Episode 152. Motivating people to invest in your work

9:50PM Nov 1, 2022

Speakers:

Brooke Monaghan

Keywords:

people

talking

business

offers

invest

rates

person

understand

problem

create

working

brooke

selling

marketing

natural reflex

aligned

sustainable

price

monaghan

business owners

You're listening to transcend your dichotomy, the podcast where we break the rules that say we have to leave ourselves behind in pursuit of success. I'm Brooke Monaghan and I created the show for purpose driven business owners. Together, we'll talk about how to go for your goals have an impact, all while honoring yourself, your desires and your values.

A highly common obstacle and point of frustration that I watch business owners face is how do I get people to actually invest in working with me, it is very common for business owners, perhaps for you to think no one wants to invest in working with you. Nobody takes your work seriously. It you offer something that's nice to have, but it's not a need to have, and therefore no one's going to pay for it, especially right now. Because recession, and everyone's struggling and all of that, and you aren't selling something tangible enough, right? So because it's not tangible enough. And because you can't prove like an ROI, that means that no one's gonna want to buy it. And the reason that people aren't working with you is because of your rate and all of that. I don't want to say that money is never the issue, right? Because that's not true. In some cases, people just don't have the money to invest. And that is a real barrier. Absolutely. But more often than that, it has nothing to do with your price. And sometimes, in fact, the issue is your price is too low. And I have seen this happen with people who are telling themselves the reason that no one's investing with me is because my rates are too high, and they find themselves competing on price. And not only is it not that their rates are too high. But actually, they they would find themselves selling more if they increased their rates. Why? Because it is jarring to folks when they have a number in mind for how something is going to crop costs. And then they see that your rate is so low, it's like you're no longer matching up to the level that they thought that they would be working with you in and it creates all of this confusion. So that's not actually what we're gonna go into today, I'm not going to talk about rates being too low. But it's just another thing to put in there about how easy it is for folks to convince themselves that the problem is their rate, when it has nothing to do with that, and sometimes actually is like the opposite. So what is the problem, then? Why are you finding yourself in a situation where it's tough to get people to invest in working with you, here is what the problem is, the problem is usually one of these things, either people are not quite sure what you do, they aren't quite sure if it's for them or not. They aren't quite sure about the value of working with you. They are apprehensive or don't fully trust you. Or they are not your ideal client.

This is usually what it comes down to. And the more that you focus on the price and the money, the less you're focusing on addressing one of these things, too. So how do you address these things? How do you overcome these things? Okay, so the first thing is you need to spend more time talking to people about the problem that they are having and how to solve that problem, then you are spending talking about your offers. So if in your marketing, all you're doing is selling, if in your marketing, all you're doing is saying hey, I'm offering this thing, hey, I have this thing, hey, come work with me, hey, I've got this thing, hey, do you know that I have this thing, hey, I still have this thing. I only have a couple spots left for this thing. Like, it's not that no one wants it or doesn't want to invest in with in working with you. It's probably just like, they don't actually they're not to the point yet where they're ready for that. So before you do that you need to spend time talking to them about the problem that they're having, and how to solve the problem that they're having. Because, and in other words, this is you talking about? What you do? Right? So for me, I'm a business coach. And specifically I help people who are feeling like their business running their business is unsustainable, or it is misaligned with what they really want to be doing or the life that they really want to be living. So what I need to talk about in my marketing is, hey, you're having a problem right now we're running your business feels unsustainable. And I'm here to tell you that their way to solve that is through XY and Z. The things that you really need to be doing are x, y and z. So in this podcast episode, for example, I am telling you one way to make running your business more sustainable and that is by going about your marketing from a different perspective and she Getting your mindset around something so that you can get more people to walk through the door and invest with you invest in working with you. And my last episode, I gave you another example of how you can make your your business more aligned and more sustainable by looking at your offers, right. So you need to be spending more time doing that than you are talking just about your offers or talking about what you're selling. And the reason for that is because if people are not quite clear on what you actually do, they are never going to buy it. No matter how much they like you, they're not going to buy it, because they don't get it yet they don't get why they need it. One of the ways to help them understand why they need it is to help them understand that you understand the problem that they're having, and that you understand how to solve that problem. Now to take that deeper, you need to help illustrate for people why the things that they are trying to do to solve that problem are not working.

