Have you been craving the next big break opportunity that will get you in front of hundreds or thousands of people so you can finally make your impact and leave your legacy?
In this episode, I’m going to share why this craving is actually distracting you from what you should be doing instead and why these opportunities can actually cost you far more than what you’ll gain.
Listen to the player above or read the blog below.
Exposure and PR Myth
People crave exposure to the masses. There is something wrong with this craving without the foundations being built first. And this is causing people to spend money, effort and energy in a direction that will not work. I’m excited to share this because it will save you money. It will change your perspective on how you get out there and get traction in your business. Rather than chase this ‘fame’ bubble which causes more harm than good.
Exposure myth
Things have gone quiet over the summer. People enjoy spending more time getting out. What I’m hearing is that people are going on holiday and there is a ripple of panic. Come September, things will look different. I compare September to starting another new year. People are refreshed, full of plans and ready to go. It is like a new academic year. Whether you have kids or not, we have this September mindset to move forward and progress.
For coaches and experts who are feeling the lull right now – enjoy the summer. You will see a big difference in September. Yet, there are still people buying, sales being made so you don’t have to take your foot off the pedal. But I am also seeing a panic because it is a bit quieter. I see people scramble for PR opportunities, to get their speaker slot, and spending a lot of money on this.
Do things in the right order
The problem is that it can be a complete waste of money. When people go for these PR opportunities, they haven’t sorted their messaging first. They have not validated a product and working business model. And as a result, there is a false sense of security when they have someone’s attention and have this publicity. They feel they are taking action and putting themselves out there. Good on you for taking action and being visible.
However, if you don’t have your message sorted. By this, I mean a message that compels people to follow you and wants to buy from you. If you don’t have this message, it doesn’t matter how loud you shout and how many people you get in front of, or how many adore you – you are not going to make any money. This is the problem. It is also a wasted opportunity.
People go through passive income programmes and needing to repeat them three years down the line when they understand their message and niche. There is an order to things. So if you’ve spent money on things before you’re ready, retain that knowledge because it will come back around and you will make use of it. But wouldn’t it be great to do it in the right order?
So when you come to do a course, you can implement it right away.
Message, niche and business model
Your message is so important. I cannot stress this enough. If you sort this out, have a business model that works, have a product the people want and you know your message to sell this product – then you are on to a winner. But without these three pieces, getting visible is pointless. You are wasting your energy shouting about things that may be interesting on the day, but doesn’t compel people to buy from you. And that’s the difference.
Would you rather come off stage being fully booked? Or would you rather big applause and pats on the back about how well you did? There is something for following these opportunities and using them as practice. But don’t spend money on it and don’t think this will work without these pieces in place.
You also need to craft your message in a way that is fresh and new. And that the topic is aligned and relevant to what you ultimately sell. If you are trying to get publicity from a strange angle, yes it might get you some credibility and positioning. But it doesn’t equal sales. Becoming market-leading isn’t about becoming famous – it’s about being the number one choice to buy from and do business. This is where you should be aiming.
PR Myth
I see people spending money on PR but that isn’t going to make you money either. Is it niche? Are you being strategic enough? And positioning yourself? I have spent money on getting into the big press but they were not the right places. You have to be strategic about your visibility.
It is not about getting in front of the most people, it’s about getting in front of the right people.
Where are your ideal clients? What do they read? And is that the best place for your topic? For example, if you’re writing an article on business coaching and finances, what is the best place for that article? You’ll see the kinds of articles a publication has so you need to angle your article to fit with their platform. Then you’re so far removed from what you’re about and therefore the wrong people are reading it and it’s the wrong content.
You may have put a massive tick that you’ve appeared in a national magazine but where are the sales? We need to be more strategic about where we are appearing and where we spend our money. Making sure we do all of this in the right order.
We talk about consistency. But consistency with the wrong strategy, and the wrong message is like banging your head on the wall. It won’t work. If you want different results, you need to do something different. This is my warning to people who are looking to invest in PR – I’m not saying don’t ever do it but make sure you have everything in place. When looking to hire a PR, make sure that person is aligned and understands your ideal client. And what will give you the most bang for your buck. You need to do this due diligence before spending money.
I don’t specialise in PR but I’ve made mistakes and watched people make more. I need you to learn from this before you make the same mistakes. Or if you’ve invested in PR and are unsure why it’s not working, trace your steps back and consider if you did have everything in place before.
Convince mode
Ask yourself if you are in convince mode? If you are trying to convince people of a problem that they have and they don’t believe that they do.
I was speaking at an event and someone approached me afterwards. They complimented me on my talk and then tried to sell to me because I confessed that public speaking makes me nervous. So although I have a fear, it is not a fear that stops me from public speaking. She was trying to convince me that I have a fear of public speaking and need help to overcome it.
Yet, what I need to do is up my game when it comes to public speaking. I need to perfect it as that will help my nerves as I’ll feel more prepared, practised and knew what I was doing. This was obviously some time ago. That is what I was after but she was trying to convince me I needed something different. And I knew I didn’t.
So, you need to think about who you are serving, what is the real problem? Are you shooting the shark or building the bridge? By this I mean are you serving an A&E issue or are you building a bridge to something better? In this example, it would be building a bridge to perfect my public speaking and perfect my signature talk.
So many people don’t understand the outcome that they get for clients. I hear: “I empower women, I help them get unstuck.” Unstuck from what? Empower them to do what? It’s too vague and fluffy. They don’t get it.
You might write a great article but are they the right people?
Before you do this understand:
- Who it is that you are serving
- Why they would buy from you
- Who are they specifically?
This will help you tailor and niche these articles and talks so that it hits the button. So while I don’t specialise in PR, I do specialise in this – creating talks and content that is niche and compels people to buy from you. This is what we do inside of Elevate.
If you are looking to position yourself as the number one choice, crafting a signature talk, a masterclass that converts is something that I love helping people with. And it’s something that people have huge success with these. There is a certain way you need to craft it. Often people think if they just give value then clients will want to buy. Now, there is value in doing this and demonstrating expertise. However, there are other things you can do which are not giving away your knowledge and that helps people realise they need your help. And they need to pay for your help.
It is about enlightening people with the truth and showing them where they need to focus their minds. And they can get their problem solved or achieve their goal. It is not as simple as getting a masterclass slot or talking opportunity. The way that value is crafted together is important so you can make sales from that effort.
Useful links:
Book a Call with Jen – bit.ly/claritycallpodcast
Download my FREE Seven Figure Market Leader Roadmap –http://www.marketleaderleague.com/marketleaderroadmap/
Send your emails to jen@jen-hall.com
Available on Apple iTunes, Spotify & Stitcher (Just search Expert Unrivalled Podcast)