Skip to main content
Tag

how to talk about your business

How to Be Succinct in 3 Steps

By Market Positioning, Uncategorized
[feature_box style=”21″ only_advanced=”There%20are%20no%20title%20options%20for%20the%20choosen%20style” content_font_size=”16″ alignment=”center”]

Back in school, I remember getting the word “succinct” on my vocabulary list.

“Why do we need to learn THIS word?”, I groaned to the nuns. (Carmelite Sisters of Charity… I think they wore army boots and brandished weapons under their habits, but we’ll save that for another post.)

They couldn’t really answer beyond “Because we say you must learn it!” … right before I was sent to Mother Superior for some lecturing on talking back in class.

Fast forward from my insolent youth and into today:  I actually get asked questions using the word SUCCINCT several times a week.

When I ask someone “What’s the biggest challenge you have right now in your marketing?”, 9 times out of 10 someone will say “I can’t say what I do succinctly.” Or “I can’t be succinct in my marketing communication and it’s driving me crazy and costing me.” Same thing, different word forms.

Ah, so the real world does use the word succinct and it seems to be a hot topic!

People I work with come to me with wordy descriptions of what they do. They’re in utter pain because without a concise way to describe how they help others, they get passed over and can’t transform the lives and businesses they can help.

They also can’t communicate the value of their work, connect it to the needs of their clients, and thus increase their revenue.

The “talk about what you do” thing is the hinge on the door that opens up to more business. If you’re having trouble with that, then you’ll have trouble generating the interest you need to get more sales.

Being succinct is the name of the game but  it takes practice and retraining. It’s about distilling large pieces of information into bite sized nuggets people can mentally latch onto and associate with.

Here are 3 tips I give my clients to retrain them to be succinct. Put these into practice and your succinct message will be much easier to get to:
[/feature_box] [feature_box style=”22″ only_advanced=”There%20are%20no%20title%20options%20for%20the%20choosen%20style” alignment=”center”][step_graphics style=”5″ color=”#ee2530″ ][step  style=”5″ text=”1″ headline=”Practice%20the%20Rule%20of%203″]%3Cp%3EThis%20is%20a%20game%20you%20can%20start%20playing%20to%20be%20more%20succinct.%20Boil%20everything%20down%20to%203’s.%20For%20example%2C%20when%20I%20describe%20what%20coaching%20does%2C%20I%20say%20it%20involves%203%20key%20steps%3A%20%20%22Peel%2C%20reveal%2C%20and%20deal.%22%20When%20I%20teach%20clients%20how%20to%20create%20coaching%20packages%2C%20we%20focus%20on%20the%20Beginning%20(intake)%2C%20Middle%20(milestones%20and%20goals)%2C%20and%20End%20(evaluation%20and%20next%20steps).%203.%20Tres.%20Trois.%20San.%20Start%20boiling%20everything%20down%20to%203’s%20and%20you’ll%20start%20to%20see%20a%20shift%20in%20your%20succinctness.%20%3C%2Fp%3E%0A[/step][step style=”5″ text=”2″ headline=”Time%20Yourself”]%3Cp%3EFor%20those%20of%20us%20blessed%20with%20the%20gift%20of%20gab%2C%20this%20is%20a%20doozy.%20It%20pains%20me%20too%2C%20but%20we%20must%20practice%20this%20one!%20Time%20yourself%20to%20say%20whatever%20you%20have%20to%20say%20in%20the%20least%20amount%20of%20time%20possible.%20Imagine%20someone%20asks%20you%20how%20your%20day%20went.%20Try%20to%20summarize%20it%20in%2030%20seconds%20or%20less.%20I%20know%2C%20you%20want%20to%20tell%20about%20the%20shopping%20cart%20that%20rolled%20in%20front%20of%20you%20in%20the%20parking%20lot%20and%20the%20leaf%20that%20blew%20across%20the%20windshield%2C%20but%20for%20this%20exercise%20really%20squeeze%20your%20day%20into%2030%20seconds.%20You%20can%20go%20into%20detail%20later%20if%20someone%20wants%20to%20hear%20the%20whole%20story%2C%20but%20try%20to%20give%20the%2030%20second%20pitch.%20Think%20of%20how%20movie%20plots%20are%20distilled%20down%20to%20one%20sentence…%20can%20you%20do%20that%20too%3F%20%3C%2Fp%3E%0A[/step][step style=”5″ text=”3″ headline=”Get%20Hemingway’s%20Help”]%3Cp%3EErnest%20Hemingway%20was%20famous%20for%20writing%20short%20sentences.%20There’s%20a%20great%20app%20that%20analyzes%20your%20writing%20and%20gives%20you%20tips%20for%20making%20it%20more%20concise.%20http%3A%2F%2FHemingwayApp.com%3Cbr%2F%3E%0AYou%20simply%20run%20your%20writing%20through%20it%20and%20you’ll%20get%20feedback%20on%20how%20to%20be%20more%20succinct.%20%3C%2Fp%3E%0A[/step][/step_graphics] [/feature_box] [feature_box style=”21″ only_advanced=”There%20are%20no%20title%20options%20for%20the%20choosen%20style” content_font_size=”16″ alignment=”center”]

Practice those 3 steps and you’ll find yourself getting to the gist of things much more quickly and easily. When you can dial in your message succinctly, people will get what you do, want what you offer, and hire you!

