In this article, I wanted to share something I’ve been talking about with my clients in the last couple of weeks, and it’s connected with understanding what is unique to you, your offer, and your sales process.
Understanding what’s unique about what you do is an essential piece to being able to sell unapologetically and authentically to your audience.
In the last article, I broke down the concept of “stages of awareness” of your market and audience, which is crucial to understand if you want to sell the right thing to the right people at the right time.
Only then can you sell authentically, without pushy sales, and in alignment with who you are?
When I covered the stages of awareness, I talked about the “solution-aware” market being the sweet spot for 99% of businesses. In a nutshell, and to remind you – the “solution-aware” market is part of your audience that already understands and has experienced the pain to the point of trying to solve it by investing in different solutions.
Some people may have bought courses to solve their problem and may have invested in consulting or mentorship, but their problem still remains unsolved.
And while the “solution-aware” market has the biggest need to solve their problem and is the closest to investing in order to get rid of the pain, these are also the people that are the most suspicious part of the market.
Why?
Because they got burned, they have already spent their money and time to get the problem solved, which also left them disappointed to the point that they’re unwilling to invest again until they are sure that next time – their problem will be fixed once and for all.
I’ve spent years selling to this market, and one of the things I’ve learned is that this part of the market, the “solution-aware”, needs a couple of different things to make a decision to invest again.
They need:
- Reassurance and risk reversal – in other words, they are looking for testimonials, social proof, and proof of results. You can never have too much of that if you are dealing with a “solution-aware” market
- To see what is unique about you, your service, or a product, so they don’t put their money, again, into something that won’t work for them
These are the main things they are looking for before deciding to invest again.
I’m going to suppose here that you already have an awesome offer and a lot of happy clients that you can showcase to help them lower the risk of investing with you.
The second thing, however, is something most businesses get wrong – presenting, in the right way, what’s unique about them or their process.
So, let’s look at what “being unique” in the market means in today’s business world.
One of the biggest mistakes I see businesses make is putting the “features” of their product or service up-front, as poster boys for how unique they are – and today I want you to take a look at the bigger picture and go beyond features.
I want you to focus on YOU and what’s unique about you – because that is also something that the “solution-aware” market is looking for, and it’s usually not emphasized enough in your sales process.
One thing you have to know if you are selling to a “solution-aware” market – is they are looking beyond features – because remember- they’ve got burned and are probably not going to buy again just because you have “features that are awesome”.
The solution-aware market is also looking for what’s unique about YOU as a service provider, and this is something you have to start presenting as a part of your service.
So, how are YOU different from anybody else in your market?
I’m going to give you some food for thought.
You are absolutely unique – there isn’t anyone like you on this Planet.
You have values, natural gifts, knowledge, and experience that no one else has.
And whilst in the last couple of years we were taught to keep a low profile about who we are, sharing what’s unique to you will need to become a BIG part of your selling process if you want to sell authentically and work with aligned clients.
In other words, what you’ve been hiding about yourself, your superpowers – you will now need to display in its full glory. You are now part of your business package.
So, one of my clients asked me to help her figure out what her uniqueness is that she could display, and I started with an example of what’s unique about me, so she can start thinking in the right direction.
What’s unique about us can be a personal trait, our values, our know-how, the way that we transfer knowledge, the experience we’ve gathered, and the hardships we’ve gone through. We are all unique in our journey called life, and it’s going to make a big difference for the “solution-aware” market in their decision to work with you.
Let me break down what I’m displaying as unique and different to me (and I’m incorporating that in my marketing and sales process):
- I experienced the war when I was 8 years old and up to 13 years old. I come from Croatia and was just a kid when the war in former Yugoslavia started, which shaped, from a very young age, how I see the world and my values.
When I talk about this in my marketing, I always make sure I don’t portray myself as the victim, because I am not, but rather to show my resilience and determination to live, strive and beat the odds.
This tells my market I’ve overcome big hardships in my life, and have found a way to be successful nonetheless.
- I played tennis professionally when I was a kid
Tennis is my passion. Talking about my passion and sharing what I’ve learned in a very competitive sport shows my market what I’m made of and how I look at failure.
There is no failure, just feedback in my world – and that’s how I approach business and the way I work.
- I’m a HUGE empath
Even though this doesn’t seem relevant, it is because it impacts how I coach and transfer my knowledge to my clients. I can sense and pick up what’s going on with my clients as soon as they log into Zoom, and I care about creating a safe space for both me and my clients when I work with them.
This is important to me and I make sure I communicate that with my audience.
Empathy is not something I’ve learned, this is my super-power that helps me be a better coach and consultant, and lets my audience know that they will be heard and understood, that I can relate on a deeper level and will not manipulate them.
- Ethics and speaking the truth are one of my biggest values in life
This one is a big one for me. Ethics is something that is deeply rooted in my life, and thus – my business. This is my number one core value that tells my clients I won’t BS them, and I will speak what I believe is the truth no matter what.
Most of my clients work with me because of this very strong personal trait I have.
These are some of the examples of what’s unique about ME vs what’s unique about my service. In times when money is scarce, people are looking not only to invest to get their problem solved – they are also looking for the right person with the right traits.
Keep that in mind at all times – it IS about you.
Now, a little exercise for you, to help you find your uniqueness. Only YOU know what your uniqueness is so you can incorporate that in your marketing and selling.
Sit down and think of what makes you – you. Sounds funny, but remember – there is only ONE of you on this planet.These questions might help:
- Do you have a life experience that impacted your world and shaped who you are today?
- What are your core values in life that are non-negotiable for you?
- Do you have a superpower that no one knows about?
Maybe you have a voice of an angel or you are great at cutting wood – it can be anything that you can think of
- Have you developed any habits that became a part of your identity for the better?
These are just some of the questions you can start playing with. Don’t hold anything back, because that will help you to sell authentically and work with amazing people that resonate with you.
Remember, people are looking to work with people, and the more you hide what’s unique about you, the more you rob the world and your clients of your gifts.
Now go and do the exercise.
And then share that with the world.