The importance being seen, heard and understood

I hired a Wellness coach last week.

We’ve just had our first session together and I want to share some key insights that may help with marketing and communications for your business.

Firstly how did I find, and choose my coach?

I’ve often spoken about the Buying Cycle everyone goes through. This cycle is true for all purchases – the only difference is the speed through which you move – varying from lightning-fast for small purchases right up to years for significant ones.

What is the Buying Cycle?

If you don’t perceive your need as critical, if it’s something you believe is a nice to have, but not essential, you can stay in the awareness of need or research stages for a long time. But thanks to your Reticular Activating System, you will still notice services and offers that fit your criteria and a well-placed invitation that resonates may be the one that sparks action.

That’s what happened to me.

Casually scrolling Facebook, a post asking for a comment caught my eye. I replied. A connection was made. Until that moment, we’d never been in touch with one another.

Potential Lessons

  • Be aware of where your Most Aligned Clients are spending time and stay visible. You just never know when you may catch the eye of someone you’re perfectly matched to help!
  • Invite engagement in your posts and activities – this widens the door of possibility by allowing a conversation, which is the starting point of all relationships.
  • Be generous – it was the offer of a workout emailed to me that grabbed my attention, as I was unhappy with what I was doing at the moment that grabbed me

I accepted the invitation for a chat and in that call I importantly, vitally, felt Seen, Heard and Understood (the SHU Factor).

Leanne, from Uplift Health and Fitness, really seemed to know what I was feeling and needing as a woman in her early 50’s seeking to build wellness into my everyday. She prioritised understanding me rather than focusing on proving her own credentials. The KLT factor – Know, Like & Trust is important, but it comes from your client, from your demonstration of understanding and meeting them where they are at. It’s secondary to the SHU Factor.

Potential Lessons

  • An oldie but a goodie – narrow your focus to deepen your impact. Leanne focuses on my demographic specifically, and that’s one of the main reasons why I felt understood.
  • Demonstrate your understanding – she succinctly summarised what I’d shared in her follow up email, capturing my emotions and desires and painting a picture of possibility. I felt seen, heard, understood and inspired.

Secondly, why did I make this decision, now?

There’s a lot of speculation about how people are pulling back from investing at the moment. For some people and parts of the market that have been hit hard by the global pandemic, that’s true. But for many of us, we’re as ready as ever to invest when we can see a clear growth benefit that will enhance our businesses or lives.

This is a conversation that came up in one of the calls I facilitate with my Mastermind clients today. There was an initial tendency in the group to lower rates, but after discussion, it became evident that was not the best tactic for everyone, given the variety of markets being served. Pricing can be a tricky thing – I recorded a Podcast Episdoe that’s definitely worth a listen to if that’s the case for you – you can listen to Sweet Spot Pricing here.

Now back to marketing, it’s crucial to communicate three ideas:

  • Why THIS – the purpose and value of the specific service/product
  • Why NOW – why it’s a great time to invest at this time
  • Why YOU – why you are the perfect provider of this specific service

Another concern you may have is “because there is SO much free stuff circulating at the moment, no one wants to buy”. That’s also a story that can hold you back – people are always willing to invest in quality and access to expertise. Yes, I could have kept on googling and using apps, but I wanted more, and there are potential clients for you who feel exactly the same.

Here’s why I invested with Leanne:

I want someone outside of myself to help me see things more clearly (this)

Like you, I’m not silly. I think I’m pretty smart on a good day! However, knowledge is not necessarily power. You can know something and yet still not be doing a lot with that knowledge. Hence the value of a coach – someone who can provide you with encouragement, accountability and a fresh way of seeing things.

I don’t always prioritise myself (now)

Like you, I’m juggling lots of things, and commitment to myself sometimes falls off the list of priorities. A Coach helps me to change that and helps me to also see that the best time to focus on changing my habits is right away, not waiting until spring!

I know what I’d like to achieve with your help (you)

I’m pretty goal-oriented. I do like to set goals and achieve them. I’m just not always capable of reaching those goals without support and so rather than nibbling away at the edges of change alone, I’ve chosen to invest in someone who specifically works with women in my stage of life who can help me plan a clear path forward and guide the actions to take that will see me achieve the outcome I’m looking for.

I hope these insights both inspire and motivate you to take action too – either to invest in yourself or to get visible and invite others to invest with you in themselves.

Angela Raspass Next Chapter Business & Life Mentor

 

 

 

 

Angela Raspass

Angela Raspass is Business Strategist and Self-leadership Coach for female business owners.

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