One of our coaches recently set off to write a marketing message offering advice for their ideal client. They had done the ideal client work. Now they needed to create a marketing message that would speak directly to the kind of client they want to work with.
(Quick Reminder Of WHY You Need An Ideal Client!)
If I can just digress for a second and leave that coach working on the copy for their marketing message?.
Knowing who your Ideal Client is, means that when you create marketing ‘stuff’. Turning Facebook posts and tweets to blog posts, to podcast shows or YouTube channels. You know exactly what to say, because you know who you are talking to.
Generic “I can coach anyone through any situation” marketing gets drowned out by the massive, precision-targeted, marketing ‘noise’ in which we all live. Are you wondering what I mean by ‘marketing noise’? Just look at the ads and sponsored posts that float across your social media newsfeeds. That’s all part of marketing noise.
Back to our coach…
Their marketing message was developing beautifully. The advice they were offering was spot on for their ideal client. All of a sudden I got a (slightly panicky) email.
This coach had been talking to a family member about their marketing message who had said (and this is me paraphrasing) “that doesn’t sound like something I’d pay for!”
I didn’t even need to read the email to know what I needed to say:
Don’t knee-jerk. Don’t change the direction of your marketing based on the advice from one person who isn’t even the kind of person you want to coach.
Family And Friends Offer Well-Meaning Advice, But…
The thing about taking advice from family and friends is that they mean well. They really do. However, they probably don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to marketing professional services in the 21st century. Even if they have run a great business in the past, unless it was one that’s very (very!) similar to what you’re doing, their advice is probably not helpful.
Family and friends can say things that are hurtful. That feel like a knife in the heart. Again, they don’t mean to. They think that what they’re saying is helpful advice.
The ‘I wouldn’t pay for that’ advice was probably intended as something to help the coach rethink their plan, not to upend it. However, it very nearly did upend it!
Crisis Of Confidence!
Working on your own to create ideal client avatars and marketing messages is a really tough gig, made all the tougher by the helpful comments from those who love us.
One of the benefits of our community is that they are all able to offer supportive and constructive feedback on your marketing efforts. Feedback helps you to move forward and towards your paying clients. It means you don’t have to contend with all the mind monkeys that come out to play when someone does make that kind of comment.
It’s not easy to ignore our family and friends. The honest answer to this though is it’s probably for the best in terms of their advice regarding your marketing.
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