There are so many experts talking about client attraction strategies, but this article from Carmel Finnan will make your head turn at something so potent that any entrepreneur can (and should) do to attract the attention of their potential 5-Star Clients.
Client Attraction Formula: Discover the “Real” WHY Factor
As an entrepreneur you want to create a powerful connection with your tribe, inspire trust and loyalty, and have your ideal clients lining up to buy from you.
But, how do you do all that? According to best-selling author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek, you “Start with Why.”
His famous TED talk, with over 3 million views, and best-selling book by the same name, gave us the simple Golden Circle Formula that promised to revolutionize how we do business. Simply put: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
Sinek showed us how it successfully works with examples across a wide social, scientific, and economic spectrum, from Apple to Martin Luther King to the Wright Bros.
But that’s not what actually happens for many entrepreneurs.
Clients didn’t line up to buy after we’d bared our purpose. Our audiences weren’t immediately inspired by our cause to buy from us. Nor did we quickly become successful leaders in our field because of sharing our beliefs.
Is it me, or is it the formula?
It didn’t work for a very simple reason. One size does not fit all! What works for Apple does not seamlessly downscale for small businesses.
The blind-spot in Sinek’s formula runs through so much marketing material, particularly how we misuse storytelling. Starting with your “why,” or telling your unique story, is simply too much too soon. It’s equivalent to planning a big joint family get-together on the first date.
Unlike Sinek’s examples, the “ordinary” small business owner, i.e. people like you and me, are not (yet) famous, have not achieved celebrity status, and do not command immediate attention when they post on social media or stand on a podium. The hard reality is this: people are actually not interested in our “why,” nor in our unique, authentic stories. They are only interested in their own!
How do we, the not-yet-famous entrepreneur, get the attention of our potential clients and hold it long enough to convert them into ideal clients, eager to buy from us?
It’s NOT about YOU
We start with their “why,” not ours.
We provide a satisfactory answer to the primary why-question of our potential clients: “Why should I give you my attention?”
And to answer that crucial question effectively, you have to tell them a story that makes them feel that you know them, i.e. who they are, what they struggle with, and what they really want.
In other words, your opening story lets them know that you care about them by addressing THEIR fundamental concerns. The pivotal issue here is this. If you can’t answer THEIR “why” convincingly, you will never get to the point where YOUR “why” is relevant to them.
The Golden Rule of getting your clients’ attention…
Your introductory story is NOT about you. It’s about your CLIENTS.
That means your story has to first get THEIR attention. To do that you tell them what you can do for THEM. That creates a sense of curiosity about you and a bridge to why you do what you do.
Here’s a quick neuro-scientific explanation for that important sequence.
Just think lizard brain. It’s concerned only with our survival and self-preservation and is activated when we are confronted with “threats,” such as new situations or new people. When our lizard brain is turned on, we’re not capable of tuning into someone else’s story.
We can only connect with and build sustainable relationships with new people after their lizard brain response has been calmed. And we do that by reassuring them that we know who they are and what their struggles and desires are.
Only then can we engage with their limbic brain – that’s the part responsible for emotions and feelings. Simply put: when we move them into the limbic brain, their built-in defense mechanism is lowered and they are ready to move into relationship building, i.e. engage with our story.
So, what’s the impact of this on your marketing?
Starting with your “why” is equivalent to a farmer who throws seeds on a barren, uncultivated field and expects a bumper crop because the seeds are good quality. Starting with your client’s “why” is when the farmer first creates fertile ground and only then sows the seeds.
Lining up your “whys” in the right order is the difference between harvesting a bumper crop and salvaging a few random, resilient survivors.
If you want to learn more about how to create a bumper harvest of ideal clients, eager to invest in your business – grab Carmel’s FREE Guide here.