Category: a slice of STRATEGY

Pure, unadulterated strategy: marketing, brand positioning, & entrepreneurial wisdom. New trends with staying power. Old standbys with inarguable value.
What to embrace, what to avoid, and what to attempt — with steady discernment.

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Why You Need a Niche

Posted on by Maria Ross
Why You Need a Niche

“Niche is rich” so some people say. But why do they say this? I mean, it seems counterintuitive to limit your market size, doesn’t it? You want to sell to as many people who will buy your product or service, don’t you? 

A few clarifications to help you make better marketing and sales decisions: 

Your niche is about outbound, not who can buy from you 

Defining your niche helps you focus your marketing and outbound efforts. Where will you spend your valuable time, resources, and energy? Unless you’ve got billions of dollars to spend and can target multiple segments effectively it’s wiser to pick your lane and own it. Don’t spread yourself so thin that you waste effort trying to be everywhere and don’t have enough presence to be effective anywhere. 

Your niche helps you attract the right ideal customers and decide if you are the partner they seek. 

That said, you can certainly sell to anyone who wants to buy from you! Anyone for whom your message resonates. You’re not going to tell them, “Sorry, you don’t fit my ideal client profile!” You’ll gladly take their check and serve them well if you decide you want to when they show up at your door. 

Your niche leads to smarter, more effective branding decisions 

When you are clearly not trying to be all things to all people, you resonate more fully with specific people. Those people will pay attention. Defining your niche ensures the verbal, visual, and experiential aspects of your brand are speaking to just the right people. When you create content, you will be talking to a specific type of person, with specific needs and aspirations. 

Always remember: When you try to be all things to all people, you end up being nothing to no one! (TWEET THIS!)

Find the right niche 

Of course, you can’t pick a niche of only ten possible buyers in the known universe. That’s not sustainable. Pick a niche with a healthy amount of people in it. My niche for my fast-growth corporate clients are those that value marketing and brand and have a team ready to support and implement change. I’m not interested in helping every company out there, or trying to convince people why brand matters to their bottom line.   

Targeting women entrepreneurs is specific but healthy enough to make a living. Targeting adrenaline junkies or home businesses are also specific but broad. Your software may be able to do “all the things” for every possible industry out there but don’t confuse people or make them figure out where you play. Define where you play and clearly explain why you are the best option in that space. There should be plenty of opportunity for you there if you choose wisely! 

Your market is not necessarily all the people who’ve need what you have to offer. Honda and Porsche both sell cars but they definitely do not sell to the same people buying a car for the same reasons! 

Use your niche to differentiate. If you become the go-to expert for small local brick and mortar businesses, or mompreneurs, or SaaS software companies, that’s the first step to stand out from your competition.

Need guidance to a niche that is profitable and sustainable? Not sure how to craft your ideal customer profiles so that your marketing instantly engages the right people? Let’s talk!

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Collaborating to Survive…and Thrive

Posted on by Maria Ross
3 Ways to Collaborate in Hard Times

Whoa, these are some crazy times. 

With the global spread of Coronavirus and most business (and personal lives) at a standstill, what’s an entrepreneur to do to keep her business going to weather to storm? 

This blog post was originally going to be about when to collaborate from an “outsourcing” point of view. Collaborating to ensure you don’t try to do all the things yourself, but value your time and talent in a more strategic way. When does it make sense to pay a designer, virtual assistant, or CRM consultant versus spending all that valuable time trying to do it all yourself? 

Of course, we need to value our time from a revenue perspective. What is your hourly labor cost for your time (not your mark up) and would the time be better spent on revenue-generating activities versus formatting PowerPoint slides? 

But the world has changed. 

As of this post, we don’t know when quarantines will end. We don’t know which businesses will survive the economic paralysis we’re experiencing right now. And we don’t know if our business will live or die. 

But collaboration is still the key to success. Even in current times. 

If business has dried up for you, if you’re worried about projects evaporating or revenue looking bleak, it’s time to reach out and collaborate. While collaboration is good for you right now, it’s also a wonderful way to support other business owners in similar circumstances. 

Let me say this first: Right now, you must pivot. No getting around it. So if you’re used to certain revenue streams or always going it alone, you need to rethink things. My corporate projects rely on companies spending money and doing a live brand workshop. Ain’t happening right now! That’s not what my ideal clients are worried about right now Now is the time to address where you customers are mentally and financially, get creative, and pivot how you can help them. That includes your messaging, but also HOW you deliver your offerings – and which offerings you have. 

