The other week my “boot camp” trainer had a quick, brain-expanding exchange about marketing. I found what she had to say remarkable because they are the same things I hear from massage therapists/bodyworkers every day. And this got me thinking about you — as most things do.

“I don’t want to want it more than they do.”

My trainer and I were wrangling about the benefits of discussing her fees with prospective clients

At one point in the conversation I was Eileen Unleashed!â„¢ deluging my trainer with my standard marketing pep-talk and brainstorm! From the Left! From the Right! My trainer stopped me cold with “I don’t want to want it more than they do.”

Wow.

Um. You know? I don’t either. And I never thought of it like that before.

So I sat down and thought about it for a while. Here’s what I think:

(First off, Who Is This “They” We’re Talking about?
“They” are your potential clients.)

On the One Hand … You Don’t Want to Waste Your Energy
Really. You don’t. Potential customers are either going to go for it or not. (“It” being trying your services, buying a certificate package, trying a new modality, whatever.)

No matter how passionate and confident you are about your work, no matter how well-written your information, no matter how pleased you are to discuss details, most people are just not going to be motivated.

So, yeah, don’t waste your energy chasing after the people who don’t care. It’s not that they don’t like you, it’s simply not a good match … today.

On the Other Hand … You Need to Bait the Hook
Say something while you have a potential customer’s attention. You have about one second. And you can pack a lot into one second.

In a very short time, you can learn what motivates people to learn more about you. Try some on for size and see what works and is in your comfort zone.

Here’s a scenario:
Potential Customer: “Oh, you’re a [massage therapist]?”
You: “Yes (handing a card out), I’m just around the corner from here.”
or: “Yes (business with card again), I have weekend hours.”
“Yes (more card handing out), I focus on stress relief.”
“Yes (getting the card hint here?), I do a lot of work with people who want to keep mobile and flexible.”

Absolutely, people can go to your site and read more about your approach to your Work, or to see your schedule of fees, or find out more about Craniosacral therapy. But will they? Is there any thing energy-wasteful about giving people a reason to go learn more about you?

All my best,
Eileen