Because if you don’t, chances are, you’re stuck in hustle mode.
Hustle much?
Chasing prospects is an exhausting business model.
And if you don’t already know this, TRUST ME: it’s not fun. It’s not sustainable. And at some point, no matter HOW committed to being a free, make-you-own-schedule biz owner you are, getting stuck in hustle mode will make you consider trading freedom for work that comes to YOU (and the accompanying paycheck), instead.
Entrepreneur friends don’t let entrepreneur friends go back to paycheck jobs- so rest easy- I GOT YOU.
You just need to find and sharpen your hook, girl.
Your hook is the tool you use to attract your ideal client. It’s like a glinty, brightly-coloured-dangly-lure-covered fish hook that you drop into the ocean- ever seen a fisher-person standing, pole in hand, hook in water, CALLING fish to them?
No. You haven’t.
That’s because once s/he drops their super-delicious, bait-covered hook in the water, THE FISH FIND THEM. You don’t have to call them, or beg them to bite. You just got to DANGLE that crab-meat-covered thing in the water and the fish will come to YOU. They WANT the crab. You don’t need to do any work to convince them- just reel them in.
The metaphor ends here, because hopefully you’re not gutting and eating your ideal client. (That’s an entirely DIFFERENT conversation).
What IS a hook (as relates to your biz)?
A hook is the thing about who you are and what you do that automatically pricks up your ideal client’s ears like when my dogs hear me open the cabinet where their treats are stored. I don’t need to call them- they’re mid-air before the close that door.
A hook makes you stand out- even if you’re in a field that is over-saturated with people who do similar things as you do.
For instance, one of my clients teaches women how to be successful work-from-home business owners.
That’s nice.
But there are also A BILLION other people out there teaching women to be virtual assistants and start home based businesses. That, alone, doesn’t make her stand out AT ALL. And when she was JUST using that description, she couldn’t find clients. Her work didn’t stand out.
Which meant: she couldn’t make the money she wanted, and it felt HARD.
BUT: here’s something cool.
My client actually quit her hated 9-5 to be home more with her kids and have control over her time (and take WAY more time off). Within a YEAR, she had become a SOUGHT-AFTER virtual assistant- turning down clients and work because she was booked, making enough money, and valued her family time more than she valued packing in more clients. And what she TEACHES other women is not just HOW to start a WFH biz, but how to possess the unique qualities and skills that will make them SOUGHT-AFTER and able to pick and choose their jobs, hours, and income.
See that? That’s her hook.
Having a clear and compelling hook means:
- Your message is CLEAR: people understand EXACTLY what you do, how it’s special, and the value it provides.
- Your ideal client can FIND you and understand that you are the person that she needs, because you have what SHE wants.
- Be You Visibility: visibility being authentically and completely YOU, becomes MUCH easier. You stand out because it’s clear how what you do is unique.
- That when and if you DO choose to spend money on advertising, having your hook CLEAR, COMPELLING, and speaking directly to your ideal client will mean MUCH better results from your ad spend as your ideal clients find you and are highly motivated to invest with you for the changes they are inspired to make.
Here are a few of the basics that you need in place to craft YOUR hook:
- A crystal-clear offering with the specific and tangible benefits that people get from your work
- A targeted and very specific ideal client- you should know her inside and out: her vision, her fears, the places she’s stuck, what her resistance is, what she needs, what’s getting in her way…
- An understanding of what’s unique about what you offer- what sets it apart? How can you connect the dots to make that ABSOLUTELY obvious to your ideal client?
Do you have a hook? Is it working for you? Have you been struggling without a clear, effective one? Are you ready to create yours, or fine-tune an existing one so it gets the results you want?
Join me Oct. 23rd for a live, virtual workshop on “Flipping the Bird to Marketing for the Masses: How to Use Guerilla Marketing Without High Ad Spend, Expensive Ad Experts, OR Douchey Sales Tactics“- learn more by clicking the title, and learn why I actually coach my clients to NOT spend money on advertising until ONE important milestone is reached:
