start viewing your message as a Marketing Pick-up Line.
It’s designed to START a conversation and create intrigue and curiosity about your promise.
Not to recite chapter and verse what you do and how you do it.
It IS important to get to the details.
But it’s vitally important to ensure you have the attention and interest of your prospect before you do.
Desire first
The details are only important once someone wants what you are describing.
As creators, coaches and mentors we are endlessly fascinated with the details.
Our potential clients could care less about them.
If you’re struggling to create interest with your messaging there’s a good chance you’re jumping into the details too soon.
Boring your prospects to tears. And bored prospects don’t buy.
Master the art of evoking desire for what you do.
Which you accomplish by messaging the problem you solve, who you solve it for, and the primary specific outcome you replace it with.
And it’s precisely by leaving the details out of your message that your prospect is compelled to ask about them.
Once THEY are driving the detail conversation with their interest and curiosity, you’ve got the momentum that can lead to a sale.
You destroy a joke by delivering the punchline to soon.
You destroy the impact of a message by filling it with details before you ignite desire.
Your message is NOT your mechanism
Too many entrepreneurs confuse their message with their mechanism.
Your message involves the primary problem you solve and primary outcome you help create.
Your mechanism is how you do it.
You know you’re making this mistake if your message sounds something like this:
I help small businesses integrate AI into their business flow in a way that utilizes their unique talents and abilities to facilitate accelerated action (without overwhelm) in truly authentic ways that are easy and effortless, so that they are able to attract clients at scale and make more money.
That’s a mouthful. It’s abstract. And it doesn’t get to the outcome until the very end of the message.
It jumps the gun by filling your message with your mechanism. So I don’t really know what it means.
And if I don’t know what it means, I won’t want it.
Oh yes, I may stand politely while you explain it. And even smile and nod knowingly.
But the reality is: You’re done.
Instead, ignite desire in the heart of your prospect by putting them and the result they want center stage:
I help small business owners without a tech bone in their body double their income with AI a child could use.
What I leave out is just as important as what I include because nature abhors a vacuum.
Curiosity, interest and intrigue fill the space left open by minimizing the mechanism, and focusing exclusively on the good stuff FIRST.
It’s only a whodunnit if you don’t know whodunnit.
An easy way to remember this is:
Your message is outward facing. It’s about who your client is and what they want.
It’s focused on your prospect – not what you do.
A mechanism is inward facing. It focuses on you, your theories, your process, and the details of that process.
It’s important.
But ONLY in the context of creating desire with an outward client-facing message FIRST.
It all comes down to this:
If your messaging isn’t triggering interest, you’re either getting into the details too soon.
Or you’re not creating enough desire and curiosity with your outcome.
This feels counter intuitive.
And it might take awhile to get a feel for it because you will be sure messaging this way is leaving something important out.
It IS leaving something important out.
And that’s exactly why it sparks the intrigue and interest that draws your prospect in.
And gets them to authentically and energetically engage with you.
Instead of giving you a blank stare or a polite smile.
Like all good things this takes practice.
But once you get it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.
One way to make sure this increased interest leads to real paying clients, is knowing where to find the folks who can afford you in the first place.
It doesn’t have to be an impossible dream. But it doesn’t happen by accident. You have to be intentional in seeking out top-tier clients for your top-tier work.
If you’re wondering exactly how to do that, I can help. With 21 specific suggestions that can make your high end client search a whole lot easier. Take a look!
Great article Rob!
Thank you Andrea! Glad it was helpful.