I have friends who are perpetually one course away from making their marketing work.
They’re commenting in all-caps (“Reply COURSE to get your free spreadsheet!”) on every LinkedIn post that promises a free tool, workshop, or worksheet.
And sometimes they show me what they’ve gotten from all these courses. Like their detailed spreadsheets full of ideas, unimplemented.
Contacts, uncontacted.
Content, uncreated.
But boy oh boy is it a nice spreadsheet.
But a beautiful spreadsheet is sometimes worse than nothing at all. Because it looks and feels like doing the work when it’s actually just detailed procrastination.
The marketing work is still undone because they didn’t actually need to know what to do.
I mean, you already know what to do, right? You know you’re supposed to be posting on LinkedIn. You know you should have a blog, newsletter, video series, or deeper resources on your website.
You’re almost certain you should be attending more conferences and meet-ups.
But a spreadsheet that itemizes everything you haven’t done doesn’t get you any closer to doing it.
It takes you farther away by promising the perfect cell, the ideal formula that takes you from not marketing to marketing, with the click of a button.
And yet... Where is your marketing? Where is your content? Is it still an idea in a spreadsheet, or has it yet become words in the real world?
I think we tend to stay in spreadsheets because they feel safe. They’re representations of the world without any of the nuance.
Or any of the reality. Or any of the people. Or the social discomfort.
That’s why most workshops sell you on the How. What to do and where and when to do it.
But they entirely skip what you’re actually supposed to say because that part is hard, and unique to everyone.
Because nobody can see their own value in a vacuum. Or, as the saying goes, “You can’t see the label from inside the jar.”
So what’s actually missing is a set of questions that point you toward demonstrating your value at a distance.
By knowing what that value is, who it’s for, and how to describe it in a way that demonstrates it.
Here, I’ll show you. Let’s take you from not knowing what to say, to knowing what to say, in just three questions.
Ready?
- What DON’T you do that all your competitors DO?
(Me, I don’t write long and detailed presentations, courses, or plans that no one will ever implement) - What does that allow you to OVERDO?
(Instead, I can focus on asking the precise questions that reveal your value and who values it most) - What does that mean ONLY YOU can do?
(That allows me to give you actual words to say within minutes of talking, instead of after months of planning)
Take a minute, and write down your answers, and then I’ll show you a cool trick.
Okay, got them?
Now, this works because it asks you to take away, to focus, to subtract instead of add. When you do that, you reveal the ideal message like carving from something concrete, instead of trying to craft it from clumps of clay.
All you have to do now is string your answers together in a coherent sentence.
My example:
“I don’t write long and detailed plans or courses you’ll never read or implement. Instead, I focus on asking questions that reveal your real value to real prospects. Which means I can give you words to say today, instead of waiting months to make progress.”
That sounds all right, doesn’t it? Even a bit interesting.
Now, scroll up to the top of this newsletter and give it a skim, and notice something new:
This newsletter, today, was written based on that single sentence. I applied my own questions and they told me what to write. Uniquely, demonstrably.
You can do the same thing. You just need the right questions.
So, on June 30th, I’m not hosting a workshop or a course. I’m leading a LIVE Q&A all about our Marketing Rangefinder, our process for knowing what to say to attract ideal clients for entrepreneurs and expert advisors.
It’s based on decades of helping entrepreneurs and advisors understand their true value, and giving that value a voice that their best prospects will respond to.
Come with questions about what to say and to whom to say it, and leave with real messages.
It’s entirely free for newsletter subscribers (and anyone you’d like to bring along).
Join for an hour and get marketing messages you can apply the same day.
RSVP here and share it with a friend.
Kelford Inc. are content marketers for expert advisors. If you’re struggling with what to say and where to say it to attract your ideal clients, we’ll show you the way.