How many times have you heard, “If you want to attract clients you must be vulnerable.”
Or, “Share your mistakes and your failures.”
Or, “Show that you’re human.”
One communication coach urges her clients to, “Get naked!”
Fortunately, her website doesn’t come with visuals.
This advice is a good example of how a strategy might work brilliantly for
some businesses, while others should stay far, far away.
(1) Choose your vulnerability.
Relate your background directly to whatever you are selling. For instance, if you’re a relationship coach, you could share the story of your break-up as a way to demonstrate what you learned along the way.
If you’re a business coach, you can talk about your breakup in the context of your marketing. For instance, “Here’s how to run your business when your life is derailed.”
Alternatively, you might show how your tough upbringing helped you become a strong, resilient business owner, but that’s a tougher sell.
(2) Choose to bare all only when you can present your experience as “Lessons Learned” or “Obstacles Overcome.”
You’ll find some amusing backfires. Once I listened to a webinar by someone who claimed to be expert in the Law of Attraction. She shared her struggles to find the perfect mate. She came close, she said, but they just broke up.
It’s too early for her to share her story. A listener could say, ”If she can’t attract her own desires, how will she help other people? Maybe the Law doesn’t really work.”
Maybe that’s not the way LOA works…but listeners will interpret what they hear in the simplest way possible. You can control what you share and choose only what is not ambiguous.
(3) Replace “vulnerable” with “relatable.”
Prospective clients want to relate to your story in a meaningful way. They need to imagine themselves working with you and becoming empowered to get the results they desire and deserve.
I’ve learned not to share stories about the time I lived in Alaska or about my experiences doing standup comedy. They’re personal. They reveal something about me.
But my audiences don’t always relate and frankly, they get annoyed. Many have never been to Alaska and are more interested in warm Caribbean beaches. Some don’t particularly like comedy; others feel ill at the thought of giving a talk, let alone telling jokes to strangers.
Some very successful marketers disclose little or nothing about themselves.
I’ve bought products and services from some people who are just names to me. I don’t know if they have spouses, children, homes or cars… and frankly I don’t care.
Ultimately, you tell stories for a purpose. It doesn’t help to have prospects saying, “I’m sorry for him. I’m so glad that didn’t happen to me.”
Instead, you gain credibility and make sales when you share stories of how you helped clients, and you get clients saying, “I want that for me.”
What’s more important than sharing your vulnerability story? Understanding where your clients feel vulnerable and discovering what they need from you. Download my free report on What Really Motivates Your Clients To Buy From You. e