Wednesday I was teaching the sixth class of the Opening the Moneyflow Course and we were talking about the Customer-Focused Story, which is a five-element approach to creating a core story for your business- I discuss it in-depth in Unveiling the Heart of Your Business. Anyway, the fifth element is about you- your bio, why you’re so good at providing the business.
There are three parts to a successful bio, and the third one is the toughest.
- Certifications and trainings. Third-party training that verifies that you know what you’re doing.
- Experience. This can be number of years, or number of clients, or number of projects, or what have you. Something that says that you aren’t wet behind the ears. Even if you are wet behind the ears, you can list experience from elsewhere in your life that can still prove the point.
- The Why. The human element of passion- why do you do what you’re doing? Why are you dedicating so much effort to creating a business out of this?
That last one was what was causing the consternation. Some of the folks were worried that they were going puff themselves up too much. Others were afraid of being too vulnerable, or saying too much.
Your business can have a mission.
The ‘why’ doesn’t have to be inflated or big-headed. But, it does need to be moving. When people know why you are doing what you’re doing, then it creates deep trust.
And, depending on the ‘why’ it can create more than trust. It can create a sense of ownership in your clients- they feel like they can own your mission, too, and that creates a movement, and the comraderie that comes with it.
Obviously, it needs to be authentic- you can manipulate people and their emotions, but it doesn’t pay, not in the long-term.
Some examples.
For someone who “Helps health care professionals who are frustrated with competing demands, conflicting values, and inefficiencies that get in the way of accomplishing the important work that inspires them. ”
Her why is “Health is a fundamental birthright of humans. As such, she believes that your role as a physician or non-physician professional in providing health care is among the most important and noble roles in a community and in our society.”
For someone who “helps spirited, go-getting entrepreneurial women who want to avoid burnout and run their businesses with less effort and more ease. ”
Her why: “I deeply believe that when go-getting women learn how to tap into their true power, there is a healing that happens for our planet and all alive on it! ”
For someone who “helps pets in pain and the people who love them”
Hey why: “The human-animal connection is a magical thing, and I see it as critical to our connection to the natural world. We can learn many things from our animal friends, not the least of which is unconditional love.”
What happens for you when you learn about why someone’s in business? Does it move you? Does it deepen trust for you?
Are you letting people know about your why?
