You’re about to learn a single question for connecting deep with your audience
When you hear their answer, you’ll have access to a hidden “emotional hot button” that’s incredibly powerful in motivating them to buy. And your competitors probably don’t even know it exists.
It puts you in the great position of being the only person having this conversation of the problem they most want solved.
Before I share the question, imagine your target audience is CEOs and presidents of major companies.
You sell a coaching service where you help them find clarity and perform at their best all the time.
You want to connect with them and prove you can solve their biggest problems.
You may have an idea of what that problem is. But you want to make sure what you’re saying resonates. So you ask them directly, something like “What’s your single greatest challenge as a CEO?” or “What struggles do you have daily”
And maybe you get answers like “Getting home in time for dinner with my family” or “Trusting other people to do the work and knowing I don’t have to do everything myself.”
That’s all great stuff. It can certainly go a long way in your marketing.
But is there more to the story?
One of the only marketing newsletters I open regularly comes from Robert Gibson.
Few people have heard of him, but he’s a top writer and one of my favorite people to turn to for marketing/life lessons.
He recently shared this great article in his newsletter on The Deepest Fears of 15 CEO’s.
The interviewer asked the CEO’s “What’s one secret you never shared about how you really feel inside?”
Check out some of the answers:
- I fear dying from an early age from overwork and stress
- I have no idea how to truly connect with my only son
- I wish I could run away for one year just to be alone
Reading this, 2 things struck me:
1) Reading these fears made these CEOs feel more human to me. I’d normally see them as fast-paced, confident, powerful people who have it all together. And yet, beneath the surface, it’s clear that’s not the case. They’re flawed and hurting like anyone else.
2) These would be incredibly powerful points to include in your marketing if that’s your audience.
If this were my audience, I’d address these fears in emails, case studies, even stories in my sales page.
How? I could either share how I had those fears (and let them go “oh, me too! I’m not alone!!!”) or share stories of CEOs who had those fears/experiences. Then show how my services help people avoid that fate.
For example, you could write a sales page that weaves in a story of a CEO who had to be hospitalized from overworking (Arianna Huffington perhaps), and how your clients felt they were on the same track, but through your help they learned to take the foot off the gas pedal.
Once they did, their lives opened up. They were able to be more present with their family and finally connect with their son. They no longer felt the urge to run away, but found that initial fire and drive that drove them to be successful in the first place.
A bit more powerful than simply promising, “I’ll help you delegate more work so you can be less stressed”, isn’t it?
Brian
P.S. This reminds me of a workshop I put on last week teaching people how to have deeper connections in their conversations. Here’s one exercise you can try it with friends, family, your partner, etc.
Giving a talk on creating connection
It’s called sentence stems. You all take turns finishing sentences that share something about yourself. For example, the first 3 we used were:
“Something I’m really good at is…”
“Something I want to be appreciated for is…”
“Something I don’t want you to know about me is…”
That last one is one of my favorites.
You share that piece of you that you’ve been stuffing down, the part you think is too ugly for the world to see, then share it with a few people who welcome it. It’s a massive relief and you may very well end up feeling more connected to those people. Give it a try.