Don’t Focus On Traffic or Conversions For Online Success (Focus On This Instead)

“You’re different”

Those two words can change the way you do business forever.

Imagine you’re about to do a training session at a workshop you were invited to speak at.

You’re good at what you do, and for some reason, the organizers noticed this and decided to have you on board as a trainer, to teach their students.

After one hour of a lot of talking and demonstration, your session ends, but then you decide to wait till the end of the workshop, just to see, and probably learn from, what other trainers have to offer.

Then something catches your attention.

On your left is seated another trainer, who keeps receiving these folded papers, and every time he opens them to read, a smile crosses his face.

So you make up your mind to take a peek the next time he opens one.

And just at that moment, another paper is passed to him and with the look on his face, it’s almost as if he knows what is written in it.

But he opens it all the same and this time, you’re not taking chances, you look at it. Then what you see completely cripples you and dampens your self-esteem to point where you start to hate the other guy for no reason.

In that paper was written the following text, “Thanks for the knowledge. You’re so different from the rest”.

No one needs to tell you that this means you were so generic in what you came to do, and it had no impact on your audience. You were like everyone else, giving the same old knowledge, in the same old way.

 

Traffic Or Conversions Can’t Save You, But This Will…

For all its worth, you could have 100,000 people visit your site each day, you could speak at seminars filled with hundreds of people, you could package your content in the most clever ego-boosting way that would cause other trainers to eye you.

If your message is not authentic, no one in your audience will bat an eyelid at you…whether online or offline.

There’s a quote I once read:

“Take in all the information you can, then make it your own”

At first, I thought that was plagiarism, until I realized the truth.

How do you make information your own? By infusing it with your personality, experience and story!

A personality that would attract the right audience to you; experience they can relate with; and a story that shows empathy.

The truth is spending on traffic will get you the initial numbers, optimizing your site will convert those numbers, but it is authenticity that will keep those numbers.

How To Be Authentic

You can enter into a crowded market and still stand out. This is because everyone has his/her unique way of doing things. Just because clients seem to like the other guy doesn’t mean you should do things the same way, even though he offers graphics design services like you.

Make up your mind to be authentic and follow the next three steps:

 

1. Do Your Research

Research does two things: it provides clarity and gives you a clue on what to do next. For instance, research helps you know exactly what your audience needs and gives you a clue as to what kind of product to create or service to offer to satisfy that need.

It helps you know how these people describe themselves, their situations, their problems, their challenges not so that you can take advantage of them, but so that you can approach them in a way that they relate with.

Sometimes, it’s not about the service you render, but how you present it. As an investment consultant who knows how to make fishermen rich, you can’t approach a group of local fishermen looking all corporate, with shiny shoes and queens English between your lips. That would be intimidating.

They’ll listen to you more if you came in really simple clothes- that’s something they can relate with.

 

2. Make The Client The Hero In Your Story

Still using the fisherman example, what if you approached them and before introducing this “killer package” you have for them, you told them that you were once a fisherman like them. Then you told them your story of how you discovered an investment plan that caused you to not only own several fishing boats, but to also buy a house on a hill, with the view of the ocean.

And then in your message, you gave them the hope that they could also attain that kind of height, would they get more interested in you or not? They’d not only see the success of the story, but the authenticity in the message.

No matter the field, everyone can relate with personal experience. It’s always one of the best ways to teach.

 

3. Give Them YOUR Reason Why

It’s all about empathy.

Going back to our fisherman illustration, even before telling them your story, the best way to start is tell them why you’re there.

We all have different beliefs. It’s these beliefs that make us unique and different from each other. At the same time, it’s our beliefs that connect us with like-minded people.

If you told them that the reason you’re there was because you believed that every fisherman, regardless of his background, had the right and the ability to create the life he desires. And then your story affirms your belief, you’ll realize that those who gravitate to you will be those who have the same beliefs as you and can see themselves in your story.

Those, I believe, are the best kind of clients you can work with.

 

Consistency Is Key

You need to be authentic in driving your traffic and in your optimization- how you convert that traffic. Fail in these and your leads will discover one day and leave you.

Being authentic at all stages will show your consistency and would build the trust. By doing your research about your audience and making them the hero of the story, backed up by a strong belief, people will work with you, not because of what you do but because of who you are.

Authenticity is something I’m actively learning and applying. You should do the same.

Have you considered authenticity in your business before? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

 

Image credit: meldepaoli.com