Are you meeting your clients where they are?
I don’t mean physically, like meeting them at the corner store or a networking meeting. I mean meeting them where they are in their lives. Where they are in their hearts and minds. In your marketing and communications, do you first acknowledge what’s up for them, what they may be experiencing, what they’re thinking about or wanting for themselves… or do you just tell them that you’ve got something great and they should come and get it?
Now, there’s nothing wrong with telling people what’s up with you and what you have to offer. But if you really want to build a relationship with your clients and prospects, if you want to create that heart-to-heart, gut-to-gut connection, you need to first meet people where they are by acknowledging what they may be feeling, thinking or experiencing in their lives right now.
My partner Mark and I were talking about this last night because he was saying how he hates it when he clicks on a link in social media and gets directed to a page that starts with any kind of leading question, like, “Are you suffering from blah-dee-blah?” “Are you sick and tired of this-and-that?” Anything that reeks of a sales page lead, he gets turned off and he tunes out!
But what I told him and I’m telling you is that those leading questions or statements are an attempt to meet people where they are. To present them with something they can relate to and identify with. Now, you don’t want to do so in a slimy, hypey, manipulative way so people get turned off. And you may not want to do it in the form of a series of questions. But you do want to reach out and meet people where they are with your words, with your marketing.
For instance if you’re a coach who works with professional women who are also mothers with children at home and your specialty is helping these women achieve some kind of work-life balance, you can meet them where they are by saying, “Hey, I know how it is when you come home exhausted after a demanding day at work and you still have to fix dinner, help your kids with their homework, and get everyone off to bed before you stay up half the night reviewing that report you need for tomorrow’s early morning meeting. I know it’s hard for you to believe you’ll ever, ever experience a day where you feel like you’re on top of it all, a day where you cruise through with easy, energy and perfect peace of mind.”
Do you see what I mean? You want to meet your clients where they are, not where you are. Not even where you wish they could be.
So this week, take a good hard look at all your marketing materials, whether it’s your website, emails, ezine, blog posts, and see if you’re meeting people where they are before you tell them all about you and your services. Now, be kind to yourself around this! This is just a tip to incorporate into your marketing, NOT a tool with which to beat yourself up!
And let me know how it goes! What do you notice now in your own marketing? What do you want to change? What questions do you have? Leave it all in a comment below and I’ll be sure to reply!