How to Use Your Story to Find Clients

Stories are an incredibly powerful way to communicate and have been used throughout history to pass information from generation to generation. They help people to understand complex ideas and remember events that can then be repeated.

Your personal story is a brilliant way to breathe life into your marketing and connect with the people you want to help. People want to work with real people and your story will help you to find clients for your holistic business.

Keeping Hidden

Do you compare yourself to the successful practitioners you aspire to be like? You may assume, that if this person’s successful, then I need to do what they do. Before long, you find yourself adopting their style and can easily lose sight of yourself.

In a world where there’s so much noise, the way to stand out and find clients is to be more of yourself. Yes, it can be scary, but it’s the way to really connect with the people you want to help.

When I first worked as a practitioner, my bio was very factual describing how I changed my career because I wanted to make a difference blah, blah, blah.  Whilst this was true, there was nothing that connected me emotionally to the reader.  It was what I thought people wanted to hear, but I was very wrong.

I realised I was hiding so I started to tell my story of why I originally trained as a practitioner. I allowed myself to be vulnerable and shared how I’d dealt with my life sabotaging demons of perfection and low self-esteem. It was scary to admit what I saw as faults at the time, but this was a huge turning point for me and my business. I’d finally accepted my perfectly imperfect self and recognised that I was enough.

Self-Awareness

Start to notice the stories you’re telling yourself because continuing to believe those that aren’t useful will keep you stuck.  For years I thought I was boring, and this fear kept me hidden. Gary (my husband) calls me ‘Captain Sensible’ which fits perfectly with how I show up in the world, so I decided to own it. I realised my clients are attracted to me because I’m level-headed, trustworthy, and organised! If they wanted a flighty innovator – I’m certainly not the right person for them.

Start to think about the qualities you have which attract people to you. What common themes run through your story? What are you always being asked to help with? A great way to identify your highest values is by reading ‘How the World Sees You’ by Sally Hogshead.

Let Your Story Evolve

When looking for help, people don’t just want to read theory, they want to connect. Your story will help them to understand and trust who you are, both as a person and as a practitioner. When you connect to your audience with your story, people will get it!

Start by spending a few minutes just downloading your story without thinking about it. You can start to refine it later but start by getting it out of your head. Your story will continuously evolve and that’s OK - we’re all work in progress and in a different season of our life and business.

Once you start sharing your story, identify which aspects resonate with your favourite clients. Take these elements and weave them into your marketing - there will be longer and shorter versions, but there will be a common theme.

Marketing Gets Easier

Once you get comfortable with your story and your qualities, you start to peel away the mask. Being yourself and owning your story will make your marketing so much simpler. You’re not constantly second-guessing what you should say, you simply answer as you.

Connection and Relationships

People want to work with real people, it’s all about connecting and relationships. By sharing your story, you will start to attract the clients who totally get you and repel the ones you really shouldn’t be working with.

This quote says it all: “Knowing a person is like music. What attracts us is their melody and as we get to know who they are, we learn their lyrics.” Unknown

Your Everyday Stories

Your stories don't stop with your origin story, have fun with your marketing by sharing your day-to-day stories. Using your different experiences and anecdotes will help your marketing sing and help people connect with you. They're one of the best ways to demonstrate your values and show the human behind the business.

Some of the best engagement I've had have been from my personal silly stories from life - there was the one when a bat flew in the bedroom window which started a half-hour chase to get it back out, or the one about my grandad burning money (he was a stoker at a bank and burnt the old bank notes). And every day there are more I can add to the list - like last night's cooking disaster of turning Gary's chilli bright red by mistaking tikka colouring for hot chilli powder - oops!

Ultimately, your stories are yours and they'll help you to stand out from the crowd and connect with the people you want to help.

If you're struggling with your marketing, it's time to get help. Book a call with me and let's have a chat about what's happening in your business and I'll help you figure out your next steps.