It’s amazing what a difference a little clarity can make. When you get a really good handle on where you are going and what you want to do when you get there, ideas and action steps fall easily into place. But it’s choosing that original destination that is sometimes tricky to figure out.
Is your business too eclectic?
We are all complex people. We each have different facets of our personality that show up in whatever we choose to do – our business, our relationships, our life choices. But if are not selective in what we share with whom we may not be able to make ourselves heard.
Here’s a concrete example. I started my Passionately on Purpose blog several years ago with the idea of helping people believe they can. Now that’s a pretty clear objective except I kept clouding it up with my own personal interests. There would be an article on stress management one day and the next something about writing landing pages. That’s who I was and what I was interested in. I didn’t realize how confusing that would be to the reader until I started a second blog Magnetic Signature Products Guild. The creation of that new blog did two things – it narrowed my niche and altered my target audience. The niche narrowed because I focused on helping people create information products and that makes it more of a business blog. That allowed the Passionately on Purpose blog to become a personal development blog rather than a confusing combination of personal development and business. Which of your varied interests do you need to separate out? What do you need to drop? What do you need to combine? We cannot be all things to all people. Be eclectic in your personal life but get your business life on target with a clearly defined niche and target audience.
Get clear about who you serve
Now of course, I have to redefine the first blog. Perhaps not redefine as much as limit and focus the content. I used some of the great focusing and decision-making techniques I have developed for my Magnetic Content Development System. The minute I sat down and started writing out my Product Promise and my One Line Content Builder the tweaked direction for the Passionately on Purpose blog came clearly into focus. That included ideas for the Cornerstone Content and even some information products to create. G¬et clear about who you serve and what they need from you. Then stay on target with what you offer.
Write your “who and do what” for your product
For every new project create a who and do what statement. Sometimes that statement organically falls into place, other times you have to make some specific decisions in order to focus your work.
For your who and do what statement answer these three questions:
This product helps: (type of people)
To do: (what benefits occur)
So that they: (what results produced)
This is the most clarifying step you can take when you start any new project.
Here’s where I am right now on the who and do what statements for each blog:
“The Passionately on Purpose blog helps entrepreneurs believe in themselves so that they do their best work and provide deep service to their community.”
“The Magnetic Signature Products Guild provides on-going support for planning, developing and completing information products that educate, motivate and inspire.”
These may change some as I delve more deeply into the contents and intentions for each blog but you can see how the purposes differ. See how that difference will determine the content and more importantly determine who signs up for which blog and what they want from it when they do. Craft a who and do what statement for your business and for each and every product or service you produce. It will keep you focused and will help you deliver your product promise.
Consciously choose your destination
When I became a Reiki Master Teacher I said I wanted to help people who were already making a difference make an even greater difference. I knew that as we worked together on their personal path they would have greater impact on the people they serve. Those are still the people I choose to work with in my business.
Do you want to work with beginners, intermediate or advanced people in your field? Do you want to work with them on their overview, or specifically on one aspect of their journey? Do you want to help one person at a time or inspire rooms full of people? Do you want to be a leader or a helper? Do you want to organize a world-wide movement around your passion, or inspire a small group to take part in an existing group? Choose your destination based on your personal passion and the gifts you have been given to help you serve others. Then plan your next steps to take you there.
Honor your own skills and talent
Get real about what you can and cannot do. I’m not the strongest marketer in the world but I sure am a good teacher. Do I learn to market better or do I partner with someone who has that talent? How do you want to spend your time? I could write forever and be totally happy. Others would find that too confining. Are you an overview person or a detail person? Follow your own ability as well as your passion when you create your business or undertake a project. We do our best work when we love what we are doing. What do you love to do and how will you do that for others?
Where do you start?
Even though I have theoretically narrowed my niche – well my two niches to be exact – I am swirling with ideas about how to develop each one. Where do I start? The most clarifying content you can create is in your landing page and your opt in offer. When you choose the benefits and features and target audience for your landing page you make choices. When you develop an opt in offer you choose the most important element of your product or service to attract people to your work. The choices you make in creating those two basic information products will stop the idea chatter and help you chart a clear path to your destination.
For instance, I put up a few pages for the Guild site and then stopped to focus on teaching my course “How to Craft Magnetic Signature Products that Educate, Motivate and Inspire” which contains the content development system that I teach. But when I went back to look at the Guild pages I realized I was not sending a clear message on that home page. I had been so caught up on expanding my Magnetic Content Development System that I talked about it more than the benefits of joining the free Guild membership. I hadn’t been clear about the purpose of the site and had not created a clear call to action on that home page – I want them to join the Guild. Start with the most clarifying projects you can – your landing page and your opt in offer.
It takes time to become clear
I can’t tell you how many who and do what statements I have had over the past ten years. They are similar, they are all me, they are all valid. Even my personal brand changed once. Look deeply into yourself and identify your values, your passion, and the depth of your desire to serve. Choose who you want to serve and how you want to serve them. That’s where you want to go. That’s your destination. That clarity makes certain you know where you are headed. Then simply outline the best way to get there and start your journey.
© 2011 Cara Lumen