Why do you need to do that because it is educating them on the value of the specific thing that you provide. And it is building credibility and helping them to see that you know, something that they don't and you know how to do something that they don't. And if they shifted the way that they're spending their energy or their resources, away from the things that they're trying and toward working with you, then maybe something would change. So in my case, I am constantly telling people, Hey, hustling to a finish line isn't going to do it, you might think that the way to get the business that you want the lifestyle that you want. And to find yourself in a sustainable situation that feels easy, breezy, and lovely, is to work really, really, really hard now, because once you hit a certain milestone, then you're going to have all of that, I'm here to tell you that that is actually the exact thing that has you hating your business, that is the exact thing that's making your marketing ineffective. That's the exact thing that has you running yourself into the ground, unable to run your business efficiently, avoiding decision making x, y, z, like all of these reasons that are ultimately getting in your way when it comes to growing your business in a way that is sustainable and aligned and is making you money and is giving you the life that you want. So spend less time worrying about your prices, spend less time reducing your prices and talking about these special bonuses or preferred pricing or flash sales that you're doing, and more time educating people on why their efforts to solve this problem they have been having are misguided. Here's why this is so important. People really want something, right. So think about your person and my case, they want a business that is paying them good money, that's giving them the time off that they want. That gives them a sense of personal freedom, and that feels relatively easy for them to effectively run. Now, I could get all in my head and say, Well, I can't guarantee people that's just going to be easy to make a bunch of money, but these other people are so no one's ever going to invest in working with me. Or I could show up and educate people on where they have been misguided on getting that thing. And help them understand the nuance and the context of building a sustainable and aligned business. Because when I do that, and when I tell the truth about that thing, it illuminates the real path forward. And people know that I'm not a bullshitter. Right. So you don't need to like join the side of the people who are just like making these big like the who are over promising, or you know, who are offering the guaranteed ROI on a thing you actually need to show up and help people understand, hey, all of your chasing of that stuff has been misguided. And here's why here's what you really need to do. That's the thing that's going to help people understand why, despite all their best efforts up until now, despite their previous investments, despite all of the time and effort that they've put into trying to solve the problem on their own, why it hasn't worked, why working with other people maybe hasn't worked and why what you do is so important. That's what's going to get someone to make an investment. Because now this person understands why what you do is different. They understand the value in the specific thing that you do in the specific way that you approach the problem. And they understand that they are for you and that you are for them. Because you're not just selling some general kind of guarantee or outcome. You're helping them understand the way that you go about it. And now you're attracting people who are fed up with the other stuff. They're fed up with all of those people that you think that you're competing with. They are already over it too. Right. So when you appeal to those people, that's what's going to motivate Get them to invest in working with you. Now, here's

the other thing that needs to happen in order for people to understand that they are for that they are the person for you that you're the person for them, and that they should invest in working with you, you need to be very clear on who you are talking to, and you need to talk to one person at a time. This is the single most important shift that I made in my business. Thank you to my very first Coach Tiffany Hahn, who was a life coach who I who had you know, is also a successful business owner, who I just kept asking business questions too. And she told me one day, figure out who your person is and talk directly to them. And oh, my gosh, it made such a big difference. And I am constantly telling my clients this, you need to get crystal clear on who the person is that you really want to be working with. And you can go back to our last episode about how to make money, even if you hate marketing, we were talking about offers, you need to get crystal clear on who the exact person is that you can help. And you need to write or speak direct ly to that person, like pick a real person, get them in your mind and talk directly to them. Do not try to talk to five different people at once. If you in one, and this doesn't mean that you can't talk to five different people, but talk to five different people at five different times, don't do it in one email, or on one sales page or on one piece of content. When you are going to put something out there to talk about your offers, you need to be very clear on the person who you're talking to. And I literally mean, imagine a real human being and act like you're talking directly to them. Because the second that you start trying to make your message appeal to a bunch of different people who are experiencing a bunch of different things, you actually take the power out of what you're saying, you're taking the resonance out of what you're saying, because now you're broadcasting and you're not connecting. You're not connecting to the person who you are here to help, you're not helping that person, you're not seeing that person, you're not making that person feel seen. You're trying to make it appealing, when what you really need to do is talk directly to that person and exactly what that person is going through and connect with them for real, it is going to make a huge difference. And I promise you, it will make a way bigger difference than lowering your price. Because I'm going to tell you something, if you've ever tried to get people to show up to something that's free, then you know, it has nothing to do with the phrase,

