Get Better Clients By Engaging
Your Hero Archetype
© 2007 - 2009 Kendall SummerHawk
What does a hero look like for you? Is it the burly firefighter running into burning buildings to save lives, the girl with a crippling disease who somehow manages to complete her first 10k walk, or the Red Cross, helping people across the globe get the care they need?
Most of us don't think of ourselves as a hero but that's where we're missing out, not seeing how, in fact, we have the opportunity every day to be a hero on behalf of our clients.
The kind of hero I'm talking about is the kind that champions our clients, taking a stand for their greatness and what's possible for them, even when they don't see it for themselves.
Now, if this is all sounding a little too "woo-woo" for you, let me add that when we take on even a few of the hero's qualities we create new potential business building opportunities that translate directly into more success for them, and more mo'ney for us.
For example, where are you allowing your clients to get by with less than outstanding results? Where are you holding back from saying what you really think (fearing that they won't "like you" or they'll perhaps be offended in some way)? What program or product have you held back from offering because you were afraid it might not succeed?
Championing a client isn't always being their best friend or doing what is nice. It often means being edgy, provocative and yes, sometimes even being demanding. But as long as your edginess, provocation or demands are for the benefit of the client and come from a place within you of honest, positive respect for them, your version of a hero's tough love will hit the mark.
Take my Platinum Inner Circle client, Anese Cavanaugh for example. Using my Branding with Archetypes™ system she quickly realized that she was the Hero Archetype and that her former brand was too vague and bland to ever garner her the business she wanted. She rebranded her business as DareToEngage.com, created really cool new packages like her new "7 Week Dare: 7 Weeks of Action...A Lifetime of Impact", and started insisting that her clients step up to the plate in terms of accountability, commitment and gaining value.
The results have been extraordinary. In just five months she's now firmly into 6-figures, her Hero's Elite Leadership Program just sold out and her 7 Week Dare program (where she gets participants to get their butt in gear) will soon sell out. She gets to pick and choose who she works with and she's even created her own line of t-shirts that say "Dare to be a hero" and "Hero's dare to wear pink."
What Anese figured out is that she has to dare herself to engage as part of her brand authenticity. Her clients are paying more, getting more value and creating phenomenal, measurable results for themselves that are surprising even them.
So, now it's your turn:
# Where do you need to stop wimping out and champion your clients' progress with a dose of tough love?
# What is one project you've been putting off because of feeling unsure in some way and what are you going to do about it...now?
# What is one way you can call your clients' leadership forward so they make a big leap forward?
We can't all be the Hero Archetype, but we all CAN borrow a bit of the hero's courage and conviction so that the stronger stand we make for our clients inspires them to get off the dime and make a stronger stand for their own success.
About the author:
Kendall SummerHawk, Million Dollar Marketing Coach, delivers smart, savvy ways 6-figure entrepreneurs can earn a wealth of money, time, and freedom. To learn more about her book, Brilliance Unbridled, and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com
NOTE: You are welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end). I would also appreciate a copy of your reprint sent to kendall@kendallsummerhawk.com