You’ve heard of the “sweet spot,” right?
The term is often used in sports. For example…
- Tennis–There’s a perfect spot just below the middle of the racket head where the ball just jumps off the strings. They call that the sweet spot. Hit the ball anywhere else, and the power of your shot is greatly diminished.
- Baseball–Hitters talk about “barreling it up,” by which they mean that they hit the ball with the fat part of the bat. Again, hit it off that sweet spot, and the speed of the ball coming off the bat ( what they call “exit velocity”) is maximized.
- Golf–While I don’t play golf, I’ve watched enough of it on TV and listened to enough golfers talk about their shots to know that the sweet spot–especially when talking about drivers–is definitely a thing there, too.
But the idea of the “sweet spot,” when used metaphorically, applies in many areas of life and business, though it might be called something else in another domain.
For example, another common name for this concept is the “Goldilocks Principle.”
You know, when it’s not too [hot, easy, risky, etc.] and it’s not too [cold, complex, safe, etc.], it’s just right, as Goldilocks was fond of saying in the story.
When it comes to educational consultants looking to establish authority in their consulting businesses, there are many applications of the Goldilocks Principle, where the most effective path is the one where you find the “just right” balance between two extremes.
And I want to talk about one such application today.
But before that, I need to say a few words about positioning.
Positioning is the crucial foundation upon which you build your business. Your positioning is made up of your…
- Persuasive Persona–The personal branding you establish as the leader of your consulting company,
- Ideal Client Avatar–The audience you’re trying to reach and serve,
- Niche–The specific part of your target market in which you’re trying to establish leadership, and
- Offer–The specific solution(s) you offer to solve your Ideal Clients’ problem(s).
Over the next few blog posts, I want to dig into that first bullet–your Persuasive Persona. This is the character (not you, exactly, but a specific public-facing version of you) that you present to prospects and clients as the face of your business.
And the first concept I want to share with you about creating an effective Persuasive Persona has everything to do with finding the sweet spot (or Goldilocks zone, if you prefer) between two things…
- Credibility and
- Empathy
When it comes to empathy vs credbility in your messaging, here’s the key takeaway:
You need to have a nice balance in all of your marketing materials between credibility factors and demonstrations of empathy for your audience.
Here’s another way to put it:
You want to position yourself simultaneously as someone about whom your Ideal Client Avatar will say, “I want to be just like you” AND as someone about whom they can say, “You get me; you understand my challenges.”
Let’s unpack that a bit…
In your marketing, you want to provide a variety of credibility markers. These are elements that allow you to establish authority by demonstrating that you’re an expert in your niche. These elements can include:
- Prestigious degrees or certifications
- Years of experience
- Big conferences at which you’ve presented
- Big school districts you’ve consulted in
- Impressive awards you’ve won
- Publications (especially books)
- Testimonials from satisfied clients
- Etc….
When your Ideal Client looks at these things, they’re impressed. They accord you a level of credibility and authority in your field of expertise. And if your area of expertise is one in which they’re currently struggling, they’ll be open to looking to you for the solution to their problems.
But…
That’s only half of the story. The other aspect of this–empathy–is just as important.
You need to show that you’ve been where they are now and that you understand the problems they’re dealing with. Showing empathy for their situation is just as important as having the solution for their problems.
After all, we’ve all heard the old saying…
“They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
And that old saying is still around because it’s absolutely true.
But do BOTH of these things…
Show that you care (demonstrate that you understand their problems) and show that you’re knowledgeable (you have credibility) and you’re golden.
It’s all about finding that sweet spot.
The biggest mistake I see educational consultants make in this regard is that put tons of credibility markers into their marketing copy and go very light on demonstrating empathy for their prospects (if they do so at all).
This probably comes from a place of insecurity. Many consultants suffer from Imposter Syndrome. While they may actually be experts in their field, they don’t feel like it on the inside.
As a result, they try to pump up the credibility to make themselves sound super impressive as a compensatory mechanism. And this may make them feel better about themselves, but unless balanced with empathy, can turn prospects off.
So, if you choose to accept the mission, here’s your Action Item…
Go through your website and all other marketing copy you have and identify every place where you’re talking about your credibility and every place where you’re demonstrating your understanding of and empathy for your Ideal Clients.
Are they balanced?
Are you in the sweet spot?
Would Goldilocks approve?
If not, identify where you’re falling short and make the necessary adjustments.
In my next post, we’ll talk about another tricky balancing act you need to pull off in your marketing…the balance between professional and personal.
Talk soon.
To Your Success,
Willy
P.S.–If going through your marketing copy with a fine-toothed comb to identify whether or not you have the right balance of credibility and empathy in your copy sounds about as much fun as pulling out your own teeth with a string tied to a doorknob (how my father pulled our teeth when we were kids–true story), then maybe you’d like to have us do it for you.
As part of our Magnetic Marketing Makeover service, we do all the analysis of your copy for you–including this credibility/empathy balance and many other aspects of persuasive copy–and give you a detailed report of exactly what’s working and what’s not working for you, along with suggestions for what needs to be fixed and how.
Sound like something you could use?
Hit this link to schedule a call and talk about it.