 

Next step? Connect with me for a consultation to learn how to apply these principles to your business.

Strategy Call button

[/feature_box]

 

 

 

 

[VIDEO] LOVE-HATE-CREATE

By Market Positioning One Comment

Here’s a great way to talk about what you do and capture people’s attention:

The LOVE-HATE-CREATE Message

It’s a simple 3 step message that conveys your passion, your place as a thought leader, and your solution. When you put the pieces together (there’s even an example for you), talking about your business will become a pleasure and not a chore.

Ready? Here we go:

Step 1: LOVE

What do you LOVE about what you do and the people you serve?
Start off by saying that. “I LOVE ____________”.

Step 2: HATE

What do you HATE (or what drives you crazy) either in your industry or how people are NOT being helped? What’s wrong that you’re willing to expose and talk about?
Say that next. “What I CAN’T STAND (hate) is how everyone is ________________”

Step 3: CREATE

What have you CREATED as a solution to this? How have you innovated?
Say that next. “So I CREATED _____________”.

Put it all together and you have a really cool way of talking about your business!

***Example***

LOVE: I LOVE teaching consultants and coaches how to grow their businesses and stand out in the market.

HATE: What drives me CRAZY is when people go for copycat solutions that only make them blend in more. They end up feeling frustrated and convinced that their Talent and Genius aren’t worth anything!

CREATE: So I created T.A.G. The Intersection of Talent and Genius to teach them exactly how to pinpoint their unique Talent and Genius and use that to attract perfect clients and make more money than they ever imagined.

Action Items:

1. Try this out for yourself! Create your own Love-Hate-Create message.

2. Leave a comment below! Can you rock this strategy?

3. And if you’re ready to join the ranks of Talent and Genius superstars who attract ideal clients and more business, apply for a Talent And Genius Strategy Session!

strategysession_btn

[VIDEO]Watch Your Tone!

By Marketing Tip No Comments

“Watch your tone, young lady!”  Oh if I had a dollar for every time my mom scolded me with that one when I was a sassy little teen. Even if I was saying something benign, a sarcastic tone changed the meaning of EVERYTHING!

Let’s fast forward to today… maybe you’re not getting chastised for your tone anymore but you still need to WATCH IT like a hawk.

The TONE you’re marketing in is as important (if not more) than what you’re saying in your message. It can alter perception, speak volumes about who you are, and either attract or repel clients.

Watch this video… and if you have a piece of paper handy, jot down notes! This is important for every aspect of your marketing. You’ll be more conscious of HOW you’re saying things… not just focused on WHAT you’re saying.

More tips!

Be sure to download my FREE training Get Paid to Be You. It will help you reveal your Talent and Genius and the authentic tone that will be true to you and bring you the most success.

Click here to get your free copy

Have You Forgotten Who You Really Are?

By Marketing Tip, Our latest news No Comments

There’s an identity crisis rampant in the online marketing world.

People don’t know who they are anymore. And they’ve run out of words to describe things. Perhaps you’ll recognize some of these?

The fear of failure has turned many amazing folks into boring old clones… and the situation keeps getting worse.

I talk to so many people gripped by fear. They’re making moves they “think” are smart, but really it’s just a copy of what someone else is doing.

From the language they’re using in their marketing to how they describe themselves, it’s just one big boring snore-fest.

You know what I mean… and if you interact with me on Facebook, you know how much juice comes out of these observations when I post them.

Sure, I get plenty of amens and hallelujahs on Facebook, but what I really want to see is CHANGE.

I want to see people get back in the driver’s seat of their own business and stop living in this place of fear.

Like you, I want simplicity. I don’t want complicated approaches to success because frankly the world is complicated enough. I want my business to be a sanctuary, a creative expression that fills my bank account and allows me the freedom to do the things I love with people I love.

I want the same for you.

Doesn’t that sound heavenly?

Here are 3 things you can do to get out of the doldrums and hit your stride:

1. Position yourself so your Talent and Genius shine.

Your Talents are the hard skills you’ve honed through life, work, education… and you do them well. Your Genius is that natural bundle of strengths you own. Nobody taught you to be intuitive, compassionate, analytical… you just have it.

2.  Don’t be a copycat.

If everyone is zigging,  I want you to zag. Make sound business decisions, but take a greater effort NOT to blend into the woodwork. See the image above to remind you of that.

3. Master your message and get it out there to the people who count- not EVERYONE.

You don’t have to court huge audiences- just connect with the people who’ll get you. The ones who you can easily build trust with. These are your ideal clients. You actually don’t need thousands of people on your list to be a success. You just need to get the word out in front of your people… and let them know you’re a solution for them! From that point you can make offers, help people get results, and have a very profitable business.

Next Steps:

Keep reading my tips and implement them on your own. Or…. fill out the form below to learn about my private mentoring programs. From small groups to exclusive in-person retreats, you and I can put our talents and genius together to transform your business… and maybe even your life!

Fill out my online form.