BONUS #2: How Do I Articulate What I Do? Five Simple Steps

Greetings,

The most common question I get at live workshops is, "How do I articulate what I do?"

The mistakes are predictable, and the steps are, thankfully, very simple (even if you've tried to do this for years and come up with nothing). 

Note: Before we dive in, remember that you've got a special discount on my bundle. More about that here. 

Ok, here are the...

Five Ingredients of Clearly Communicating ‘Hard-to-Explain’ Things:

#1 - Who it’s for: 

Who are you trying to reach? Everyone? The lack of a clearly defined target market is the death knell of more businesses than I care to say. When the target market is clear, everything you do in marketing becomes far easier. A target market is, ideally, something like: backpackers, doctors, single moms, Christians, vegans, etc. Something people can hear and understand immediately. They can hear it and get a clear picture in their mind.

#2 - What problems it solves: 

What is the present moment experience of your target market?

Where are they in pain? Where are they wanting relief? What symptoms are even having them think of buying what you sell?

#3 - What results it produces: 

What’s the solution you’re offering? Why are they buying it? What’s the result they’re trying to achieve? The results are often simple (and always self-serving to them as the client). They will be things like: more clients, be more popular, better sleep, a chance to contribute, living more in alignment with their values, overnight delivery, making more money, etc.

The two videos below will help flesh this out a bit more for you.

Note: The major blunder service providers make in articulating what they do is that they only talk about The Boat and not Island A or B. 

#4 - Some stories about it: 

These are critical to people understanding what you do. You should always have three ‘back-pocket’ stories you can share with people that illustrate the power and uniqueness of what you do. Stories and ‘case studies’ help people to understand what you do so much better than any amount of explaining will do.

There are really three kinds of stories you can share, depending on the situation.

STORY TYPE #1: Your story. Ideally, can share your story of how you came to this work. But you can also share stories that clarify and shed light on what and how you do your work.

STORY TYPE #2: The impact of your work. This second type of story is the story of the impact of your work on the life of a single person. The basic format of the story is this: “person X came to me with ___ problem, and I noticed ____ and we did _____ and _____ happened.” Simple. I’ll show you some more examples soon of what this looks like in real life.

STORY TYPE #3: The impact of the kind of work you do. You may not have been doing your work long enough – or may not be skilled enough – to have created a real impact or any stories worth sharing. Not to worry! You can always use stories of other practitioners who do what you do. The basic format of the story is this: “person X came to a colleague of mine with ___ problem, and they noticed ____ and they did _____ and _____ happened.”

#5 - How you do it: 

Last, but not least, we need to give them a sense of how we are able to help them get these results.

We need to talk about the method behind the madness. 

We need to talk about the modality we use. The particular techniques we employ. We need to lay out the overall process we take them through. 

The point – and it’s important – is that we aren’t just saying, “I do Reiki” but that we’re making the case for how we get them to where they want to be. 

We’re sort of drawing them a map of how we’re going to take them from where they are to where they want to go.

How it looks: 

1. Who it’s for: “You know how a lot of _______”

2. What problems it solves: “Struggle with ______”

3. What results it produces: “Well, what we do is help them to get _______”

4. Some stories about it: “For example, _________”

5. How you do it: “And the way that we do that is _____.”

Or, in one block:

“You know how a lot of _____ struggle with ______? Well, what we do is help them to get ____. For example, ______. And the way that we do that is _____.”

Some real-life examples of pulling Steps #1-3 together:

• “I work hands-on for, or alongside, busy eco-minded inner city Calgarians to get their home organized, achieve order, and make room to breathe.”

• “I produce and publish audiobooks for contemporary romance writers.”

• “I help adults with Asperger’s and/or ADHD build intimate relationships, from learning to date, to finding friends and peer groups, to exploring healthy sexuality.”

• “I help coaches, healers, and other difference-makers communicate the AWESOMENESS of their services through clear copywriting.”

• “I coach progressive Protestants to discover a calling that aligns with God, their community, and their own sense of joy.”

• “I help LGBT and poly couples to have the wedding and marriage they desire through ceremony creation and relationship coaching.”

• “I help LGBT folks with depression, anxiety, and self-esteem issues feel happy and secure with themselves using a caring, drug-free approach.”

• “I show sufferers of Fibromyalgia and CFS how to manage symptoms, relieve pain, and reoccupy their lives.”

I hope that helps some. I urge you to give it a try and share it with your friends and colleagues to see how it lands. 

Stay human,

Tad

PS Want more support in putting words to what you do (even if it seems impossible)? Check out my "How To Articulate What You Do" bundle.

PPS If you haven't already, check out this free page of my best niching exercises I use in my one-on-one coaching. 

PPPS Also remember that you've got a one-time use coupon for 50% off any of my digital products, including eBooks and webinars-recordings (note: it doesn’t apply to the Membership, or bundles as there’s already discounted). Just use the coupon code: StarterKit50  at the checkout.