Sunday, April 20, 2008

People Want Guidance, Not More Information

People don’t want information. Ultimately, they want guidance.

If you think you’re selling them a product or a service - think again. You are selling them a point of view a perspective.

Let me explain: they are suffering from whatever symptoms they have (e.g. not enough clients, lower back pain, an angry wife threatening divorce, inability to get pregnant).

But - why do they have this problem? And what will it take to fix it?

Does it make sense to you that there are a myriad of ways to solve any problem? Dozens of lenses to even put on it? And, does it make sense that the lense you put on it might shape the treatment you offer?

Let’s take the general example of ‘illness’. There’s many theories on what causes it:

An inconsistency between the will of the soul and the will of the personality:

o Karma
o Genetics
o Bad diet
o Stress
o Excessive acidity in the system
o Fear

Etc. I know some people who think that what you eat is almost irrelevant to your health. I know others who think that food is the only thing that matters.

Here’s the point for you: what is YOUR perspective on why your clients are struggling with their challenges? What’s your point of view? What’s your opinion and perspective?

Here’s what people want:

1. empathy and understanding for their symptoms
2. a clear, well thought out point of view on why they have these symptoms that doesn’t cause them to feel ashamed and stupid. Something that makes sense to them.
3. clear and personalized guidance on what to do about it.

Your job is to do those three things.

Your job is to make your case as to why your perspective is correct. Not to convince them - but just so they understand where you’re coming from and what kind of help they’re likely to get from you. You can’t just say, “Take these pills.” First they need empathy. Then you need to explain your understanding of how things got the way they did. Then you need to share exactly what you think they need to do to resolve it. And of course, engaging them in this conversation is critical.

They don’t want to have to read through hundreds of pages of books and e-books. They don’t want to have to listen to hours of downloadable audios. They don’t want to sit through a weekend seminar. They want someone to give them insight into their own situations. They want you to hold their hand. They want personalized, customized advice.

Always remember this: People don’t want information. They want guidance.

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