I was listening to a podcast the other day and the coach behind the mic made an interesting observation about his practice: his clients often ask him for help with one thing but when they give feedback afterwards, they often thank him for something else.
In other words, they thought they needed guidance and support with strategic or technical issues but what they really enjoyed about the outcome was a better sense of balance in their lives, a clearer vision of their purpose or more energy for what they loved doing most.
And this illustrates perfectly what I mean when I recommend that my clients lead with benefit in whatever they write. Whether it's a web page, a new offering, a social media post or a blog, by bringing focus to the elements of what you do that make people's lives better, you'll:
Avoid the pitfalls of spending too much time on pain points.
Attract more of what you love and dream of.
Connect with your clients on a deeper level - and repel the ones that are not for you.
Choose transformational language that will lift you, the people around you, your audience and the people they go on to help. The ripple effect is powerful.
How do you lead with benefit?
If you're used to digging into pain points or you feel like you should be doing what all the other seemingly successful people are doing, then this is going to take some bravery. Trust me, this works.
Use the example I used above. List what people come to you for and then what they thank you for afterwards. These show your human benefits.
When you think about using terms like confidence, competence and authenticity in your copy and content, think about how they show up in real life. How do they help lift your clients from one situation to another? How do they shift life's blockages?
Use impactful adjectives. Bring up a thesaurus in another tab every time you write and find words that you vibe with - because you can be sure that your ideal audience will too.
What's your story? How are you taking people from A to B: in the one piece of writing you're working on, in your strategy and in your business? This needs to come through.
Put benefit and centre - at the top of your web page, in the intro paragraph of a blog and as the focal point of your social media post. It can be obvious or subtle but it needs to be there.
Where do you start?
Use the short exercise I outlined above. Take some time out to sit under a tree or enjoy a cuppa in your favourite armchair. Have a biscuit too if that's your thing.
Then think about your journey, where you've come from, the struggles you've endured and now how your methodologies, study, meditation and practice have helped you to move forward.
What habits have you changed on a practical level, how difficult was this for you and what stood in your way? How did you make the shifts necessary?
What do you still struggle with today?
Sooner or later you'll see a pattern emerging. Your eye will be naturally drawn to certain words or concepts. You'll feel warm inside.
You're doing good because you're doing good.
In summary:
Leading with benefit involves defining and exploring how what you do:
Improves the lives of the people you work with in real, human terms.
Works towards the greater good.
Shows up in your langauge choices in all your communications.
You're not alone
I do this all day every day for my clients and as I identify the human benefit of what I do for them, I jot it down. Visit my blog for more of these observations. It's free.
You can also book a call with me - and whether you'd like me to write for you or you'd like me to coach you to write for yourself, I'm your partner in bringing the human benefit of what you do to the surface.
And allowing it to shine.
Have an awesome day.
