Svaha: the time between seeing lightning and hearing the thunder
I will be eternally grateful for your great gift of taking in to the fullest extent what it is that I have to offer, living it, and then reflecting it back in terms of the potential experience of others. You have given words to a process that defies words. And you’re constantly in a position to help me continue to hone that, deeper and deeper and more and more resonantly, who I am and what I offer, which is truly invaluable. — Jon Hansen, The Remembering Room, Richmond, Illinois
What you’ve sent me is so darn perfect it hurts! It’s a sheer pleasure to work with someone who writes as beautifully as you do — and in “my” voice. — Ariane Goodwin, Ed.D, smARTist® Telesummit, Millers Falls, Massachusetts
You have a real gift for words. You’re really, really good at it. — Sherry Essig, Priority Ventures Group, Raleigh, North Carolina
You’ve built such integrity of message in your company. I know that’s because it springs forth intrinsically, but you stay so focused at your core! I can’t think of a better way to phrase that laser-beam focus you have. It’s funny, because in someone else, laser-beam focus would be intense, but somehow you manage to make it much more kind and easy. — Jessica Albon, Thrive Your Tribe, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
I’ve never worked with anybody in the way that I’ve worked with you in terms of trusting in your abilities to the level that I have. — Catherine Hajnal PhD, Eight Branches Consulting, Vancouver, Canada ... facilitating and nurturing joyful living
You have an uncanny ability to see through what is being said and surface all the “unsaid” issues. Then you quickly give candid feedback and have a tremendous toolbox to help me move forward through your expert guidance of the right tool.
I have worked with many facilitators/coaches/counselors relating to work and personal situations. Your skills are exemplary and moved me faster than I ever expected. — Jennifer Baker, Fishers, Indiana
You bring both a spiritual perspective and some real-world hard-headedness. — Janet Bailey, Mindful Time Management, San Francisco, California
Brava! I wish I could draw a picture of me — you’d see me in a deep bow to you!
I read your newsletter as soon as it hits my in-box and you’re always right on with your advice. I had to let you know that this issue is particularly brilliant.
I will definitely keep this info — and your contact info — in a secure place.
Thanks so much for sharing your insight and wisdom. — Debbie Rodgers, CGA
March 16 2010
Marketing gurus are everywhere, telling you all about how to market your products and services.
They appear successful. They sound credible. So you read their blogs and newsletters, watch their videos, sign up for their programs, and buy their books.
Their information and ideas seem reasonable. Sure, not all the things they suggest feel right — maybe some are too “out there” for you, or some ideas feel uncomfortable in other ways. But overall, you feel like you’re learning from them.
So why don’t your marketing efforts get the results they promise — the results that others seem to be getting?
It’s a very simple reason — and it’s one that I never hear anyone talking about.
To be effective, your marketing has to be in your voice.
First and foremost, it has to come from who you are.
Stop looking outside for the latest trick to write the perfect headline, the precise formula that will make you successful. Instead, look inside to discover your voice, the heartfelt message you have for your customers. That’s when you’ll notice things begin to change.
Don’t misunderstand: there are many things about marketing that it’s important to know. Understanding the concepts of content marketing; knowing how to express your offer in your customers’ language; creating headlines that capture attention — all of that is important, and it’s all stuff you can learn through study.
Up to a point. Because in the end, it’s got to be in your voice — by which I mean your words, of course, but more importantly — your style.
What matters to your audience is their safety. Can they trust you to give them what they want and need? Can they believe that what you’re offering really will help them? Do they feel safe in giving you their hard-earned money? Will you be there for them if they have a problem, if something doesn’t work the way they expect, if they need help?
Writing marketing messages — whether websites or emails or whatever — according to the latest marketing formula doesn’t give your customers any of that.
What does? Trusting yourself to know what to say and how to say it. And yes, for many of us in business for ourselves, that’s a big step. Here are a few ideas to help you along.
What do your customers say about your marketing?
If you have an email list, send them a one-question survey asking them why they signed up.
Send the same survey to your clients — asking what brought them to you initially, not what they like about your work!
It might feel weird to ask someone — hey, what was it that made you buy? — but it’s worth it to get such invaluable feedback.
When you’re talking about your work with a friend or relative, someone who’s not a client — how do you describe it?
You may not have the slightest idea. The content of a natural conversation is often hard to recall.
Ask a friend — preferably someone who doesn’t know or fully understand what you do — to interview you. Record the conversation if you can; if not, be sure your friend takes notes. (Don’t try to take notes yourself — that will just make you hyper-conscious of what you’re saying, which is exactly what you want to avoid.)
People who go into business for themselves — especially small businesses and independent professionals — often do it out of a deep sense of passion and calling.
There’s a lot of vulnerability wrapped up in that. Because of that vulnerability, what you most want to say to someone may feel too far out there. It may feel too risky. You might worry about being judged as strange or weird.
But passion — real passion — is a connector. It connects you with the people you most want to talk with. It makes you credible, because now they can understand — really understand — why you do what you do. And it helps them trust you, simply because you’ve allowed them to see inside who you are.
Write it out for yourself — just for yourself, to start with. Write with all fire and heart and yearning that you feel. Write about your experience of being able to help someone — what it feels like, not what you think about it.
Take your time. And then set it aside for at least a day or two — a week is even better.
You’ll be surprised when you come back and reread it. You’ll be surprised by the power of it. And if you’re willing to take the chance to use that powerful, passionate language in your marketing, you’ll be surprised at what a difference it makes.
As the old saying goes — be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
You might really love one person’s brash, call-it-like-it-is marketing style. But if you’re naturally quiet and reserved, your efforts to be like them will fall flat.
Perhaps you admire someone else’s erudite, intellectual tone. But if your style is naturally friendly and casual, you’re not going to have much luck with intellectual and erudite.
It’s normal to be attracted by examples of what you believe you’re not. (Another old saying comes to mind: opposites attract!) Just notice when it feels as if you’re struggling in writing or talking about what you do, and see if you’re trying to be someone other than who you really are.
And then go back to being yourself. It’s a lot more fun — and you’ll be a lot more successful.
“Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth.” Katherine Mansfield, 1888-1923, New Zealand-born author of modernist short fiction
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