Here are 3 ways to collaborate so your business thrives: 

  1. Create a new offer with a partner: If your current offerings are at a standstill, now is the time to create a new course or offering that immediately addresses what your customers need and want. Inject more “oomph” into that offering by collaborating with a complementary partner to not only make the deal even more irresistible, but tap into the collective marketing power of both of your audiences. 
  2. Continue to value your time by hiring others: It’s not time to try to handle your website, design needs, etc. all on your own. While tempting, that is just more time that takes you from revenue-generating activity. If you’re able to, it’s still a good idea to hire contractors to help you with all the little things so you can focus extra hard on opportunity creation and demand generation. And you can help keep those businesses afloat, too. If you need to cut budget, do it in fluffy areas of the business, like cutting any extra subscriptions you don’t need. 
  3. Keep your network active: How you show up right now says a lot about your brand and your business. Now is not the time to go into hiding! Continue to create valuable content and network on social media. While you may not be able to meet in person, schedule those coffee dates virtually. Check in with clients and prospects. Remind people you are still there and ready to serve. 

Collaboration will not only help you survive, it will help you thrive. (TWEET THIS!)

Here’s a free resource for you to better collaborate and network virtually right now: It’s a lesson from my MOMENTUM coaching program, the Playbook titled Socially Connect and Thrive. Enjoy, with my compliments! 

And if you like it and want more Playbooks to master your marketing, articulate your value or build your audience, you might want to check out MOMENTUM Pro at a special $100 off. 

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

3 Tips to Be a Better Storyteller

Posted on by Maria Ross
3 Tips to be a Better Storyteller

People say I’m a good storyteller, which is really nice, since it’s my career. My passion. My purpose. 

Stories have the power to inspire, delight, provoke, impact, ignite, and make us think. Whether it’s a play, book, movie, documentary….or brand story…there is a human desire to connect through story.  

Stories are often the only thing that can move us into adopting empathy and acting with compassion.   (Tweet This!)

When we hear facts, we are impressed by tune out. When we combine facts with real-life stories of people impacted, we sit up and take notice. 

I believe this is why some TV ads can make us cry. TV ADS. Because the best ones so eloquently and artfully tell a story in 60 seconds. That is no small task. 

So how does one tell a story that fast? How can you engage someone enough to take action, to buy from you, donate to your cause, or join your movement? 

While I have been told I’m a good storyteller, as mentioned, I don’t always think I am. But when things do click into place, here why I think that is the case: 

1 – Elevate the message:  

When you are talking about your products or services, that is all well and good to drone on about features, bonuses, and all the cool stuff the customer gets. But what is all this stuff really leading to? What’s it all for? Elevate your story to something with more meaning and purpose. I’m not saying “make it up.” I’m saying, think about how this make the person’s life or work better? Why are they seeking this solution? What is this really all about for them? 

If you sell HR recruiting software, is it about screens and clicks? No, it’s about helping communities thrive by matching individual talent with companies who needs it so they can all prosper. 

If you are a wellness coach, is this about another diet plan? No, it’s about self-esteem, confidence, and having enough energy to frolic with my kids so we can create happy memories together. 

How can you talk about your work in a way the reveals its higher purpose so the listener can emotionally connect and engage with it?  

2 – Have a hero 

Good movies, fairy tales, novels…even case studies, if they are well-written….have a hero. A protagonist we can root for, someone who has to overcome a challenge and triumphs in the end. Even a comedian can set up a killer joke with a story, often about themselves, and how they got from A to B. People want to cheer for a hero. Ensure your stories have a hero, and even better if you can tell the story in a way that makes your LISTENER the hero.  

You can do this if you are making an emotional plea for a charity. And, yes, you can even do it if you are selling B2B products or services! If you are sharing the story of what your product or service does, don’t just rattle on about all the “things.” Tell me a story about Steve, who worked in Finance, and how we struggled with quarterly reports. How he gave up nights home with his kids, and missed ballgames every three months because he had to wait hours and weeks for accurate data. And then how your solution swooped in and changed his work life forever. How, now, Steve can finish up quarterly reporting in 1/10th of the time and so far this year, has never missed one of his daughter’s dance recitals, which makes Steve a happier employee, kinder colleague, and less-stressed out husband. 

