In this series I’ll be sharing the five places where you are losing Clarity, Confidence, Clients and Cash because of the leaks that may be hiding out in your business.

You may have some of them, or just one or two, but plugging these will get you on track to better results.

Let’s start with the leak #1 – The elusive concept of POSITIONING.

Here’s what the dictionary says about this word;

We want you to know what ‘space’ you occupy in the minds of your market.  And in order to do that, you have to be very clear about a few things….

The main thing that you MUST answer for yourself is, “What makes me different?” If there is a room full of others who do what you do, what is THE THING that is unique or would compel them to choose you?

Too often we have a huge blind spot here.  We either 1) take our brilliance for granted, 2) think that everyone already knows this, does this, or should easily be able to figure it out, or 3) can’t see how what we do is special.

Finding the positioning piece is very much like a treasure hunt.  It’s buried deep inside and it almost feels like by Divine Design we are forced to dig for it.  But that’s the very contradictory thing that also adds to the tendency to devalue our gifts. Once we do find them we have the thought of  “It’s so easy for me, so how can I make money off of THIS?”

I think there is just enough of the consciousness of the Puritan WORK ETHIC still running through us that if something is not hard, it doesn’t seem like we can charge for it!  OK, but here’s the deal….the thing that you do naturally, easily, and probably a bit unconsciously is the thing that you are here to do.  Instead of feeling guilty that you are blessed with an ease at whatever the gift is, the goal of positioning is to learn how to identify your brilliance, name it, market it, and leverage it so you can help more people.

But how?  I’m going to cover this on my call next week where I’ll be talking about The 5 Business Leaks but I’ll give you a few places to start.

1.  Client success stories - What are the common things that your clients say that you solve for them?  What do that come to you for?  (Dig deep because what they start out coming to you for may not be the REAL thing they end up with.)

2.  What you do easily - If you have ever heard yourself say, “Doesn’t everyone already know this…..” the answer is NO!  They don’t and that’s why they need you.

3.  Past things in your life – Years ago one of my first coaches had me do what he called a “Wow Project” inventory.  It involved listing all the things that if I told someone they may say “WOW” to.  That showed me two things – that I always developed community where ever I went, and how much of a leader I really was.  Until doing that exercise I had no idea!  Knowing these two things has really helped orient how I set up my business and what I take a stand for.  But for most of us the things that are often the strongest parts of our positioning are often unconscious.

That’s just a start.  Know that this one can be a little tricky to land on, and often takes either a facillitator to draw it out of you, or a process of inquiry.  Give yourself the time and permission to do this work because it’s the foundation for all the rest.

And one last thought….positioning changes! The YOU that you wanted to show to the world a year ago may no longer fit.  If you are an entrepreneur who is all about growth and understands that your business will evolve you, then expect that you will regularly need to revamp and restate who you are and what you are an expert in.  So if you look at your website or marketing copy and don’t fall in love with it again….change it!  Let it reflect the you you are today or you’ll be attracting clients that are “so yesterday’s news.”

Here’s that link again to register for the 5 Business Leaks call where you’ll learn the four other places that you are at risk.

Next blog post will be on Leak #2 – Messaging.

Blessings!

Newsflash – your customers want YOU.  The real you.  Not the made up, socially acceptable, photo-shopped, watered down, cleaned up version.  YOU with all your ‘stuff,’  all your passion, all your thoughts, beliefs, and magic.

But most of us would rather get a root canal done than put our quirky selves out in the public arena.  We have been taught to comply, dress like a professional, go along, get along, and be nice.  (Especially for girls…that nice thing is really pounded in to the female psyche.)

So along comes “Auntie Therese” who is gonna ruffle your feathers by saying that in order to stand apart from the crowd, you have to be unique. The #1 mistake most of us make is that we start out being really passionate, and even obstinate about what we believe, but then somehow create websites that look like a third rate template version with some generic watered down message.  What happens is that  your prospects see the site and go, “huh?”  because they don’t get your energy.  They probably just click away and you have lost the opportunity to be of service to them.

My work (and what makes me the most passionate) is to get my hands on you and your business so I can help you discover the YOU that is going to be out there.  How do I do this?  By asking questions that pull out of you your brilliance.  Here is a list of some of my favorites:

What’s your voice?
What do you love?
What are you passionate about?
What are you taking a stand for your clients for?
What are some of your success stories?
Why are you doing this business?

When I can get my clients opening up to this level of reflection, they are often blown away.  Actually, sometimes they cry because there is a feeling of being more authentic and almost a ‘coming home’ to the dream they had for their business.

Here’s an email I got yesterday from Lisa, who was trying to live into an image of what she thought she should be for her target market.  She specializes in teaching accent reduction to foreign born workers who have language issues which are hindering them in the areas of getting ahead, and communicating on the job.  It’s really important work, and Lisa has a huge passion for it, but was feeling really disconnected because she thought she had to be like “all those accent reduction programs out there” which wasn’t her style.  Just giving her permission to let her personality flow out has been a turning point to her creativity and enthusiasm for the business again.  This is what she wrote—

“I am sitting here working on my publicity letter and my one sheet with tears in my eyes. I am finally getting how to let “me” come through and not just sound like another accent reduction specialist providing my skilled service. I know it still needs work, but it’s coming and it feels so much more “right” than what I’ve been struggling with the last few months. Thank you for taking the time to find me in the business and not just telling me what I needed to do next. I had been secretly worrying that I had made the wrong choice because I couldn’t get as excited about it as I wanted to, but now I see that was mostly due to the “positioning”, since I’m getting all excited just working on these marketing pieces.  Thanks again!  I can’t wait to see where we get over the next few months!” Lisa Scott of http://www.losemyaccent.com

How powerful is that!  Now her website still reflects the old ‘vibe’ because we haven’t completed that part of her coaching, but imagine yourself wondering if you had made the right choice of business, then getting the big juicy red light which said, “YES!!!! You Are On Track.”

There’s nothing better than that as a coach, when I can help someone find their voice and get their brilliance out in the world in a way that allows them to bring all of who they are to the table.

Now it’s your turn!  Let me ask you a few questions…

Are you holding back from being fully expressed in your business?  If yes, what are you afraid of?   What would you have to let go of in order to really put all of you into your work.  I bet it’s a story….something like, “They won’t think I’m professional” or “No one cares if I sing karaoke or home-school my kids….what does that matter.”  Or you may be stuck on, “But what if some people don’t like me or I offend them with what I say?”

Guess what gang – this is where you get to push past your limits.  This is why the entrepreneurial journey is like a spiritual path.  On this journey, you get to bounce into those scared places in you and use courage to come out on the other side more authentic, more expressed, and of more service.  Don’t run away from this!  This is the work we are all here to do.  When I take on a new client, in my mind growing their business is actually secondary.  What’s first – their transformation.  OK, I just came out of the closet on what gives me the most juice.  If I can help you transform thru the process of business development, your family is better off, your life is better off, and everyone around you benefits from the work you have done.

Whew!  Loads to chew on here.  I’d love you to write your comments about how you show up and what tricks you use to stay authentic when it’s tempting to sell out from time to time.

Big blessings my friends!!!