I’ve shared what led me to start my design agency, as well as what I did differently to change what could have been the trajectory of selling my services online in Trinidad and Tobago. So I’m not going to rehash that.
But, over the past six years working on my business, I’ve experienced feeling stuck — largely out of ignorance.
Invest In Your Growth
Yes, I’m a certified designer, but there were aspects of being a 1-man show I knew nothing about. Ignorance shows. For example, when a business coach talks in circles around a topic, it’s understandable why their audience would rather listen to Katt Williams than work on their business.
What is there to not get? They’re not motivated, or inspired by what you’re putting out. You’re not even motivated or inspired by what you’re putting out, which why you’re a slickRicky, right?
Thankfully, I had the good sense to invest in small business courses to strengthen my weak areas. Committed to my growth, instead of troublesome or weak-minded clients, I wanted to attract good clients like Ackeisha Kent and Kenwin Small who have the mental stamina to do the continued work it takes to reap the benefits after working with me.
I spent approximately $12,000 TTDS to better my odds because it was do or die for me. And yes, I had a competitive advantage with the initial investment from my retrenchment payout to do that. But understanding I’m responsible for my own security and peace of mind was the key to the profits earned 12 months later from those investments. Committed to strategic learning to improve my services I also put that money to work. And it paid off with my last project selling at 15K.
Some may argue that “15K isn’t money and a branding project in 2 weeks isn’t possible.” To which I say all true when your projects don’t end on time and you have no process! Maybe that’s something you’ll want to look into after figuring out how to sound like you know what you’re talking about.
How do we accomplish that?
Where Do You Start To Focus When You Want To Shift The Way You Attract Clients?
First, let’s set the tone for this part of the conversation
If you’re looking for some cock n bull tip about sharing your offer every day in multiple ways across different platforms, this isn’t the article for you.
If all you care about is getting the money to do the thing you want to do, you just told me everything I need to know about you. (read about it here), and again, this isn’t the article for you.
If you want to build trust; if you want clients who follow your lead, there’s a ton of work which needs to happen before talking about creating content or learning to set-up and send emails.
Where is the source of the talking points you’ll be pouring into the content you create and then share in emails? There needs to be one!
Find Your Voice
Going back to the question of knowing what you’re talking about. Many local businesses don’t know what value looks like.
Where are these fabulous offers you reached out with, I don’t see them anywhere!
What’s this excellence your clients received working with you!
They struggle to communicate what the client gets and misguidedly believe high prices will compensate for it. It’s not that you won’t make money but that how you’d make it wouldn’t be reliable; it would be by the sweat of your brow rather than by the value you bring to the table the prospect sees.
I was on vacation in Tobago when the Beacon project landed in my inbox. The CEO of XN told me (amongst other things) that “wanting more out of her project made her reach out to me.” I didn’t need to convince her to work with me. Her mind was already made up!
What did she see?
What’s “Some Kind Of Transformation”?
Let’s explore what value isn’t, and how to shift from how you’re currently attracting customers to your services to what you experience when your services are truly heralded as valuable — so you’ll know when you’ve achieved it.
Value isn’t slapping a high price on the same ole program you gave a different name to being obnoxious about selling it. You may trick some poor unsuspecting soul with that if you’re a sleazy saleswoman living in Trinidad and Tobago, but it’s also how you end up with 1.2K followers and can’t sell $2000.00 worth of blank.
To quote Katt Williams, you can juice rather than going to the gym, but you don’t get to bring that body in hear talking nonsense.
When your price is a smoke screen for the value your services lack, it comes across as a gimmick.
This shift from self-interest to the benefit to the client for working with you is about focusing your services. As a 1–3 man show, we want clients who approach us based on what matters, rather than to make price comparisons. But, our laundry list of services is sending all the wrong messages to at best, potentially good clients.
Why? Because playing into your strengths is scary. Local small service businesses confuse it with limiting. But being hyper-attuned to the needs and interests of your ideal clients as it relates to what makes your services stand out isn’t the same as extracting (with the intent to only provide ) specific service/s out of the suite of services you’re typically known to provide because you wish to lessen your workload.
Do your ideal clients feel like you have a depth of sight?
Do they typically feel invalidated by others?
When you focus in the right place, attracting clients on an emotional level instead of through pushy tactics is the shift that happens as a result.
Outside of that you’ll get mind battles: 3–4 nest in your head with 5 eggs in it, 3 probably hatch already and have you singing the “I don’t know what to say to a prospect” song.
👇Use the social links below to share my article if you liked it
Comments