3 – Create friction and suspense 

Once of my favorite storytelling devices is expectation. It’s why I love mysteries and crime dramas so much. I want to be in a place where I’m breathless, waiting for what happens next. 

Believe it or not, you can create this for business stories, too. I adore non-fiction books by Chip and Dan Heath, Daniel Pink, and Malcolm Gladwell because they always manage to start out with a story and create a sense of suspense about where the argument is going, and what is going to be revealed next. I utilized this technique in my book Rebooting My Brain (even though it was clear I had survived in the end) and even in my business book, The Empathy Edge. How? By leaving the reader wanting more at the end of each chapter. By slyly suggesting they were about to find out some interesting information if they just kept reading. 

Where can you inject suspense in to what may be some pretty dry storytelling? If you’re giving a speech, do you have to reveal everything, or can you hint that there is more to the story? Can you tease with something at the start, weave that in throughout, and reveal it at the end? If you are writing marketing copy, can you build up enough intrigue (without being too vague) so that readers are dying to click the button or download the guide and find out what you have to reveal? 

Want some help crafting a juicy and delicious brand story for your business, or finding just the right words to intrigue your audience? Take a look at what we can do together and contact me to discuss! 

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Why Do We Need a Brand Story?

Posted on by Maria Ross
Why You Need a Brand Story

Why do you need a brand story? 

It’s quite simple.  

The market is competitive and customers have choices. Too many, actually. We are bombarded by 1000’s of advertising messages every single day. 

But for those of you skeptical about how a brand story can help you close deals this quarter, pull up a chair. 

We are HUMANS. We have emotions and they often override rational thought. Yes, even in the most analytical sorts among us. 

Your business exists to make money. We all get that. It’s table stakes. But your desire to make more money is not aligned with my desire as a customer to solve a problem, achieve a goal, see myself in a new way, or enjoy certain benefits. I don’t give a flying fig how much money you want to make. 

Your customers want to be enchanted. Delighted. They want to know that their dollars are being spent on what they need, yes, but also in pursuit of a larger purpose. (Tweet this!)

You DO have a purpose. And guess what? It’s not just to make money. If you’re an entrepreneur, you could have picked a hundred different ways to make money, Why did you choose THIS way? What got you excited? What possibilities and future vision enchanted you? 

That’s your mission. That’s your brand story. 

If you work for a company, there is no company without its people. So what got all these people I gather in a room for a brand workshop excited about working HERE? Why here? Why this? What is the larger thing you want to be part of? What is the impact you want to have on the market and on customers? 

That’s your company’s mission. That’s its brand story. 

My job as a brand strategist is not about “inventing” a slick-sounding brand story for you to tout on your website, marketing, or recruiting materials. It’s about getting a group of very diverse people with very diverse business and customer perspectives together in a room to answer the tough questions and elevate themselves above the daily firefighting to see the bigger picture. To raise their heads up from their laptops and spreadsheets to share, from the heart, what it is about the company and the work excites them the most. 

I’ve seen the most cynical leaders open up about how they want to improve people’s lives. I’ve seen the quietest attendees energize the room with one pointed, insightful remark. I’ve seen eyes light up when all that (sometimes painful) thinking and conversation leads to an A-ha moment and the energy in the room crackles. 

When we make that magic, people leave the room buzzing. They want to do more, be more, serve customers more. 

See, the magic of a brand story is not only that it attracts and inspires the right customers. It’s that is attracts and inspires the right employees. And that translates to their productivity, loyalty, and innovation. 

Your brand story is just the spark that lights the fire. It fuels your marketing, yes, but it also fuels your culture and operations. The best compliment I ever got was from a CEO of a tech company client. He said, “This work, while initially a marketing exercise, changed the way we talk as a company – and talk with each other.” 

That’s my brand story, the one that gets me fired up. To help my clients engage, inform, and delight not just their customers, but themselves. To tap into your authentic advantage and make your work irresistible, inside and out. 

Want some of this energy and inspiration for your business? Let’s talk! 

Here’s more I had to say on LinkedIn about a brand story…and why so many executives shy away from it or think it has nothing to do with revenue. 

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

How to Get Your Team to Align On and Live Out Your Mission

Posted on by Maria Ross
How to Align Your Team on Mission

Your mission statement is meant to be a brand tool that informs your decisions on a daily basis. 

It describes what you do on a daily basis as an organization in pursuit of your larger vision. 

