People need to believe in you in order to do business with you. They must believe that you know what you’re doing, that your services are on the up-and-up, that working with you will benefit them, and that investing in you is worth their time and money. Just how do you do that, though — build your believability?
One of my favorite ways to do this is through writing.
Writing is a vulnerable act; it requires you to put yourself out there and share your expertise in public. Even if your articles “only” appear in the church bulletin, you’re still going to unmask yourself, which is actually a good thing for your business.
Writing enables you to:
- Show off your expertise
- Be visible over a period of time, so clients know you’re not going anywhere.
- Express your humanity.
Getting started with writing might seem daunting. I remember when I was considering taking up jogging and I asked a friend of mine, who’s a running coach, what I needed to do to get going. She said, “Put on your shoes and start running.”
I admit, I didn’t find her advice particularly helpful. Surely that couldn’t be all there was to it. Just put on my shoes and start jogging? No special outfit, or ritual, or heart rate monitor, or anything? Nope. Turns out all I really needed was my decision. What shoes, what outfit, etc., etc. None of it was as important as my decision to start.
Starting to write is the same way.
Once you decide you’re going to write — poof! — you’re a writer. You don’t have to be Hemingway or Seth Godin, you simply have to be you, decide you’re going to write, and start writing. It really can be that simple.
The logistics of writing can be a fun piece of the process rather than something that stands in the way. You get to choose how often you want to write, where you want to showcase what you’ve written, what you want to write about, where you want to physically be when you write, what you want to write with (pen/paper, computer, crayons, etc.). All these decisions are part of the fun of exploration. None of them is more important than deciding you want to write, and starting to do it.
Becoming more believable naturally follows, as long as you let your you-ness show. Write what you know, from your heart and your expertise. The instant you start putting your writing out into the world, your clients and potential clients can find you, learn more deeply from you, and get to know and love you. This leads to believability, which leads to business, which leads to happy clients, a happy you, and a happy bank account.
If you’ve got the slightest inclination to check out writing as a way to increase your believability with potential clients, and go deeper with the clients you already have, now’s the time to get moving! Pick up your pen or grab your computer. Create sentences, weave a story, and declare yourself a writer. We’re all waiting to hear what you’ve got to say.
Kristine Carey
Kristine is the Director of Licensing and Training for Get Clients Now!, overseeing our licensed facilitator program and in-house trainings. She attended the Academy for Coaching Excellence and holds the designation Board Certified Coach. Kris teaches classes at the Small Business Admin, runs mastermind groups, and facilitates the Get Clients Now! 28-Day Program. Find out how you can work with Kris as your business coach or attend one of her upcoming programs.
