Hold on. Lighten up. You may be trying too hard.
I know you’re in a mad rush to become the next best version of yourself.
I get it. I do the same thing.
But let me ask you something.
Who would you be if you didn’t have to impress anyone?
Not a soul. Not your clients, mentors, parents, spouse, coach… or even God.
Last week, I attended Alexandra Franzen’s New Year’s Coming Out Party – a fund-raising teleclass on how to find the right words to introduce yourself to the world. Toward the beginning of this class, Alexandra asked us 7 Questions To Ask When You’re Not Sure Who You’re Becoming.
One of Alexandra’s question stayed with me, and then morphed itself into the question I just asked you:
Who would you be, or who would you become, if you felt no need to impress anyone? No one at all. (Ooo… that’s tweetable! Click to tweet.)
Before we move into the answer, I must confess, I’ve developed a professional crush on Alexandra Franzen. She’s smart, creative, clever, a spirited wordsmith and ever-so outrageously her. In my friendship fantasies, Alexandra, Sarah Jessica Parker and I are all best buds, and we spend every Wednesday afternoon strolling the upper west side of Manhattan, buying M.A.C. cosmetics, high heeled shoes and tiny bags of designer chocolates before ducking into a dive bar for very dry martinis, lots of laughter and great conversations about creativity, God and hair color.
Anyhoo….
Back to the subject at hand. Who would you be and how would you feel if you didn’t need to dazzle potential clients, charm strategic partners or convince anyone that you’re worth paying attention to, working with, or for that matter, loving?
When I tinker with this question at a personal level, it’s liberating! I feel this huge sense of relief, even giddiness. I’d wear clothes that don’t match, swear like a sailor in public, burp at the dinner table and write blog posts that don’t offer the tiniest bit of good advice or enlightening perspective.
But when I ask it from a marketing point of view, well, it gets a little stickier.
Because in the world of marketing, and certainly in the world of advertising, it’s all about making that immediate, positive, even provocative impression. A lasting one, at that. If you don’t impress anyone, then you won’t convince your potential clients that you’re worth their attention, time or money.
But sometimes, it feels as if we’re all candidates in some unnamed election, trying hard to get the votes we need to be our potential clients’ first choice. We run a fierce marketing campaign. We come up with our most impressive slogan. We build a better, more beautiful, graphically spectacular website. We rally the crowd on social media.
And when it comes to what we say and share, we’re careful to say the right things in order to impress, attract and inspire people to vote for us. We try to be wise and credible in our emails and blog posts and be engaging and helpful on Facebook. Because we need to get people to like us… so we can get the votes and win!
Okay, perhaps this is exaggeration, but doesn’t it feel that way sometimes?
And Yet… Who Am I To Talk?
As a writer who helps entrepreneurs find the right words to express their unique brilliance, I’m in the impression business.
My job, whether I’m writing copy for you or teaching you how to write your own, is to make sure you communicate your message, your unique you-ness and your services in a way the makes an impression on those who need what you’ve got. It’s all about getting your potential clients to pay attention, get interested and think, “Oh, yeah, baby, that’s for me!”
So, I spend a lot of time trying to craft messages that will cut through the noise, reach your ideal client and resonate with who they are and what they want, and then inspire them to take action.
Am I trying to impress them?
You could say that. But here’s what I know.
You don’t need to try to impress anyone, because who you are, as you are, is impressive enough. Really.
And when you’re writing your blog posts, emails, website copy or your campaign speech, for that matter, if you express the truth of who you are and what matters to you, in your own unique way, you are going to make an impression. A powerful one.
Share what you know and love. Tell people why it’s important to you, why it matters, and how it allows you to help others. And you will reach, touch, stir and inspire those who resonate with your message. You will make an impression.
Oh, and one more thing. When it comes to marketing and copywriting, it’s not about impressing others. It’s about serving others. Be genuinely interested in your potential clients. Focus on getting to know them. What do they care about, what do they need and want? Speak to those needs and wants, and offer to be of service.
And breathe a sigh of relief, right now. Because you no longer need impress anyone.
Instead, do this:
- Be genuinely interested in your ideal clients.
- Understand what they need and want, and why.
- Let them know you “get” them by speaking to what they need and want.
- Be who you are, at a deep, human level, and share what you know.
- Express your love for what you do and why you love it.
- Hold out your hand and offer to be of service.
Ta-DAH! That’s it.
Before you bounce off, take a moment and tell me:
Who would you be, or who would you become, if you didn’t need to impress anyone?
Leave your answer in the comment section below. Dig deep or be light. But be real. Tell your truth.