No one really cares that you’re an expert

25 years of experience.

5 certifications.

Led teams of 50 people.

What if I told you that no one really cares?

What if I told you that it won’t make any client hire you?

Hold that thought.

Last week my client, personal branding expert Jessica Zweig, was interviewed for Forbes.com, and in the article, she dropped some serious knowledge about how your messaging impacts your business and your career.

In particular, there was one passage that totally stood out for me:

“No one really cares that you’re an expert in something. People want to feel something. They want you to help them feel better. They want inspiration. They want education. They want entertainment. They want to feel uplifted. They want to feel less alone, more empowered etc. And you’re only able to affect that if you’re willing to show yourself. If you’re willing to open up and be human and be real – that’s where the good stuff lies.” Link to full article

You might be thinking, “Wait a minute. But my expertise – that’s why I started my business in the first place.”

And you’re right, but when it comes to getting new clients, the problem is that your expertise is about YOU.

But your clients don’t decide to work with you because of you. They decide to work with you because of the value you will deliver to their business or their life.

And if you focus on your experience, your prospect might be impressed by your expertise, but they can’t envision the way that expertise will impact them. So you’re actually making it harder for people to decide to hire you.

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I should say that your experience does have a role in the sales process: it provides credibility, and it proves that you can do what you say you can.

Your experience helps people justify their decision to hire you. But it doesn’t make their decision to hire you.

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So if you find yourself talking about your experience, here are a few things you can do instead:

• Focus on the value your work brings to your clients.
• Help your clients feel something – go back up to Jessica’s quote for a few examples.
• Help your clients fall in love with a future version of themselves.

When you can do that, you create desire for your work, you’ll make it easy for your clients to say yes, and you’ll shorten the sales cycle.

And if you’d like help to do that so you can get more clients for your business, write back with the word “Clients” in the subject line and I’ll get you more details.

To your success,

Leah

1. Join the free Smart Gets Paid Group and connect with women entrepreneurs who are learning how to get clients too.

This is my new Facebook community where badass women like you learn how to get the clients they want, without feeling salesy. Click here to join.

 

2. Learn how to get new clients without feeling salesy, in 10 weeks

If getting new clients is on your to-do list, but you’re not sure where to start, I can help. You’ll learn step-by-step how to get the clients you want, without feeling salesy. And you’ll get the support you need to put learning into practice in your business.  Just reply to this email and put “Clients” in the subject line and I’ll get you the details.

 

3. Work with me privately


If you’d like to work directly with me to learn how to sell, get paid more, and get the clients you really want, just reply to this message and put “Private” in the subject line. Tell me a little about your business and what you’re struggling with when it comes to selling, and I’ll get you all the details.