While I hate to admit it, I've found few things to be as disempowering in my life as being asked about the work I do and not knowing what to say. Stumbling over a long, wandering explanation that confused me just as much as the person I was speaking with, was frustrating and embarrassing.

"...So, what do you do for a living?" they'd ask.

With a bolt of adrenaline and one eye in search of an escape route I'd reply, "Oh, me?  I'm a... I... well, I coach people?" 

"Cool!" they might say.  "What sport? At like a... high school or something?" It was usually around then, red-faced and weak-kneed, I would begin to prey to the gods this person would either be satisfied not knowing or, that they would continue to ask questions me until the two of us had figured out I actually did for a living.


 If this is what's going down for you, you're in big trouble. But fear not...there's hope. 


After a decade plus of living from this very confusing place, relying solely on my sunny disposition and winning smile to drum up business, I finally said, enough is enough. After some searching, I finally discovered a simple solution that made it all better.  Better for me. Better for business. The secret? 

A basic understanding of transfiguration.

            Transfiguration - 
                   a.  : a change in form or appearance: METAMORPHASIS
                   b.  : an exalting, glorifying, or spiritual change


At the end of the day, people don't buy your job title. Frankly, they don't even care what your job title is - no matter how clever or mysterious it may be. Nor do they really care where you went to school, what degrees you have, or how many certificates you've got hanging on the wall. Believe me - I've been testing this and will share more, another time. What they do care about however,  is whether or not you can create the transformation they're seeking.


What's the transformation you provide for people?


That's what any of us are really want to know when looking to hire someone or purchase a product. We're either consciously or unconsciously seeking a transformation and we want to know who can make it happen? Period. End of sentence. So, if you can't name the transformation(s) your service provides, you're in for a lot of uncomfortable conversations that will precede the failure of your business. Let's try to avoid that, shall we?


THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE:

1. Name the transformation(s) your business promises:
   Right now. What is it? If it takes you more than 10 seconds to spit it out...there's work to do. And answers like "I'm a consultant, or instructor, or artist... don't count because they don't identify the transformation you create. If  you can name it - excellent! If not, try the next challenge.
   
   
2. Before & After: 
   Create a list of where your clients are before working with you and where they are after working with you. The change from one to the other is the transformation you provide. How you get them there is the service you provide. Knowing the difference between the transformation and the service is crucial. How many before and afters can you list? 
   
   Example 1: 
   Before: Confused and struggling to explain how they're service helps.
   After: Clear and confident in their ability to talk about what their service actually does.
   Transformation: I work with people who are struggling to explain the value of what they do and get them to a place where they can confidently name the transformation their service provides. This allows my clients to make  connections and grow their business.
   
   Example 2:
   Before:  Sad and frustrated by limited physical movement, aches and pains.
   After: Joyful and confident with an increased range of motion, strength and ability to engage in physical activities.
   Transformation: I help people who suffer from physical limitations due to a variety of minor and major injuries, reclaim physical strength and range of motion so they can get back to doing the things they love!
   
   Notice: Zero mention of job titles. Does it even matter?
   
   
3. What transformations do the companies you buy from promise? 
   Have a look at your favorite businesses and identify the transformation they offer. Do they state the transformation explicitly or implicitly. Can you separate the transformation from the actual service or product? The purpose of this particular challenge is simply to expand your awareness. To help you see how others are doing it. To notice what works and what doesn't and to find the way of communicating your message in a way that feels natural to you while at the same time, speaks to your audience. 
   
   As always, have-a-go and let me know. I'd love to hear what you discover. 

If there's any marketing lesson that can be taken away from the past four years, it's that people love something to fight against. Exhausting? Yes! Primitive? Absolutely. Reality? 100%.  And, if you're finding you want to argue with me about it, you've just proven my point. 

We come alive in the face of opposition. That's just the way it is and if your business isn't out there picking fights, well... you just may be missing out.


Is this a private fight or can anyone join?

Not only can anyone join but everyone should, your business included. By knowing and stating what you stand for as well as what you oppose, you help your potential audience identify whether or not you're what they're looking for.  And, the clearer you are, the more people you'll attract.


Imagine Harry Potter without Voldemort...

Seriously, how lame would the story have been? Even with all the magic and wonder, you'd likely lose interest after the first few chapters if Harry didn't have Voldemort to deal with. Or the Dursley's. Or Malfoy. Or Snape. Or.... you get my point. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't waste your time reading this - go get a copy of Harry Potter and The Sorceres's Stone immediately. You'll thank me later. 

The fact is, every good story ever told, has a clearly defined protagonist, be it human, monster, circumstance, or even philosophy. Stories without something to overcome, aren't stories at all. They're simply a collection of thoughts and information. Data. Boring! But when there's something to rail against, people pay attention. It's just how we're wired. If your business isn't clearly standing in opposition to something, your story isn'y complete and you're likely losing potential customers.


Do your business a favor- Figure out who the enemy is and go kick its ass!


