Whether it’s overemphasizing the importance of social media, thinking they don’t have time to create automated revenue streams, or losing the forest for the trees when it comes to video analysis, there is a LOT to learn when it comes to fine tuning your offer and reaching your ideal customer.
BUT today I wanna cover an often overlooked messaging tweak that can make a huge difference for your business.
It’s very simple but powerful: lead with what your ideal customers WANT, not what YOU THINK THEY NEED.
That is, get them into your orbit by meeting them where they are. THEN work to get them where they need to be.
While this may seem simple, I see very few coaches and trainers taking it to heart.
And, look, I get it.
You’ve been coaching in your sport a long time. When an athlete says “I have XYZ goal”, it’s totally natural for you to assess them and be confident you know what they need to reach those goals.
The next step in converting them is often to tell them the program or training plan they need, and try to make your offer unique when compared to your competitors.
But most athlete’s aren’t ready to hear that (yet).
Instead, focus your attention on what they WANT to hear and how they’ll FEEL when they reach their goals under your mentorship.
From what I’ve seen, a lot of coaches mistakenly believe if they keep telling people about how great they are, all the things they’ve done, all the accomplishments and certifications they have, etc., it will make potential clients trust them and know what’s best for their improvement
But that’s not really how humans work… Prospective athletes don’t care about you, they care about what you can do for them.
While that may seem harsh, it's an important point to drive home, even if it hurts your feelings a bit.
Use this fact to your advantage. In your marketing, focus on outcomes over process.
Sometimes those outcomes are gonna be super clear and objective e.g. how far they’re hitting a golf ball, how much weight they’ve lost, how many wins they’ve enjoyed, etc.
Other times they’re gonna be a bit fuzzy and subjective e.g. upgrades in mindset, how they feel after a workout, how they look in the mirror, etc.
Whatever you do, it’s important that you speak to the emotional wants of the athlete, by focusing your language on the dreams or fears they may have.
At the end of the day, the most important thing about marketing is getting people’s attention. It’s important to “speak their language” to bring them in.
And I’ll be honest, at CoachNow we’ve struggled to do this in the past.
We definitely have some strong opinions… And I’ve absolutely released content that I thought was super important and would really resonate, only to find that people didn’t relate to it.
That’s why we’ve been asking for your feedback quite a bit recently at the ConnectedCoach Academy… At this point, the topics we’re covering are the ones coaches are asking us to cover.
The idea being that if we talk about all the things you WANT to hear, you’ll be tuned in and more willing to listen when we say something you NEED to hear.
Follow our lead. No matter what sport you’re in or what your training philosophy is, start by trying to understand what people are looking for and ready to hear.
Follow our past advice around collecting emails in exchange for freebies, deliver on what they want early, THEN educate them on what they need.
Ok. Let's put this into practice.
Action Item
This week, I challenge you to identify your main “headline” or “hook” on your offer.
By this I mean the very first piece of text that people are seeing on your landing page, social media bios, or whatever else you may be doing.
Find that single phrase and analyze it with this blog in mind.
If your bio focuses on YOU and YOUR qualifications, tweak it to focus on THEM and THEIR wants.
What pain points are they experiencing? What outcomes do they dream about? What emotions are they feeling?
In other words, listen to what they WANT from you… and give it to them.
Got ideas on revamping your messaging after reading this post? Send them my way!
I’d love to see the shifts you're making… Because if you can crack the code on these questions and incorporate them into your marketing, your business will thank you!
P.S. Like this content? Hate this content? Think we’re missing a topic in our growing content library? Submit any and all feedback at this link. We read every submission – don’t be shy!
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