Can You Help Me? I Need A ________

When your ideal clients are trying to figure out how to solve their problem, they might—if they don’t know you yet—ask for referrals.

Like this request I saw on a neighborhood website. The poster explained her situation and desire for a life coach, while also specifying she did NOT want a therapist.

The replies (54 at last count) were an interesting window into how many different ways the same question might be interpreted:

More than a few said something along the lines of “you don’t need a life coach, you need a friend.”

Then there was the “you need a dog” contingent.

Of course there were a few therapist referrals.

And a handful of fitness coaches.

A couple of self-styled local life coaches piped in, but without any links to help this woman sort them out.

These were rounded out by an energy healer, a build your own business coach and a tarot card reader.

And finally, a few referrals to the sites of practicing life coaches that had been battle tested.

Fascinating, no? Every response reveals the point of view of the responder: no one needs a life coach, everyone should have a dog, therapists are better than life coaches, if you just work out you’ll be happy, etc., etc.

So here’s the thing.

Your potential audience has filters too. If you were a life coach, most of those responders literally could not hear your message because their viewpoint won’t permit it.

Luckily, your job isn’t to convince the naysayers—it’s to ignore them.

Spend your valuable time focusing on the people who share your point of view and helping them get what they want.

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