SB
Stephanie Benedetto
@benedets
🔤 ABC

Coach, Storyteller (Un)Marketer and lovable geek. Lover of dragons and impossible questions. Inappropriately joyful.

I see life and business as a game to be played by your rules, and you can PLAY your way to a thriving, profitable business that changes the world.

Read more about my story of leavin…


Active 28d ago Joined 31 Jul 2022 (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Why don't things sell? 8:05
When your things don't sell... why not?

Why do you think that is? Before you continue to read, comment below first on what your hunch tells you...  If your stuff isn't selling well, here's why it might be...  You might be thinking a lot in isolation when it comes to what to offer. Analogy of mountaintop vs people at the river. To get clients, you must sell what others want (not just what you want). To understand what they want (to buy), you must do market discovery... that's what this course is about! Find out what your people are hungry for... for which they aren't finding satisfying options. Find the gaps in offerings that your people are *eagerly* looking for. Finding "product-market fit" is life or death for a business. For us who are coaches/healers/mentors, this translates into "You-topic-format-audience fit". You = your energy signature Topic = what your services are about Format = offer format, e.g. 1-1 services, group programs, or something else? Audience = of all the people you can reach, who's most interested to work with you? This is what the Authentic Market Discovery process unconvers. We help you discover what your ideal clients must buy, not just would be "nice to have." Bottom line -- You must choose the right thing to offer, if you want people to buy from you...


SB

When things don't sell at all it's because people probably don't actually want them. They don't see the value for them.

I like this definition of "selling" from Michael Neill:

"Selling is finding out what people already actually want and helping them get it." 

He goes on to say that we do this by listening and getting to know people. 💡

If what I've got isn't selling, people don't think it will help them get what they want. They don't see the value or the value isn't there for them.

There's no judgement in this; it's just how it works. It's my job to communicate the impact of what I do as clearly as possible so that I can help the people I'm here to serve. 

I believe the ways to create value are infinite, so it's just a matter of time before we find the match. 🤗

SB

@Desiree Egger The #1 thing that helps me communicate the impact of what's on offer clearly is KNOWING it for myself. The more obvious the value is to me, the simpler and easier it becomes to express it to someone else.

When I was less certain about what was available through my coaching, my communication was uncertain, too.

I work with a coach and spend a lot of time reflecting on what creates the most powerful impact. The more I see about that, the easier sharing it gets.

Listening is essential. I need to really understand how someone thinks and what's relevant to them in order to communicate in a way that connects. 

I don't always do a good job of it. Sometimes I stumble and fumble in communicating, but every time I have a conversation, I get clearer. It also helps to review my sessions with my coach so that he can help me see more deeply, too.

Writing this response makes me realize how invested I am in growth in this area! 😂 I know what a big difference it makes to my impact and the people I can help, but I don't feel heavy about it. I know that the more I show up curious and open, the more I learn. 

SB

@Susan Tutt Great questions!

I am finding that if I ask and really listen, people can tell me what they already actually want: more clients, more money, a feeling of peace. When I get curious and ask follow up questions, we discover what they REALLY want those things for. 

Once I know what they want and WHY they want it, we can establish relevance. Can I help them get this or not? If I can, I can communicate what I see that will make the difference. Then someone will know if this aligns for them or not.

If I do a good job of this, I'm already creating value for them, and they feel it. If I do a crappy job, maybe not so much. 😁

This is easiest to do with people in 1:1 conversation. It can also be done through a good sales page and content, but it requires a clear understanding of what people already actually want, the words they use to describe it, and a message that bridges what they want to what you offer effectively. I think this comes naturally from experience with clients (and market research conversations!) but if your energy signature is clear and resonant, it may become less important. If your clients tend to listen to their intuition, they may reach out to you simply because "they had a feeling." ✨ That's my experience, anyway. 
SB

@Melissa Sandfort Tad Hargrave of Marketing For Hippies has some great videos on this, too. It's not our job to SELL our service; it's our job to fit out if it's a fit. For that, we need to both listen and communicate clearly.

I'm (finally) starting to see creating clients and service as the same thing. Not as a reframe, but as an actual fact. I show up and serve. Sometimes that creates clients. Many times it's doesn't. But that's the way I want clients to show up in my life, through service. 😍
SB

Romantic travel writing! That sounds much more fun to me than investment education. 😂

There is brilliance is listening to people and seeing what occurs to us to serve. I love what emerges from that process.

I'm thrilled you're finding encouragement in the journey! 🤗

KE

What if you just don't reach the people who you may want to be reaching? And it's not about the people you already know? I have friends who have my art, some of them buy twice, and my books, but I don't have enough friends to make that work. 

SB

@Karin Edgett Nice to see  you here! 😍
Welcome to Authentic Market Discovery 3:34
Welcome to the course! + Our community values

A warm welcome here! I encourage us to see this course as a community... not comments from random people, but rather, focused comments about specific topics, from your kindred spirits 😊 The most important part of a community is its culture. Each of us (who participate here) influence the culture with every interaction we have here.  A few values to keep in mind: Comment once, reply twice. For each comment you make, look for 2 other comments (especially ones with few replies) and add a reply – with your encouragement and suggestions (if appropriate). This helps to balance the comment/reply ratio, and gives you practice in seeking and giving support here. Notice and name each others' energy signatures. Each person's presence is unique, and each person has their strengths. It can be difficult for us to notice our own, and easier to notice others'. Whenever you notice someone's comment that refers to something personal to them, try to name something that you appreciate. We all have a fear of being fully seen. Let’s help each other feel accepted and received. Co-Learning Community. Nobody here (not even the "teacher") knows everything about market research/discovery... it's a rich process that can be customized greatly to each person's way of doing things, so let's create a co-learning environment here. Even I as a "teacher" can and will learn from your shares too! Share generously. Be supportive of others here. If you discover something that works, or hear about a great tip that helps with market discovery, please do share it with us. Comment under the appropriate lesson if possible, or if not sure where, just comment below. Sharing will make this course better for all of us! Keep all sharings confidential.  Let's keep this a safe space for sharing by promising to keep all comments (particularly the personal ones) confidential. Let me know below if these values are helpful, and if you have any suggestions. The values we embody here is what makes this course experience amazing for each other 😊 If no comments below and no ability to comment, first log into this course.


SB

You look so happy and excited for the course, George! 🌞