But as a leader, how do you ensure your team is aligned on mission? And most importantly, how can you ensure they are living it out on a daily basis? 

The first challenge requires communication and education. The second challenge requires empowerment and a strong operational structure. 

First, how to ensure your team is aligned on mission? 

This starts in the recruiting process. Does HR understand what the mission means, truly means, to the business everyday? Are you screening for people who embrace the mission and are passionate about it….or are they just looking for a job?   

Does everyone in the organization even know what it is and apply it to their daily work? 

But further back, how was the mission created? Was it just a great idea in the head of the founder? Sure, it probably starts out that way, but as you scale, you have to bring in other voices and perspectives to contribute to what they believe the mission of the company to be. From where they sit, what is most important? How do they view the work? 

This doesn’t mean you have to poll every person in the company every six months to provide input and (shudder) Frankenstein a mission statement that appeases everyone. It means when you go through a brand messaging exercise, mission and vision should be a part of that, as they are the top of the brand messaging pyramid, and everything else trickles out from there to support them.  

If people don’t at least have a say, they won’t buy in.

An effective mission is not dictated from the top-down without any input or diverse perspectives. It needs to be more than a poster on the wall. It should impact daily work. (Tweet this!)

(I’ve developed a proven brand workshop process so that different voices have a say, but then a final decision can be made with buy-in from everyone. Yes, it works. Really. We’ve successfully wrangled the most errant cats, and even got a team to consensus and excitement after they had tried FOUR times before to craft brand messaging. But I digress….) 

To the second challenge, of ensuring they live it out on a daily basis: This is trickier. But not impossible. 

As with anything, you get what you reward. Have you developed a mission statement that can guide decisions making on a daily basis? And if so, how do you promote or reward those who exemplify living out the mission? 

What’s that? You don’t. Well, there’s your issue right there. 

You get the behavior you reward. If you want your people to truly live the mission, you have to make it show up for them in performance reviews, promotion discussions, and rewards.  

As I share in my book, The Empathy Edge, technology company NextJump bases everything they do on their core values, one of which is humility. They issue an annual Avengers Award to the person voted by their peers to help others the most, by however they define it: “The Avengers Award is focused on the trait of ‘service for others’ and recognizes the Next Jumper who most exemplifies steward-leadership….It is an annual peer-nominated award.” (Read the book to find out what the winners get (it will blow your mind!) 

Next Jump makes the stakes very high to ensure people live out their values. It shows commitment that the company is not messing around when it says it values humility.  

You can do the same for your mission. Attach rewards, accountability, and attention to your mission. Invite employees to articulate how their daily activity supports the mission and to reframe their work toward that higher purpose. Challenge each other to take a step back and think about the mission when making important decisions.  

This is how you energize your employees to adopt a particular mindset and live out the mission. 

PS: Aligning on your mission statement is not merely a nice-to-have. It ensures everyone is in pursuit of the same goal, which makes decisions easier. Learn how REI’s strong alignment around mission led to one of the most successful marketing campaigns in history, the #OptOutside campaign, which results in the stores being closed on Black Friday. Where, you ask?! Check out my newest book, The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success (A Playbook for Brands, Leaders, and Teams)  

Photo by Vlad Hilitanu on Unsplash

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

How Do I Use My Mission Statement in My Brand?

Posted on by Maria Ross
How to use your mission statement

Mission statements are cute, aren’t they? 

Clients get all tangled up in using words they’d never actually say and lofty statements that sound amazing but have nothing to do with their product or service. “Our mission is to empower women to be their best selves.” Um, you sell hosiery. 

Or they make it so generic: “Our mission is to help people.” Help them do what? 

Yes, some my favorite mission statements could fall into one of these categories. I adore JetBlue’s “Inspiring Humanity” but you may wonder, what the heck does that have to do with air travel? 

A good mission statement is one that: 

  • Inspires 
  • Delights 
  • Informs what you do every day, at a high level, in support of your larger vision 
  • Has legs and room to grow 
  • Can be used to make decisions on a daily basis. 

Let’s break this out. 

The first two are pretty self-explanatory. If the statement is not going to send a little tingle up your spine, it’s not going to inspire employees or customers, which is what it is designed to do. A mission should encapsulate your brand strategy and support your reason for being. 

But what about the other factors? 

Your vision is your desired future state. What is the change you seek to make in the world with your work? If your vision was achieved, your organization might not be necessary anymore. So what is that large lofty world you imagine? 