people need to know that they're getting something out of something, it's not that they already understand all this stuff, and they just don't want to pay you. And one of the easiest ways to help people understand that they will get something out of what you do is to help them understand that you are for them. And the only way to do that is to talk to them and connect with them for real. The fourth thing is you need to show up consistently. And this does not need to be all the time. Okay? When I say show up consistently, I don't mean show up all the time on all the platforms, I don't mean sell every day, I don't mean post a certain number of posts every week, what I mean is keep showing up and talking about the same thing over and over and over and over and over again. If people don't seem like they're in on what you're talking about, maybe you need to tweak your messaging. But please don't abandon your thing. Please do not change what you do, because you've decided no one cares. Because what happens when you do that is people get confused about what you actually do and why they should come to you. They don't understand what they should really come to you for. And like I said before, they might like you. But liking you is not a reason to invest in working with you. It's on you to make a statement about what you do. And and what you're about. And talk about it and talk about it and talk about it and talk about it and keep talking about it. Because that's what's going to build in in folks minds, your credibility as the person to go to, for that thing. So if you just started talking about a brand new thing, and people aren't going for it, it's much more likely that they are just confused than it is they don't think that you're worth investing in. They're just kind of confused. Maybe somebody else has been talking about that for the past three years. They still think about that person is the person to go to for that thing. Now, this doesn't mean you can't pivot you absolutely can't. I encourage you to if there's a different thing that you would prefer to be talking about, start talking about it now because is, that's the thing that you're going to be able to talk about consistently over time. That's the thing that I want you to be talking about. If you start talking about it now, then however many months from now, you will have been consistent, right? But what I don't want you to do is jump all over the place talking about different things and trying different offers. And now I'm going to talk about this thing. Well, I guess they don't like that. So now I'm going to talk about that thing. Well, I just didn't like that. Well, now I'm doing this. I'm not saying that you can't. But I'm saying that it's going to be much more difficult to get people to invest in working with you. Because one of the things that builds credibility and trust is that no matter whether they say yes or not, no matter whether they're about it or not, you're always about it, you've been about it, like you've been talking about that thing, that's been your thing. So super, super important. Just keep talking about it, because people will be ready for it. And when they are ready for it, I want them to come to you. And the way that one of the best ways to ensure that you're going to be the person that they come to is that you have been the person who's been talking about this for ever, you got it, and we're on to it way before they even were. Okay, so, so far, you need to spend more time talking about the problem that people are having, then you do talking about your offers, you want to help illustrate for people why the things that they've been trying haven't been working. And by this, y'all I don't mean agitate the problem, I don't mean, like twist the knife and push on people's pain points and illustrate for them why it sucks. They already know why it sucks. What I mean is help them understand why the things that they've been investing time and energy into have not been getting them the outcome that they want. You need to be very clear on who you're talking to and talk to one person. And you need to keep talking about the same thing over and over and over again, whether they seem into it or not, you can change your messaging around that thing. But keep be if you're about a thing be about the thing.

If you keep abandoning your thing, every time that it seems like someone doesn't like it, it's going to confuse people. And that's not your fault. You don't need to feel bad about it, I'm just saying it's a lot easier to just keep talking about the thing than it is to start competing on price. It's not about the price. It's about the fact that people maybe don't know what you do, because you've changed it a lot. Spine, start talking about the thing you want to be talking about now, because that's going to be the thing that you can keep talking about well into the future. Okay, so that's what we've covered. So far, I've got a few more for you, you need to click create clear steps for what's going to happen next, when folks want to work with you educate people on what that's going to look like. Maybe before people get on a call with you, right you have a page that tells them here's exactly what's going to happen on this call. Maybe in your content, you're telling people you know, you can book a call with me here. And here's exactly what's going to happen. When we get on that call together. Maybe you have an application process and on the page, you let people know, here's what happens next, right you apply, I'm going to look at it. Here's what I'm looking for in here, I'm going to let you know if you're a great fit, you don't have this is not you making a commitment. This is us just talking about whether or not you're a good fit, right, make those steps very clear for people. Because one of the things that stops people from making big investments is they never even get in the conversation with the person because they've been burned by other people on the internet. And now they're terrified to even get in the conversation. So figure out what your processes for having those conversations and let people know what it's going to look like. The other thing is focus on inviting people rather than pushing people. People do not like to be pushed, they will push right back. It's like I don't know if you know anything about dog training. But one of the things that you learn when you're training dogs is that dogs actually have a natural reflex, which is that if you have like a harness on them or something, and you pull their natural reflex is to lean against it. So people get super frustrated because they try to like drag their dog and they'll realize that actually, it's a natural reflex. If you actually get them some slack and you walk toward them. Oftentimes, they will do what you wanted them to do. Not always but sometimes my dog is a pushy little asshole. So not always with him. But it's true. So people don't like to be pushed. People do not like to have things demanded of them. Think about the when you know your mom tells you to do something and you agree you know that she's right, but you still want to fucking do it just because she's telling you to do it. The same thing is true with sales. So invite people in let people make their own decisions. Let people know that you trust them to make their own decisions. You need to manage your own confidence in your business and in your sales so that you're not starting to get desperate in your sales. Because when you start getting pushy and desperate people are like okay, chill the fuck out like I'm going somewhere else. I didn't come here but you held that we've all had this experience where we start getting like frantic emails from someone. And it's like, you know, like, Okay, here's who this is really for. And maybe you have objections. But these are the right. And it doesn't mean that you can't address objections, you absolutely can. But there's a certain energy that goes into it. And if you focus on inviting people in and letting people make their own decisions, and helping people understand how you can serve them, and holding space for them to walk in, rather than trying to push them in or yell at them or getting frustrated, it's gonna make a big difference. If you're feeling very frustrated it maybe it's time to walk away, walk away. Very helpful to remind yourself that you're okay. You've got what you need. You, you know, you're you're going to survive, and then come back to it without that scarcity around it. Because you're going to scare people. I hate to say it, and I don't want to, this doesn't mean don't be confident in your sales. And don't be very upfront about selling fucking do it be upfront about selling no shame around selling. But if you're like finding yourself showing up being like, Okay, I have this thing like, you're like, are you in? Are you out? I mean, I don't know, ask yourself, is that inviting to you? Like, do you want to work with that person, because I don't I stop watching those stories. Right? At that point, I stopped reading the email, I delete, I unsubscribe when that shit starts happening, I don't have space for that shit in my life. The final thing is put yourself in front of your people and stop talking to everyone. You're so I had said there are a bunch of reasons why people are not investing in working with you. And one of those reasons is they are not your ideal client, I have news for you, if someone can't afford to work with you, they're not your ideal client. I'm sorry. I know people don't like to hear that. But it's the truth.

