Feeling whiny the other day, I posted on social media that all of my healthy habits had gone out the window.
Within a day, responses had poured in and they essentially fell into three categories:
- That’s ok, we love you.
- Restart with a small habit to get back on track.
- Try my program or service to support you.
Then came the text from Heather Moreno of Weight Breakthrough, who I hire from time to time to be my health coach, asking if I was ok.
Then she called and asked why I hadn’t reached out to her.
The first thing that popped into my mind was that I wasn’t ready to hire anyone, I was just bitching on Facebook. But it occurred to me that something very interesting going on in my mind.
Why hadn’t I seriously considered retaining Heather again or buying some of the recommended products that were offered?
Then it occurred to me that until I’m dealing with serious health or weight consequences, I will not pay someone to help me.
Let me put that into a broader perspective for you:
Until your ideal client is dealing with serious consequences from the problem they have, they are unlikely to hire you.
Like:
… if they outgrow the stretchiest pants in their closet,
… or they can’t get out of bed in the morning because they hate their job so much,
… or they can’t take one more day staring at social media where it seems the whole world is getting new clients, but they can’t get traction.
People take action when they are dealing with negative consequences on the daily.
What’s the point?
Well, let me pull this all together and put a bow on it for you… don’t be reluctant to express the consequences (often called pain points) in your messaging. Calling out the consequences meets your clients exactly where they are in the moment, helping them see that you understand what they’re going through and that you can help them overcome it.