As I’ve said before, not every solopreneur needs a vision statement. But you DO need a mission statement. 

Your mission communicates what you do every day in pursuit of your vision. But it needs to leave room for your whole suite of current and future products or services, not just one specific scenario. 

(Read more about the difference between your Mission and Vision statement.) 

Therefore, you must be able to use your mission statement, to some extent, when making daily decisions about product, direction, content, and priorities. “Does this decision help us achieve our mission?” If yes, do it. If not, rethink it. (Tweet This!)

We came up with some great mission statement options for clients this year (which I can’t reveal because rebranding is still pending!) What I loved is that all of my clients understood how to use this mission as a decision-making tool, not just as a cool poster on the wall. 

That is how you use your Mission in your brand. You use it to communicate a higher purpose, a focus, and even the tone of your brand voice in how you write it. Your employees should know it from memory, not because they’ve been forced to, but because it’s used to guide the customer experience every day. They should be asking themselves in all decision-making meetings if what they propose is in pursuit of this mission or not. 

This maintains a consistent experience across all touchpoints so that customers understand exactly what you do, what value you offer, and what you stand for.  

And that, after all, is at the heart of what “brand” really is. 

PS: Aligning on your mission statement is not merely a nice-to-have. It ensures everyone is in pursuit of the same goal, which makes decisions easier. Learn how REI’s strong alignment around mission led to one of the most successful marketing campaigns in history, the #OptOutside campaign, which results in the stores being closed on Black Friday. Where, you ask?! Check out my newest book, The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success (A Playbook for Brands, Leaders, and Teams)  

Photo by Anna Samoylova on Unsplash

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

5 Ways Empathy Benefits Your Business

Posted on by Maria Ross

Empathy is not just good for society, it is good for your organization’s performance. 

(Yes, if I have to speak to selfish motives to make the world more empathetic, I will!) 

Empathy has been shown to have a direct impact on everything from customer loyalty to innovation to profits. When embraced with genuine intent and not simply as a glossy PR veneer, empathy can offer your organization countless benefits beyond just, well, being a good corporate citizen and doing the right thing for people!  

Caveat: While empathy offers all these wonderful benefits, it must be genuine. Your organization can’t just paint a glossy empathy veneer on for good press. 

It must truly embed empathy at the leadership, culture, and external brand levels.  (Tweet This!)

Here are 5 proven ways that empathy benefits your business:   

  1. Empathy spurs innovation: When you understand your customers, you can keep pace with changing needs and desires. Internal studies at Google found that their most innovative and profitable ideas came from teams leading with soft skills, such as empathy. 
  2. Empathy aligns you with customer wants and needs: The more in tune you are with your customers, the faster you can deliver best-fit products or services before your competitors catch on. In order to know what customers desire, you must see things from their perspective. Building an ideal customer profile will help you know what their life is like. Steve Jobs, for instance, focused on understanding a customer so well that Apple’s product designers knew what the customer wanted before they did. 
  3. Empathy improves employee performance: Employees with more empathy and collaboration skills can often outperform and advance faster than those with purely the technical skills to succeed. Organizations find that having these skills aids in team members’ individual successes. 
  4. Empathetic brands — and workplaces — appeal to millennials and Gen Z: As professionals, they are among the most diverse generations in the workforce and seek to leverage diverse perspectives to solve tough business challenges. They stick with employers who embrace new perspectives and value their points of view. As consumers, they’re loyal to companies and brands that care and make a difference. 
  5. Empathy drives sales, growth, and market performance: The best and most progressive corporations have begun to adopt and employ compassionate business tactics, which have improved their standing in the market. Many companies report improved metrics such as a healthier stock price, higher valuation and increased revenue. 

Want to read more about how empathetic mindsets and practices specifically benefit your leaders, culture, and brand performance? Please download this free guide: Five Ways Empathy Benefits Your Brand, Performance, and Culture 

And don’t forget to check out my new book, The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success (A Playbook for Brands, Leaders, and Teams. You’ll get an even deeper dive into research and case studies that process these benefits and get actionable steps you can take right now to make yourself and your organization more empathetic. 

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Don’t compromise your story

Posted on by Maria Ross
Don't Compromise Your Story

Sometimes, we are so confident and passionate about the story we have to tell. We know that we can offer tremendous value, whether through our own brand story for customers or a creative story that leads to art, music, poetry or dance.

