Authentically engaging your friends and family when your business is part of your whole life
A few weeks ago, I wrote about creating authentic marketing campaigns. Whether you've got an upcoming workshop, a free webinar or are trying to find clients by talking about your one-on-one services, keeping these core principles in mind the next time you're promoting an offer is critical.
This week, I want to talk about something else to do with your marketing - the power of personal connections.
Your Business and Your Life
A lot of times when speaking to coaches, healers or other creatives, I sense they've somehow compartmentalized their business from the rest of their life. While they may talk to friends or family generally about being in business, it may be curiously surface oriented, focusing often only on 'how it's going' - unless, perhaps, the other person also happens to be a coach, healer or other creative business owner. In other cases, they don't speak much at all about their business.
It's like there's an energetic wall between their work and the rest of their life.
First, I want to say there may be very good reasons why this is the case. Perhaps there is a great deal of trauma or suffering still around their family of origin, and they have a real need to keep things separate. Or maybe their full-time job has strict protocol around how they're allowed to engage in other professional activities outside of work. Or they may have acquaintances that have been less than supportive of their creative efforts in the past.
In those cases, keeping your business separate makes sense.
But other times, I find it's often a stance people unconsciously take.
Why People Don't Share
Sometimes people make the assumption "They won't understand." And it is true that there are methods or perspectives in transformational work that aren't widely understood. What's also true is when people care about you, they're genuinely interested in you, all of you! And are often very willing to meet you halfway in understanding what your work in the world is all about, whether they understand it completely or not.
Other times, people don't want to be seen as being pushy. Perhaps the sales techniques they think they have to use feel uncomfortable or somehow vaguely unethical, and they're not willing to 'sell' in that manner to their friends. In this case, I'd invite you to look at 'selling' in a fresh perspective.
It's not about making someone buy something from you, which you can't ever do anyway. It is about sharing something you're genuinely excited about sharing.
And other times, they may feel vulnerable sharing their work because it's their soul's work. They're not just opening up a car dealership, the work they're doing is coming from their soul and showing up on that way can feel really tender.
Personal Turns Professional
The truth is though, showing up as you, the real you, for your business can feel really empowering. And, it makes good business sense too.
When you're developing your business, it's natural that many of your early clients are going to come from personal connections. My very first coaching client (when I thought I wanted to help writers write) was a dear friend of a dear friend. Many people I work with start out coaching or healing or sharing their creations with friends or family - both paid and unpaid.
The reason for this is that these people, your friends and family, co-workers and acquaintances are already a way along in the buyer's journey . They already know who you are and have already decided they like you. In many cases, they already trust you.
When I lived back home, our accountant was a friend of my folks; our mechanic was someone my Dad knew from work; and our landscaper was my cousin.
If you look at who you are buying services from already in your own life, you’ll probably find similar connections.
Given this, what are some ways you can focus on these personal connections as you grow and develop your business?
Connecting with Your Peeps
Make sure they know
If you're newer in business, and if you haven't done so already, send out a "Friends and Family" style letter or email or post. The purpose here is to give people an update and literally, let them know what's going on in your world. Perhaps you're renting a table at a local spa or you've launched your website. Tell them who you help and what you help them with. And don't be afraid to ask them to keep you in mind if they know someone who might need your help.
Keep up your engagement
Show up as yourself and as a business owner in other people's worlds. This might mean at the local PTA or your neighborhood Facebook group. The intent here is not to sell, sell, sell but to share and connect. You might have insight or wisdom to offer when someone mentions a problem, or a resource to share. The point is everywhere you can, be you, the real you, who owns this beautiful business.
And when you connect with friends and acquaintances, catching up about "life" make sure you include talking about your business too. Don't just focus everything on your kids or the latest happenings at the school board. Your business is important to you, and so are your personal relationships, so keep them both close.
When promoting, personalize and then ask
When you have a promotion, don't forget to plan to reach out to people personally as part of your campaign.
The key to this step is to be with this in your heart, taking the time to ask to be shown who you could contact. For example, you may have a course you think is great for a friend. Tell her about it! When you focus on what you have to offer and how you see it could be something your friend might be interested in - and your energy is non-attached - the request is clean and can be received well.
Of course, you're not going to do this for every offer or every friend or contact you have, that's where the personalization part comes in. You may have some friends that you know it's not a fit for, but they could know others who might benefit.
Regardless of how or if they respond, you're planting seeds and spreading the word about the work you're doing in the world. You never know when or how these seeds may take root.
When you're developing your business, many of your early clients will come from personal connections. Keeping sure you’re not unconsciously separating your business from the rest of your life will make that process easier. Also, you can tell people who you help and what you help them with, keep engaging with others in your life sharing about your business and actively share your offers with friends and family and acquaintances.
Then when people you know become your clients, they’ll be that much more willing to make more connections for you.