Making People See The Difference You Make
When you sell to people the difference between now and tomorrow, you make it easier for them to join you.
People have to see why you can make a difference to them.
This article is about putting the resources in where you’ll make a change for others, rather than putting in the effort to those who will never buy from you, no matter what you say.
No one is going to buy something where they can’t see how their world will end up looking.
The Proof For You
Let me share with you what I mean and from my own experience.
February was the You Are The Media Winter Tour. Two events, one bad date, one great date. The biggest change to have more of an impact, was one simple tweak.
I shared my experience of the first event. I learned the importance of why you need to market with people.
The biggest mistake I made was that I did not share what’s in it for others. I did not share what the future looked like during event one. It was me telling everyone what I did and how You Are The Media has accumulated and now starting to work (grow an addressable audience and people buying from you).
The event was organised by close allies Dorset Growth Hub and a lot of the audience were people who attend Dorset Growth Hub events, not You Are The Media. This meant there was a disconnect straight away. Not an unfriendly one, but where there wasn’t much familiarity. It’s like a friend introducing you to their friend for the first time. Someone sees them as a ‘good person’ but you haven’t had a chance to get acquainted apart from a bit of small talk.
I guess for some people You Are The Media wasn’t for them, even if they subscribed to the weekly email during the event.
The biggest change for the second event was one tweak.
A few changes were made, including a bit of breathing space for people to take ideas on board after each segment. However, the biggest change was explaining how my world looked different by taking on board this long term project called You Are The Media. It relates to an audience that is yours based on directing people to writing/audio/video that is you.
There is a return in it.
This is my return.
The point is, if I can now see how it is working, so can others. It is attainable, it is not just talking a good talk but how investing in the long-term does pay off.
Sell The Picture Of Tomorrow
You have to sell the picture of tomorrow and how it is going to be better for them.
The word leftovers didn’t exist before 1910. Full credit to Dave Trott for this example. Before we had fridges, no one could store food. Domestic fridges were first introduced in the early part of the 20th century.
Before fridges, food couldn’t be kept, you had to throw it away. Leftovers were invented by McCray Refrigerator Co. They took the initiative to educate people about keeping food fresh and how best to store.
If McCray could sell what the future looked like, in this case, eating more left over food, make savings, reduce wasted food, then people would buy their fridges.
McCray commissioned a book in 1910 by Elizabeth O. Hiller called Left Over Foods And How To Use Them: With Suggestions Regarding The Preservation Of Foods At Home. You can still buy the book on Amazon. Elizabeth O. Hiller was a well known early twentieth century American author of cookbooks and professor. You could say this was an early instance of a brand working with an influencer.
Elizabeth came from a place of trust and credibility. Have a listen to the You Are The Media Podcast where the topic is people creating, others trusting. Jake Moore from ESET and Jessica Dante from Love And London share what they have done to create and build.
McCray introduced the concept of leftovers, by sharing with people what the future looks like by refrigerating your food. People can keep food for longer and slows down the activity of bacteria so people don’t get ill and spoil the food.
The book provided a platform to share what’s in it for those who make the most of their leftovers.
When you share what the future looks like, it becomes easier for people to recognise for themselves.
A more modern day example is what You Are The Media Conference 2018 speakers, Tim and Tarryn Poulton have done with www.pcosdietsupport.com They share with women what the future can look like when managing PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I want to give them one last ‘hurrah‘ before they move back to South Africa.
Their entire programme is formed from Tarryn’s story linked to diet and health that led to her having two children and having PCOS.
PCOS is a condition that affects how female ovaries work. In the UK, 7 out of 100 women are affected by PCOS and have difficulty in becoming pregnant as well as other symptoms that come with the condition.
Tarryn took a decision to change her daily routine by introducing exercise and a low GI diet.
Evidence centred on Tarryn’s story and a belief that a lifestyle commitment can alter a diagnosis that looks at drugs and surgery.
PCOS Diet Support has built a subscribed audience of over 50,000 people and is now considered a trusted source for other women with PCOS.
Again, this is an initiative that shared with others what the future can look like.
Both examples point to the importance of recognising the problem and then selling what tomorrow looks like if you make an attachment to someone else.
What About You?
People aren’t bothered about hearing your story and telling you to find your purpose.
People want to know how to make money, save money, be more creative, have new ideas, get more from their day and get more people on their side.
You have to share what’s in it for other people, rather than telling the world your perspective and what you do is always right over on LinkedIn.
People will commit more easily when they can see what the future looks like for them.
It is easy to talk about ourselves and how worthy we are, but you have to recognise the role you play for others and the outcomes for them, not you.
Put your effort in where you can make a difference for others to paint the vision.
– Recognise how what you sell, can genuinely assist
– Are there ways to present the future, by other channels that can support you? For instance, McCray worked with an author of cookbooks, I worked with a government funded initiative
– How can you be relatable? For instance, Tarryn from PCO Diet Support used her own story and experience to be validated by others and where the connection starts
– Can it be explained in an easy way and not convoluted whereby sounding complex is intended to gravitate your own status
– Are there clear steps for others to take, that doesn’t look pie in the sky?
– Does the future look believable? This is different from telling the world they can achieve 100,000 new Instagram followers in a few days.
– Can you break down the essence for what you are about? For instance, You Are The Media is about email, blogging, audience development and live events that leads the accumulation of an owned audience.
Let’s Round Up
Being excited about what you sell is important. However, it is about other people caring as well and making that decision to join you.
It is up to you to entertain them, empathise with them, guide them and demonstrate to them.
You have to sell the picture of tomorrow.
Then it becomes easier for people to buy into what tomorrow looks like.
