The Customization Trap
I recently had a chat with a coach who was not getting many referrals for her business and as I often do I asked her about the service she was providing.?
When she shared how things worked I saw the problem immediately.?
This is something that I see with a lot of subject matter experts, but coaches get whacked with this one all the time.?
I call it The Customization Trap.?
Here's how it works.?
The coach/consultant learns from someone else (usually on the internet) that the best way to get top dollar is to customize the experience for the client and find out everything they want and then give it to them.?
Sounds like a perfect way to overdeliver for the client right??
There's just one problem.?
What someone wants and what you can deliver best do not always match up.?
So when you go the customization route and ask the clients what they want and build everything around that, you run the risk of them asking to add something that isn't really in your area of expertise but you may end up adding it anyway and trying to get proficient at it.?
Here's an example:?
Let's say you have a brilliant mind for content.?
You can come up with catchy titles for things, spin great stories, and are able to see how all of the content pieces work together.?
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You meet with the client and they love that, but they want you to also assist them with social media strategies of when to post that content and can you also help them manage their social accounts, oh and can you also....
You may see where I'm going with this.?
Now think about this from a referral perspective.?
Can anyone say what you are first class at if you say that you customize for every client and have to talk to them first??
How many people make introductions based off of that idea??
Now flip to when you have a process and you have a clear picture of what you do and do not do.?
You're going to be a heck of a lot easier to refer.?
Not sure how to whittle that down??
How to get out of the customization trap??
Then you'll want to check out the Referral Mastery Group.?
In it, we'll do sessions where we nail down what exactly people are saying about you when it comes to referrals.? Or you can always keep "customizing".?
Excelsior!?
P.S. Questions about the group? Drop me a line. I answer every message. Ready to dive in? Then stretch forth thy fingers and Click HERE.? ?
?? Amplifying "Best Kept Secrets" w/ Podcasts, Community (GrowGetters ONLY ??), and Marketing Solutions For Relationship Builders. || ???Board-Certified Master Podcast Ninja
7 个月Love the group and how is helps with referral communication, stripping back to focus on core strengths Michael Roderick
Get my Thrive Guide now and go from burnout and confusion to clarity and fulfillment. To learn more about me, visit my website @ stephaniekunkel.com
7 个月I truly believe that if you're going to customize, you have to have the infrastructure to do so.. the people, tools, support, and more. I do believe that we need to meet people where they are. Far too often have i heard the stories of people buying into top dollar coaching programs where the coach doesn't meet someone where they are, then they've spent a ton of money with little to no results and that leaves clients bitter and in general hurts the industry as a whole. I believe the trick is to have the offers you know your clients need that center on what you can deliver and what's in your wheel house. Then collaborate with others, to serve people who need more support than you can offer.
Driving business growth through sales coaching and virtual assistant services for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
7 个月You hit on a lot of great points Michael Roderick. You cannot be everything to everyone. Niching down and providing the best in what YOU do is so valuable.
Managing Partner and Chief Dot Connector at Domestic Growth Capital, LLC II Healthcare Evolution Group
7 个月The road to where? - is paved with the best intentions.?.. lol. And many of us have what we think are those best intentions in mind. This is why we learned to collaborate with others if we're asked to customize - stick to our lane at solving the issues, providing the framework, and letting the experts in the niches that are the customization handle the direct specialist requests and needs. Truly love this post as it is a dilemma we all face at one point or another, Michael, especially those who seek to please and accommodate and serve. But is it REALLY serving to over-extend? That's the question, that I try to come back to - are we over-reaching? Can someone we know do this way better - and faster?
Business Coaching, Storytelling, Kommunikationstraining, Pr?sentationstraining, Medientraining (DE, ESP, EN) anjatimmermann.de | storytelling-symposium.de
7 个月Totally d'accore. And that comes along with the missed opportunity to model own formats and methods.