Is your intention clear to your audience?

When I used to run big speaker events about five years ago, people paid to come. They came to the event and they paid around ￡100. For me, that was what it was worth… That's what it felt like it was worth.?

My chosen speakers didn't pay me anything. I was on no affiliate deal with them, so they weren't selling stuff for me. I was just giving them an opportunity to tell their story and to share their skills with my audience. That was the intention of what I was doing and the people that came, knew that. They knew they weren't going to be hard sold to from the stage, even by me. In fact, a speaker told me off once for not selling anything from my own stage, which I thought was quite amusing.?

But, selling myself wasn’t what I needed to do. I was positioning myself with these events but wasn’t really selling. I want you to hear that because positioning is more important than selling. The selling part becomes really easy when you've got the right positioning.?

Positioning is everything. No position. No power. There's no point, there's no purchase, there's no nothing. So you have to make sure these things line up.?

Fast forward five years down the line and I haven't run these events and I've got no intention to. I've thought about it, but quickly questioned what I was doing because that's a 5 year ago version of myself and we don’t go backwards, right? We always move forwards.?

I remember that I don't want quite a lot of the stuff that's going on nowadays. Where people would come to sell to my audience, to convert my audience. I don't want that energy. I want people to come and enjoy and connect and learn something… That's the mission of my club, that's the mission of everything I do.?

I'm sharing this with you, not necessarily because you're thinking of running events (maybe you are), but to understand the business model. I've got a model that suits the people at the top, me. What others are doing is selling the tickets and the speaker slots, and they then sell everything else to get sponsorship. You can put your name in the brochure, put your name on the bag, you can put a flyer in the toilets, you can put your logo on the back of the name badge; I mean, literally, anything is up for sponsorship. Every opportunity is a selling opportunity. Their mission is money making above all else.

I just want you to hear the energy of that. That's a very different energy than I want to hold an event that helps people. That's not me saying I'm some sort of hero and saviour, but it's just a different model as to what is going on with others.?

I want you to think about your own model now. What is the intention of what you do? If it's just money-based, people will feel that. And that's fine - you'll attract those people that are just money-based.

If it's impact-based, or joy-based, or transformation-based - whatever it is you do, make sure that people know your intention and the experience they're going to have. It is everything. If you don't know that about your business yet, that will be what's wrong in your world. That'll be why you're not marketing yourself! That intention and attention to detail, that outcome and the purpose of what you're doing, is so important, especially in this day and age.?

It's not just okay to sell an event because we see so many of them. It's not okay to just sell a training course, or an online programme, or a coaching session, or a training session, or a book, or some cards, or a retreat. We need to tell people what for!?

Just to make money… ￡1,000, ￡500, ￡2,000 or ￡10,000, is not the energy you want when you're in your service based business. That won't sell - it absolutely won't sell.?

Think about how your message is making a mark on your market. That is what you need to do.?

Is it right? Is the balance correct? Do they understand what you're about? If they don't, they won't buy.

It’s quite straightforward - it’s sales and marketing 101. We don't buy from people we don't trust, or we don't understand, or we don't know what they're trying to achieve. It’s why story-based selling is really powerful. People get on board with what you're trying to achieve. And you might think nobody wants to hear your story, or you don't want to sit and tell your story - you don't want to tell the world your private details. I can hear you. I know it. I am you!

When you do start to share your story, especially if you do it from a position of overcoming something or linking it to your business, it becomes who you are, and they're choosing you because you're you. Try it!