Commerce and art are similar. When the story inspires you and resonates for others, things just seem to flow.

Which is what was happening for me as I began the journey of writing The Empathy Edge in early 2017. After some fumbling, I had articulated the message in my heart (thanks to wise help from the fabulous Alexandra Franzen). I was pumped. I had a vision. People validated me with “Yes! This is the business book we need. We need to show that empathy at work and with your customers is the modern success model. Write it. Pleeeeaaaassssse!”

And then, as I pitched to literary agents, the fog rolled in again.

Thankfully, all of them made time to give me detailed feedback or talk with me. They were generous and kind. I was flattered they thought I was a great writer.

But then:

“Well, I’m just not sure where this really fits or how to position it.”

“I don’t know if this will fly to a business audience.”

And…

“I can totally sell this book to a publisher if you change it from “empathy” to be a book about how ‘ feminine traits’ make organizations successful. Will you change it?”

What?! NO.

See, that was their agenda, not mine. They were looking for a neat slot to put me in, something easy to sell. And their publishing partners were pressuring them to find “more books about women’s topics.” (This was right in the thick of the Me Too movement). 

They told me they could sell this book. If I didn’t write the book I wanted to write.

I kindly said no. And pressed on.

See, my entire point with The Empathy Edge and this message that  “cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive” is to make it gender-neutral. It’s not about male or female traits. Empathy is a HUMAN trait. 

And if I pigeonholed it as “owned” by one gender, I’d lose the opportunity to reach the very audience who, for better or worse, currently makes up the majority of business leaders. And frankly, some of my least empathetic bosses were women, so we don’t have a lock on this either, people.

Most importantly, I’d lose those male allies who were models of empathetic leadership – and who wanted this book to help bring other male colleagues along and help me change the conversation.

So, I said no. To a sweet deal. To it being easier.

The lesson: Don’t let anyone else shape your story. If it fuels you and resonates with others, stop at nothing to tell it. (TWEET THIS!)

And now you can read the book that I wanted to write.

The pre-launch sale for The Empathy Edge is going on now. Click here for details. Buy before October 22 and get some fabulous goodies, including an invite to my exclusive author Q&A, a bonus expert video series, and even, at larger quantities, a free customized workshop for your team or event.

And, when you read it, I’d love to know: Did I make the right decision?

PS: To get some fabulous bonuses, including an exclusive author Q&A webinar, bonus video training and more, pre-order your copies of The Empathy Edge right here: https://red-slice.com/eebonus/  

After placing your order, just submit your receipt on that page, and enjoy your goodies! Order by October 22. Thank you so much for your kind support! It means the world.

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

3 Ways to Show More Empathy to Your Customers and Clients

Posted on by Maria Ross
3 Ways to Show More Empathy to Your Customers and Clients

Empathy is not just a woo woo concept. My new book, The Empathy Edge, explores the very practical, bottom-line impacts of having an empathy mindset.

The book is for big organizations…and, yes, for solopreneurs. My research found that this ripple effect and the associated benefits achieved by adopting an empathy mindset as part of your business strategy are not just for brands that have a lot of time, money and resources to throw at it. In fact, solopreneurs have a huge advantage when it comes to building a brand known for empathy, compassion, and caring.

Just as I showed in my book Branding Basics for Small Business, when you are the chief cook and bottle washer of your own organization (or even just have a staff of 10), your distinct advantage is that you are so close to customers or clients. You interact with them daily. Use this nimbleness and proximity to your advantage!

For the book, I had the pleasure of connecting with writing teacher Alexandra Franzen. Alex has been a long-time friend and colleague, partnering with me for clients early on, and then helping me with my own brand copy. I adore her. She has tends of thousands of email subscribers, but she manages to make each and every one feel like the email was written just for them.

Alex’s success has been phenomenal. She sells out writing course and books up clients six months in advance, with a waiting list. Clearly her strategy is working for her. So of course, I interviewed her for the book to ask her how the heck she does it. And I was surprised (and delighted) to see that what she does for her clients is exactly aligned with what a large national pet pharmacy does for theirs. it’s so simple, but so overlooked and seemingly hard to do:

Offer a personal touch.

It’s the secret to driving more sales. When your customers feel understood, when they feel like you “get them,” they are more likely to know, like, trust – and yes, buy from – you.

“I do think there’s a correlation between sales and empathy,” says Alex. “Every customer at the end of the day wants to know ‘You see me and you get me.’” (TWEET THIS!)

