I can help a lot, how do I get that message out?

This is massive and where so many of us go wrong. We normally have very adaptable skills that can help a lot of issues, and we want to use them to help a lot of people. All good, but how do we do this in a way that works?

I learned this the hard way. I started and followed the usual tradition of listing many, many things that could be helped. When you consider the World Health Organisation estimates 60% of all illness in the world is stress related, you see just how many things can be helped by stress reduction. However, that's not an easy message to get across usefully to someone suffering.

I listed way too much and it didn't work. Now, I could help a lot of people in different ways, but that message was too broad and I drowned myself out in it. Consider this:

Someone who could help with everything on the left of the above image, will most likely get to help less people than the person who talks just about their key offerings. That's nothing to do with what the offerings are. It's about having a message that is understandable at a glance.

The key for us is to offer a few things at a time, be consistent about that, and then add or change if we have more capacity or appointments available.

Once I narrowed my practice to my top three offerings I was busier than before, and even for things I wasn't talking about. People were able to notice me because my message was consistent and then they could ask if I did x or y. It was bizarre but hugely beneficial.

Offering a few things doesn't mean we can't do more. It is really just saying “these are the 3 things I want to share with the world first!”

Listing more services in your bio, website, brochures etc. is fine, but highlight 3 at most. Be about these consistently for several months at a time and you should reach many more people in a far more powerful way.

Now, the big part. Resist the urge to chop and change. Stay on topic for at least 3 months before you change. Talk about a different aspect of each message each week or fortnight, then move on to another aspect of the same message. Only after 4-6 different posts on the same offering should you even begin to consider talking about the next thing. Why? Potential clients need multiple opportunities to read about their problem, and will also need time to realise that you are the person they need to see.

It's not a big ask in creation – we're only looking at one post a week at most, but it is a challenge to stay the course and give yourself a chance to succeed.

Here's an example.

Eg. Business coach offering stress reduction service as first offering:

This lets us talk about the same offering – stress reduction – on each post but in different ways which will re-enforce the message, build connection, and reach different people in different ways.

Sometimes people think they only have one offering. Let's look at an example from one of my Coaching clients:

E.g. Yoga trainer. All they offer is yoga right? How can we keep talking about that without being repetitive?

If you truly want to help people be clear on what you offer, offer it consistently, and make it easy for people to understand how you help.

Keep sharing your help,

Have a great week,

John Prendergast