Selling The Invisible

Consultants, advisors, speakers—we sell the invisible.

We’re selling our wisdom—or at least that’s what we think we’re selling.

In truth, you’re actually selling the experience of working with you.

Think about that for a moment.

Since potential clients can’t see a physical product, they make decisions on the tangibles they CAN see or feel: your website, your emails, your articles, podcasts and videos, your marketing and sales collateral, even how you answer the phone.

The more specialized you are, the harder it is for clients to judge your expertise. Instead, they rely on other factors as proxy:

Do you “get” them? Are you listening and speaking in a way that makes them feel understood (and yes, having a clear niche allows you to hone that ear and voice even more distinctly).

Why are you doing what you do? Not the how, but the why. Sure, potential clients need to understand WHAT you do, but the WHY is what ultimately resonates.

Have they heard of you? Did they get a recommendation from a colleague or do they know your name from the media? Visibility transfers to trust.

Do you have a niche or focus that’s memorable? It’s tough to remember generalists, especially when your clients have so many choices. If you ran an ad agency, whom would you check out first: a generic financial consultant or one who specializes in working with creative businesses?

The bottom line is this: until you distinguish yourself and your business from everyone else in your space in a consistent, authentically unique way, be prepared for a long hard slog.

Your client flow will be inconsistent.

Your fees will get stuck at the lower end of the spectrum.

You’ll fight for every scrap of visibility you get.

I’ve got a better way.

Enter ConsultantBrand. My virtual workshop series to not only position yourself in your market, but to build a rock-solid brand for your solo consulting or freelance business.

I’ve field-tested my system over the last ten years with countless entrepreneurs selling the invisible—consultants, coaches, experts, freelancers, speakers, and creatives.

It’s chock full of video lessons, stories, BrandSheets—even LookBooks—to guide you to not only build, but successfully launch your consulting brand.

In two days—on September 20—I’ll be opening the next version of this series to my email community (click here for a sneak peek).

More on that Wednesday. Until then, ask yourself: what business does my work deserve?