Being able to afford working with you, is part of what makes them your ideal client. Doesn't mean you can't have a certain number of sliding scale rates doesn't mean that you can't offer scholarships doesn't mean that you can't do all that you absolutely can doesn't mean you can't make exceptions, you can. But generally speaking, you can't put yourself in front of a bunch of people who are not in the place to invest in working with you and then get frustrated when they're not investing and working with you. So you need to get yourself in front of the people who are your people. And this means people who are at that level. So I don't want you to get confused here and say, Well, I don't want you to jump straight to this one. Right? I don't want you to say, Okay, well, I guess the issue is that no one can afford to work with me, maybe maybe not if you're not do the other things first, okay, more important than their income is whether or not they are you're the person that you really want to work with, or the person who's having the problem that you really want to solve. They're the person who is already investing time resources into trying to solve the problem, or trying to get to the thing that they really want. And they're not getting there, because they've been misguided and you have something to teach them or something to tell them. Right? Those are the people that you want to get in front of. And those are the people that you want to talk directly to. So how do you get in front of those people? Well, who are they figure that out first? And then you need to start thinking about where are those people? Like are there professional associations that they're a part of, are there podcasts that they're likely listening to? What kind of podcasts are there groups that they're a part of, you know, all of that. But more important than that, actually, is when you do show up, no matter where you show up, make sure you're talking directly to that person. In other words, if you are thinking about some random high school friend, that is still your friend on Facebook, and you're trying to temper your shit to be palatable to them, I promise you right now, you are standing in your way, my friend, because the people who really need you don't need the toned down version, they need the real version, the true version, and you are toning it down for somebody who is not your person. So get in front of your people and talk directly to your people. Now, I mentioned in the last episode, I am working on a brand new product, the aligned business portal, part of what that is going to walk you through in addition to creating really aligned offers, which is what we talked about in the last episode, it's also going to walk you through how to create really effective messaging around those offers, and how to show up to deliver that messaging in a way that is sustainable for you. So if you really need help with this that we talked about today, in the middle of December, I'm going to open that up for beta testers, you can get on the waitlist for that by going to bit.li/aligned business portal. And when you sign up, I'm also going to send you a webinar from a couple years ago. It's an embarrassing one because it's the very first one that I ever did, but I think it'll be really valuable for you. It's hear me from a couple years ago, talking about the very first month that I generated a weightless as to how I did that, and you can get started with that right away. Next week we're going to talk about how to figure out what to say in your marketing. Can't wait. See you there, my friend. Transcend your dichotomy is a production of passion and process collaborative LLC. The show was produced by me Brooke Monaghan with production and marketing support from Julia pink crunch Ranjani creates blog posts from some of our episodes, which you can find on the episode page at Brooke dash monahan.com/podcast along with a transcript of today's episode and any other resources I shared today, if you're ready to put this work into action, head to Brooke dash monahan.com To learn more about transcend your dichotomy training camp and coaching with me. Love you. I'll see you next week.