Kate Pearce Educational Services helps kids with learning disabilities. It would be easy for Kate to make the monster in her story the disability, but she doesn't. Why? Because when she and I worked on the copy of her website, she spoke passionately about how the kids she helps aren't "disabled." "They just learn differently," she explained. And there it was...the enemy at the gate:

Learning Shouldn't Require Tears
Children are designed for learning. It's what they do!  ​​​
But when they're not taught in the way they learn...

The enemy that Kate fights on behalf of children everywhere is inappropriate instruction, a system that doesn't give good teachers what they need to meet the needs of every students, out-dated and frankly wrong information about how children learn. And by god, Kate and her team of educators are on a crusade to change all of that.

Now, tell me what parent with a struggling child wouldn't get behind that fight?

And for what it's worth, Kate can hardly keep up with the demand for her serves.

Ready to take a stand like Kate did?


THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE:

•  Go looking for fights - Go to the website of the last company you purchased something from. Read through the site and see if you can identify the thing(s) they oppose. Notice how quickly they got this part of their story across. Was it right in the header or did you have to scroll down to find it? Was it explicit or did you have to read between the lines to figure it out? Try to summarize their fight in just a few words?

 

• Look for different kinds of fights (variety is the spice of life after all) - Listed below are several categories of things a business might stand against. Find one company or organization for each category.
  • a person 
  • a philosophy or way of thinking
  • a medical condition
  • a state of being (this might include how people feel)
  • an external circumstance 
  • a system / culture
    
    
• Join the Fight Club - Go though your website, copy, talks, etc and look for places where you can more clearly name the thing your business opposes. What are the wrongs that your services right? 

LET ME KNOW:

I'd love to hear what you discover. What worked. What didn't. How did you apply this in your personal and family life? In your business or work life? What new insights did you gain? What questions came up?

By sharing your experience I'll be able to report back the findings to the larger Sagefire community and  we can all grow and learn from one another. Because none of us should have to do this on our own. See what I did there? I made building your business all by yourself the enemy, not to mention, a call back to last weeks topic, giving a reason why, which you can read HERE if you missed it.  

Please comment below.

What's the magic word?

Nope! It's not please. It's because. 

The word because indicates a reason is being given and people LOVE to have a reason. Even if it's not a good one. Seriously! The actual reason doesn't matter half as much as you think it would. Do you remember when your mother would ask you to clean your room and you'd ask, "Why?" 

"Because I said so! That's why!"  she'd yell back and then...you'd go clean your room. 

Guess what? You were both onto something and it wasn't just the fear of what would happen if you didn't clean your room. It was the need for a reason.

According to Dr. Robert B Cialdini, author of, Influence; The Psychology of Persuasion, there's a well-know principle of human behavior says that when we ask someone to do us a favor we'll be far more successful if we give them a reason. And, I've found this principle to extend beyond the realm of favors. 

Providing a reason why, can increase compliance
by as much as 34%.

To test this theory, Harvard social psychologist Ellen Langer, conducted an experiment. While standing in line to use a copy machine at a library, Dr Langer asked those in front, "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the copy machine because I'm in a rush?" The effectiveness of this request-plus reason was nearly 94% positive.

When the same request was made without any reason given, only 60% of those asked, agreed to the request. 

In another version of this experiment, she asked, "Excuse me I have five pages. May I use the copy machine because I need to make copies."  Remarkably, nearly 93% of the people complied with her request. Can you imagine? 


Understanding Psychological Triggers

Understanding that people respond to being given a reason serves as an opportunity to question and identify your why's. When you can give your customers an honest reason for why they should consider working with you, reasons that are both true and aligned with your values, it becomes possible to be of service while at the same time, grow your business. Not to mention, having clear reasons for why someone should work with you is a form of identity work that'll help you master your message, build your confidence, sharpen your focus, and so much more.


THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE:

• Play around with making requests. Start small - with your friends, partner, or children. Request something of them without giving a reason - see how they respond. See how many requests you can make before the ask for a reason. Then, make requests with reasons. Try giving horrible reasons and compare them to reasons you consider valid and good. Do you notice a difference?
  
  
• Take this challenge to your website, sales copy, marketing material and sales calls. Look for places where you can give reasons for why. Why you? Why now? Why your method or particular service over another, and so on. 
  
  
• The goal is to make you more effective at getting your message across. It's not to use the Jedi mind trick to manipulate people into doing what you want. Notice if the Dark Side shows itself to you as you play with the challenge. WARNING: Don't be surprised if all of a sudden you see this principal being used in shady ways by others. 

LET ME KNOW:

I'd love to hear what you discover. What worked. What didn't. How did you apply this in your personal and family life? In your business or work life? What new insights did you gain? What questions came up?

By sharing your experience I'll be able to report back the findings to the larger Sagefire community and  we can all grow and learn from one another. See what I did there? I gave a reason without using because. So many ways we can play with this.

Please send your comments with the subject line "Reasons Why" to:  Michael@sagefirementoring.com.  

I'll do my best to respond in a timely fashion.

Best,

Michael