Within the heart of your offer lies a promise.
The promise to relieve your client’s pain, to solve her problem, to detangle a complicated issue, to end a recurring nightmare, to turn a hopeless, miserable, and distressing situation into one of possibility, renewal, and peace.
The promise to accelerate, advance or enhance her ability to get what she truly wants most in the world.
A few weeks ago, I was getting my hair trimmed by Krissy, my favorite hairstylist. As she was snipping away, she kept saying, “I’m tired. I’m just tired.” She had a baby back in October, and ever since, she’s been short on sleep. As she told me how she has to get up throughout the night to pump milk, or soothe her baby, or help her partner do the same, tears started to fill her eyes.
Now, Krissy is one tough mama and not one to complain, much less start crying. But her fatigue was so great, so overwhelming, that she was unraveling and unable hold it all together.
As I walked home, my hair blown out straight and looking quite fabulous, I thought, “If someone walked up to Krissy this evening and said, ‘Listen, you don’t have to feel this way. Just because you have a newborn, you don’t have to live with that kind crippling fatigue. There is a way to get your energy back and feel rested and raring to go,’ she’d be all over that offer like white on rice.
The promise of such an offer would be irresistible to her because it would alleviate her most urgent, top-of-mind pain: her life-sucking tiredness.
Last week, in The Pain, the Promise, the Pizzazz – Part One , we dug down into your client’s most pressing, urgent problem, pain or unmet need.
Now, let’s get clear on the promise of your offer. The one your client will find irresistible.
The Pain & the Promise
Before you create an offer or write one word a copy, you need to get clear on both your client’s top-of-mind problem, pain, or unmet need (which we discussed in full last week) and the promise inherent in your offer that solves that problem, relieves that pain or meets that unmet need.
If you’re not clear on both the pain and the promise, don’t make another move! Because until you can clearly articulate both your client’s pain and the promise of your offer, you can’t even create an offer they’ll buy or write copy they’ll read, much less respond to.
So, how do you get clear on your promise?
Think Excedrin.
If you have a headache (problem), Excedrin gets rid of it (promise).
It’s that simple.
Your clients have a problem. Your offer solves the problem. Ta Dah! That’s it.
Now, once you’ve nailed your promise in this very easy way, you’ll want to give it more distinction, definition and razzle-dazzle so it inspires a chorus of ooos and ahhhhs when your clients read about it in your copy. (We’ll do that next week.)
But for now, make it stupid simple.
Problem: Headache.
Promise: No more headache.
Currently, I have the honor of co-coaching a program called Lead Magnet Magic with my mentor and superstar coach Jeanna Gabellini. Everyone in this course is getting crystal clear on the pain of their client and the promise of their offer so they can create a client-attracting lead magnet that leads seamlessly to their paid offer.
Here are some examples I borrowed from the group:
Problem: The client is sick and tired of battling a chronic illness, feeling like crap, and taking drugs that don’t work.
Promise: Homeopathic and natural medicines that give your body what it needs to heal fast, increase your energy and restore your zest for life without icky side effects or invasive procedures.
Problem: The client is a non-profit organization that’s short on funds and unable to generate a steady stream of major donations
Promise: A proven strategy to increase major contributions by 20% every month.
Problem: The client is a mompreneur who wants to start her own stay-at-home business but doesn’t have a clue how to start.
Promise: A 3-month coaching program that takes her from idea to a steady 5-figure income.
As you can see, these promises are simple, clear and unadorned. No spin or sizzle. Just the facts, ma’am. Because you want to get clear on your promise in the most straightforward way before you spice it up.
Next week, we’ll talk about how to add some punch and pizzazz to your promise when you’re communicating it in your copy.
Now… if you’re thinking, “But my client has a lot of problems, not just one! And my offer addresses a whole slew of issues, not just one!”, that’s cool. That’s perfect.
But when you create or revamp your offer, and when you write copy for that offer, focus on the one, big, top-of-mind, gotta-fix-this-now problem, pain, or unmet need.
Let that one big daddy be the star of the show, the ultimate promise. I promise you, doing so will make it so much easier for your clients to understand and say, “Give me that!” It will give your copy more power, authority, clarity and believability.
For example..
Let’s return to the money coach we talked about last week. The one who’s client is flummoxed, frustrated and scared to death because despite all her long hours, hard work, and steady cash flow, she’s still coming up short at the end of the month.
As a money coach, you have a six-week program, the promise of which is to give her the tools, perspective and how-tos to take charge of her money, make smart financial decisions and always have more than enough to invest in the future growth of her business.
Now, this program will also help her heal her personal money issues, curb overspending, rewrite her old stories and beliefs around money, and give her the confidence to talk to her CPA like she’s the boss.
But the one promise she cares about the most right now is the one that solves the problem that’s kicking her ass every day; she can’t pay her bills, she’s not making a profit, and she doesn’t know why.
So, now it’s your turn.
Look at your current offers or a new offer you’re creating now.
Can you articulate the problem, pain or unmet need of your client relative to this offer?
Can you articulate the promise of your offer as the solution to your client’s problem? In one clear sentence? A sentence that uses words your client will understand and resonate with?
I know you can. Think… Excedrin.
Go. Do it.
In fact, post your problem/promise below in the comments! Or if you’ve got a question or can’t seem to get to the core of it, leave me a message below and I’ll come running.
Next week, I’ll show you how to give your promise an espresso shot of distinction and pizzazz! Until then, keep being the promise your client craves.