Geeezzz. I hope it isn’t that painful for you. What exactly did you do in college? *wink *wink. LOL
But yes, you need to get comfortable telling your story as it’s a key point that tells everyone why they want to buy from only YOU.
For some, this is a no brainer. You err on the side of telling too much. (We’ll talk about that another time!)
But for others – and I relate – you wonder why you need to share all this information? In the pre-internet days, you didn’t have to reveal much about who you were. Your company name, title and type of work sufficed. As a matter of fact, you might be “penalized” if you shared too much and cited for being “unprofessional”. No one cared about the sky diving trip, the restaurant photos, or any of the random social media updates you see on any given day. Only your close circle of friends who were present cared.
You most certainly didn’t have to explore your passions and connect your heart center to your business model. So now what do you do?
In today’s business environment, you’ve got to be willing to tell your story. It’s the only thing that allows you to differentiate what you are offering in the market.
There are at least 100 people who are in direct competition with you. Even if you think you are the only one on the planet selling what you offer. (Do some committed online research on it. I promise you – you’ll find competitors). And don’t forget to count complimentary products or services. People are overwhelmed with choices.
So give your audience an easier way to make a decision. Give them something to relate to. The more they connect, the more you’ll direct your target client to your business.
Years ago, this was my elevator pitch: I train people to start their businesses through a series of conference programs, weekend camps and ongoing workshops.
Now, I share: I coach women entrepreneurs who are fed up. Their business isn’t working and they are ready to do the work, assess what’s wrong, and make the necessary changes. I help them identify what’s not working, revamp the business model, get comfortable with a new marketing plan, and set up systems so they have more time to enjoy life.
How did I get started doing this work – A few years ago, my business wasn’t working. I couldn’t scale past the 100k ceiling. So I took some time off and started assessing what was wrong. I asked tough questions. And challenged myslf to think and do things differently.
And I found a few trends. Women entrepreneurs had low tolerance for risk, didn’t create businesses that scaled easily and lacked role models. I could relate to these trends in my own business.
So I revamped my business and started coaching women who wanted to end this pattern. I’m on a quest to empower more women entrepreneurs -and build companies that help the planet. AAlong the way, I developed a brand Mom and Daughters Inc that plants the seeds of thinking like an entrepreneur in young women. I am passionate about this work. I believe we can change the planet when women are empowered entrepreneurs.
See the difference?
Yes, my new business is different from the work I did before. But I’m learning how important it is to share more about ME. Hard to do on some levels – but I look forward to see where this can take the company.
Do you have a story about why you started your business? I’d love to hear it! Pls share below in the comments.
Thanks for sharing! And thanks for illustrating it’s a balancing act. What’s your site? And thanks for the support.
Afternoon Malla! This is super timely info. I think people get a bit hung up and have to get over themselves so they can let their truth guide them to a better business. I wrote about this over at my blog a few weeks ago and it is one of the best performing posts I’ve had.
We all struggle with the balancing act. And it’s freagin’ amazing what you’re doing to empower the younger generation of entrepreneurial women. I can vouch for the cause! Keep up the excellent work will ya?
Well said!
Malla,
I think there’s a big difference between promoting incorrect information and sharing too much information. Deliberately promoting incorrect information means misrepresenting yourself and your brand and, of course, is a big no-no. Sharing too much information is a matter of opinion and each individual needs to decide how open a book they are or wish to be.