Right now my head feels as if it’s being bludgeoned by a cast iron frying pan as my sinuses are being sprayed with flesh-burning mace.
I have a head cold.
A nasty, mean, vindictive monster of a cold. The kind that makes it nearly impossible to think clearly, much less creatively. I can’t take a breath or eat a bite of food without convulsing into a rib-cracking coughing fit. And my entire body has become a 24-hour, overly ambitious mucus-making factory.
And while the viciousness of this cold has pushed me into a pit of overly dramatic self-pity, it also got me to thinking.
What’s your client’s head cold right now?
What’s causing her so much discomfort or distress that she’d pay almost anything to have it go away?
I swear, if I were to open my email right now and find a note from someone who promised to take away this head-crushing, mind-befuddling, chest-breaking, mucus-multiplying cold, I would stop everything, whip out my credit card and buy that magic cure.
And your client feels the same way.
There is something causing her so much anxiety, discomfort, pain and fear that she’d pay almost anything for a solution, a way out. Because like my head cold, her problem or situation isn’t messing with just one area of her life but several. Her health. Her finances. Her ability to think clearly, to feel good about herself, to speak up for herself, and on and on.
Your job is to know what her head cold is and then use your expertise, skills and talents to provide her with a safe, straightforward way to get relief. Design your programs, products and packages as the solution to what’s driving your client crazy. Because when you do, she’ll won’t blink twice before saying, “Oh, yeah. I’m gonna get me some of that!”
For instance…
If you’re an acupuncturist and you know your ideal client’s primary and most urgent problem is seasonal allergies, hello! You can create a 6-session package that is designed to relieve those allergies.
If you’re an executive coach and you know the majority of your ideal clients desperately want that big promotion, you can create a “Get That Promotion” package that gives them exactly what they need to be promotion-worthy.
If you’re a donut maker and you know your 6:00 am to 8:00 am customers tend to order old fashioned glazed donuts more than any other kind, what kind of donuts are you going to make in quantity before 6:00 am?
So, again, the question: do you know what you’re client’s head cold is?
And if you don’t, how can you find out?
Easy.
Ask her.
Become a Reporter This Week
- Make a list of 10 people who represent your ideal client. They can be people with whom you adored working in the past, people you’re currently working with, or people you don’t know well but seem to personify your ideal client.
- Contact each of these people and ask them if you can interview them for 20-30 minutes. Tell them you’re doing research for your business or a certain project and their input would be incredibly valuable. Offer to give them something in return, like your recipe for chocolate mouse or a 15-minute strategy session.
- Ask 5-10 questions like the ones below. Your questions should be worded so they get to the heart your client’s “head cold” problems: the issues, challenges and situations that are seriously messing with their happiness, success or ability to function.
Here is a sample list of questions to get your started.
- What are your most pressing, urgent problems or concerns right now? (Ask this relative to your particular area of expertise. For instance, if you’re a social media manager, you would ask what her most urgent problems or concerns are right now relative to gaining visibility and attracting new clients.)
- What problem, if it were to be solved right now, would have the biggest impact on your life?
- What do you worry about late at night when you can’t sleep?
- How are these feelings/issues/problems affecting your life? (Ask them to be specific. For instance, my head cold has affected me in the following ways: it’s made my physical existence unbearable, clouded my ability to focus and get work done, kept me up at night, which has made me miserable during the day, and turned my face into something resembling an booze-loving hobo (nothing like a raw, red nose, chapped lips and watery eyes to make a girl feel pretty).
- What would your life be like if you didn’t have those problems, fears, etc? (Again, ask them to be specific. How would their relationships change? Their finances? Their health? Their overall well being?)
Important!
Don’t put words in their mouths. Ask your questions and take note of what they honestly feel their most important concerns or problems are. Don’t impose your expert perspective or interpretation of their problem or issue. You want to know the thoughts in their head, not yours.
Do these interviews on the phone and record them. This is critical, because you want to hear and save the words they use to answer your questions. Because those words are the words you want to use in your copy (more on that in my next post). Don’t create a written survey because you won’t get their first thoughts or their true words. Nor will you be able to dig down deeper if their answer is vague.
Make it a habit to conduct these kinds of interviews once every 4-6 months. You’ll learn so much. And doing so will prevent you from creating programs or products your client could care less about.
In my next post, I’m going to show you how to use the information you get from your interviews to create copy that quickly connects with your clients and gets them excited about what you have to offer.