Here are 3 ideas Alex shares for offering a personal touch and showing more empathy to your tribe:

1. Treat everyone in your community like a person.

Stop trying to just collect email addresses like baseball cards (do people still do that?!) Appreciate those fans who have already raised their hands to be with you. Respond as you can. Alexandra says, “People write back to share their thoughts and feelings or just say thanks. While it’s not always possible, I try, to the best of my ability, to write a personal response to everyone. Even if it’s just to say, ‘I appreciate you enjoying my work,’ I try to treat every single person in my community as a person.” Need some ideas for how to love on your people better? Check this out.

2. Carve out time to proactively check in.

Set aside 15 minutes on your calendar each week to check in with past clients, surprise some email subscribers, or reach out to call a partner you haven’t heard from in a while. I like to do this to welcome new subscribers to my community and get to know them a little better. It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort but can reap huge rewards. People remember. They talk about it to others. They appreciate you. Alex might simply check in on an important deadline she knows is coming up or reference a challenge they might be facing. Imagine how you can delight someone with just 15 minutes of your weekly time to stop thinking of yourself and think of them!

3. Be thoughtful and customize experiences.

Alex’s signature writing retreats are an experience you never forget (and have only gotten more customized and luxe over the years!) She will handwrite welcome notes and select thoughtful thank you gifts that reflect each person. While she does these things to put more love and kindness out into the world, they have also helped her grow her business. Almost half of her clients put down deposits on the next retreat before leaving the last one. What personal touches can you do with your own clients to show them you know them, and that you care?

Intrigued to learn how other businesses are adopting empathy to better connect with customers and grow their business at the same time? You will L-O-V-E hearing more from Alex and other leaders (including big brands) in The Empathy Edge. Check it out!

Cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive™

Are you giving too much away?

Posted on by Maria Ross
Don’t be afraid to give them a taste

Recently, someone wrote to me and asked: 

“Maria, how can I differentiate my services without actually ‘giving it all away’ in the marketing and sales process? It’s literally like pulling people out of The Matrix: unfortunately “no one can be told what the Matrix is – you have to see it for yourself.” So I spend all this time ‘explaining the disrupter’ to explain and  differentiate myself – but then I’ve given everything away.” 

Trying to understand how to give away “valuable content” (aka, content marketing) to get your audience to know, like and trust your brand can be confusing. If I share all my secrets, you worry, why would they even need to pay me? 

It might feel like you’re telling them everything, but if the only expertise you have to offer can be given away in a few posts and free eBooks, I’m worried that you may have chosen the wrong profession! True experts know there is so much more they can possibly share. It’s okay to tempt with a few tasty morsels. When you do, you create more trust in your brand and expertise. 

Here’s what is actually going on: You feel like people already know “the basics” of what you do. So you may think you have to give away the good stuff. Au contraire.  

Don’t discount sharing the basics as part of your content marketing strategy. What is basic for you is a revelation for others who are not as skilled in that area. People will realize there is SO MUCH more that they don’t know – and they need your help. 

Here’s a very personal example: I wrote a book, Branding Basics for Small Business, that gives entrepreneurs and business leaders a DIY, bare-bones version of my consulting process. They can build their own brand strategy using some of the actual questions I ask. 

But I still get paying clients. For a few reasons: 

1. As I said, this is bare bones. Working with me is a richer experience, we dive into deeper questions, I probe further, and we deliver polished recommendations and messaging (they have to come up with that on their own with the book!) This will be true for you, too.  

2. There is always a volume of clients out there who think they want to DIY but then can’t/won’t. They know they need the experience: the hand-holding, the accountability, the creative insight and wisdom that only YOU bring. So they buy the book – and then they might hire me anyway to get things DONE. (PS, I am that person) 

3. There will be those who will never buy from you anyway. Great. They can take the free stuff and not waste your time. But then there will be those in #2. So give them a taste and they will want to engage more deeply with you and benefit from your focused attention. 

Don’t be afraid to give away a piece of what you do to better explain your work and offer a taste of your style, philosophy, and smarts.  (TWEET THIS!)

You have a lot of expertise and knowledge. Years. Perhaps also years of education, certification and lessons-learned.  You couldn’t possibly give it all away, even though you think you might be. And even if you reveal some goodies, your ideal client wants you to tailor your advice and coaching to their needs – so, in the end, they will hire you.