One of the things I hear a LOT from business owner (or aspiring business owners) is that they don’t feel CLEAR.
They don’t feel clear about how they help people.
They don’t feel clear about what they offer and why it matters.
They don’t feel clear about how their business helps people.
They know how they WANT to help, what they think it will do for people, and why people SHOULD want it…but they can’t articulate it in a way that translates into understanding or into sales.
And they’re FRUSTRATED.
As a business owner and a business coach involved in the businesses of 10 – 20 people at a time (including my 2), one of the things I know for sure is that success comes from CLARITY.
Lack of clarity, particularly about the most fundamental pieces of business like who you help, how you help, and why it matters, makes even the simplest tasks (like introducing yourself at a networking event) 1000 times harder.
Lack of clarity means that you aren’t sure what to say.
You aren’t sure what to DO.
And you aren’t sure how to move forward.
Lack of clarity leaves you STUCK.
But there’s good news.
There’s a simple fix for this.
Just three sentences that make ALL the difference.
These 3 sentences help you to CREATE clarity about the most fundamental pieces of your business – the ones that dictate the VALUE of what you do for others.
We can look at this value in THREE ways.
First, we look at the PROBLEM.
Every business solves a problem (usually more than 1!).
What is the problem you solve? How would the people who HAVE the problem talk about it? What does it look like when they have the problem? What does it sound like?
Once you can answer those questions, you can finish the sentence ‘One thing I help people do better is…’
**Note! You don’t need to fit EVERYTHING you do into this sentence every time. Just ONE thing can be MORE than enough if you are talking to a person who actually HAS that problem!
Next, we look at PURPOSE.
Every business is here to SERVE a purpose in the lives of others.
What is the purpose of your business? What is your MISSION? Why does the service you offer matter to the people you serve? What difference does it make?
Then, finish the next sentence stem: ‘We do this (what ever your mission/purpose is) because…’
You can also say ‘It helps them (the people you serve) to…’
Finally, we look at OUTCOMES.
People buy from your business because of the outcome – the result – buying from you will create in their lives.
What IS that outcome? What will change in their lives because they worked with you or bought your product? What will be different? What will change?
When you know these answers, you’ll be able to say ‘The change in their lives is…’
Clarity comes from knowing what problem you solve, why it matters, and how it changes people’s lives.
- ‘One thing I help people do better is…’
- ‘It helps them (the people you serve) to…’
- ‘The change in their lives is…’
These sentences – three simple sentences – are what CLARITY sounds like.
If you are stuck (and no matter how much success you’ve had in business or life, we ALL get stuck and need to come back to the start from time to time), these three sentences can help reconnect you to why you are doing what you do and why you bother.
You DO solve problems.
It DOES matter.
It does change LIVES.
And knowing that CLEARLY makes ALL the difference.