To all my online service providers reading this, how many times have you said to yourself: They’re not paying me enough for all this!
And honestly [insert your name here], they’re probably not. I was notorious for feeling that way in the past. I kept attracting those less than ideal clients and instantly felt like I got, got.
Here’s what this would lead to:
• I’d underperform because I wasn’t being paid enough
• I’d resent my clients because I was mad at myself for continuing to allow this to happen
• I’d constantly wonder if this whole business thing was for me
Before you read any further, I want to let you know that yes, this whole business thing is for you. You don’t know what you don’t know and that’s ok. Mistakes like this will happen and that’s ok.
MISTAKES ARE ENCOURAGED. They highlight opportunities to elevate and make corrections. Now, let’s continue. ☺️
You might be reading this just as you said yes to yet another client you should have said no to.
Here’s a fun fact: Until we learn to position ourselves, we’ll continue to get got. In fact, how will we start to get those soulmate clients if we keep saying yes to the wrong ones? 🤔
So, I decided to give you 3 Positioning Mistakes To Avoid:
Consider the entire buyer journey a client goes through before investing with you:
5 Phase Client Buying Journey:
➡️ The thoughts they have before they realize they have a problem
➡️ Exposing them to the fact that they have a problem
➡️ Realizing why the problem exists
➡️ Learning different solution options for their problems
➡️ Learning the cost of not investing with you
We usually build content and hang out around phase 3 and 4. We’re constantly telling them they have a problem and what service we have to fix it. This is why we usually attract those less than ideal clients looking for a Jane of All Trades or price haggling, or simply people who aren’t ready to make the investment.
Consider phase 1, 2 and 5 to give your clients a deeper understanding of how deep their problem is and this will have them yelling “take my card neeeooowww”.
Be the expert. You’re not just the service provider they hired to fix their problem, you’re the expert!
This means we should avoid creating a ton of how-to content and talk more about your process and unique way of doing this. This will attract those high-quality, soulmate clients we want vs freebie suckers.
This kind of positioning instantly gives you credibility in a high-quality client’s mind. Here’s an example of this:
Prior to becoming a coach for service providers, I niched down to offering Dubsado Setups for Coaches and Consultants. Instead of constantly talking about why my clients needed Dubsado (something they already knew), I started talking about how I am going to elevate their client experience, improve their brand trust and consistency, and deepen their relationships with their clients. I would also stress my unique process for getting it setup in a day.
Doesn’t that sound a lot better than: Here’s 5 reasons why you need Dubsado.
Normalize not calling your brand affordable
When someone was looking for an affordable systems strategist, I would tell people not to recommend me. I wanted my services to be known as transformational, quality, and high-end.
By consistently trying to be the affordable girl on the block, I was attracting those clients who would make me feel “got”. I shifted to doing the 2 things I listed above and quickly realized that if my work was quality and transformational, it didn’t need to be “affordable”.
When you’re trying to attract your soulmate client and you’re looking for ways to describe your brand, use words that you’d want a service or product you plan to invest in to be described as.
Were those 3 positioning tips helpful?
As a service provider, it’s going to be tempting to do all 3 of the above because we’re so busy doing client work that it’s sometimes hard to dig deeper when it comes to how we position ourselves.
I want to encourage you to build your business for authority and expert positioning from day 1.
This leads to attracting and serving soulmate clients effortlessly so that we’re working smarter.
If you just read the above and are still wondering what could happen if you keep avoiding this, here’s what could happen if you don’t consider getting expert guidance:
• Your service doesn’t feel exclusive and your clients will feel like they can get your transformation from anyone
• It will be difficult to scale because you’ll be stuck in feast or famine mode where you’re always chasing the next client
• You won’t be seen as the go-to person in your industry and getting referrals will seem nearly impossible
I know this is easier said than done. I started as a Service Provider myself so I know how hard this can be to conceptualize. But it’s time for us to take this step. The time is now. No more saving content in hopes that free content will change our lives and magically help us position ourselves properly. It’s time to position our businesses for sustainability and profitability. If you’re ready to be Built For Authority™, you can apply for my program, Built For Authority™, and receive an invitation to my Private Training for accepted applicants only. In this training, I’ll be giving you my 4-Part Framework for how I consistently hit $10K+ months in my service-based business and learned to attract & serve soulmate clients on autopilot.
Visit www.builtforauthority.com to submit your application.
Come hang out with me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/loranelisecollective
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