How to Win Clients and Influence Others with Pain Points

I did a strategy session last week with a woman who was doing the right things in her marketing. She had a lead magnet, landing pages, and a nice website, but her marketing wasn’t working.

After digging in a bit it became clear that she didn’t know what motivated her ideal clients. She wasn’t sure about the pain they were experiencing, and therefore she wasn’t able to position her services as the solution.

Not really knowing your ideal clients is a problem that we see frequently on strategy sessions with potential clients.

Most of the business owners we talk with think they know. They have created a client avatar. They know their client’s age, income level, marital status, and education. They’ve identified where she lives, if she has a family, and maybe even where she likes to shop. They know what she wants.

What they don’t always know is what is really driving her to take action. They’ll tell me things like:

• “She wants more free time and to earn what she’s worth.”
• “She wants to be able to work from anywhere.”
• “She wants to have the freedom to travel.”

Everyone wants those things! We need to dig deeper.

When we figure out what her real motivator is, then we’ll be able to improve your website copy and create programs, packages, and services designed specifically for her.

Plus marketing to someone with a problem to solve will not only help you get more clients — your clients will also get better results! It’s so much easier to help someone who is ready for a change!

This is where you want your clients to be when they find you:

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ― Anais Nin

Here’s an example of a pain point an ideal client may be having:

Let’s pretend your ideal client has had a life-long struggle with low confidence and she’s been asked to speak at an upcoming event.

Now imagine she’s scrolling through Facebook and sees your ad for a free guide that shares “5 Easy Ways to Instantly Feel More Confident.” Do you think she’ll download it? You bet!

Then, after getting your lead magnet, she tries a couple of the ways you mention and feels a bit more confident. So she starts reading about your life-coaching programs. You mention how you specialize in helping women increase their confidence. And maybe she reads or watches testimonials from your past clients who have become industry influencers and are now sharing their messages with the world; speaking to large audiences, talking to the media, and doing Facebook lives regularly.

How will she view you compared to another coach who says he “Helps people who are looking for more in life?”

To attract your ideal client, you must be specific about the pain you remove and the problems you solve.

When you demonstrate you know your ideal clients’ problems as well or better than they do, you will create a deeper bond with them, and the more open they’ll be to your solution.

“But, how do I find out what my ideal clients’ pain points are?” asked the woman on my call last week.

My answer was simple. “Ask them.” There’s no better way to find out than to talk with people who decided to work with you.

She had already worked with several clients who had completed their agreement and signed up again. Clearly, her clients were thrilled with the results they were getting and my guess is that they’d be happy to help her if she asked.

We roleplayed and came up with a way she could ask them that felt good to her. “I’ve loved working with you. You’re my ideal client. Would you be willing to take a few minutes to answer a couple of questions to help me understand what it was about my packages and me that helped you decide to hire me?”

If you don’t have clients already there are still ways to find out what their pain points are:

• Be observant on Facebook and LinkedIn groups that your ideal clients hang out. What challenges are they talking about? Copy and paste what they say word-for-word into a document so you can use their own words and phrases in their marketing.
• Create a poll or survey. You can do a simple paid ad for this or ask someone who has a group if you can share it?
• Read the testimonials of your competitors who serve the same audience. Again, pay attention to what they’re saying their struggles were.
• Read the sales copy of other programs your potential clients are buying to see what pain points are being addressed.
• Read the testimonials for books in your niche. People will often mention why they purchased the book and how it has helped them.

Have you identified the pain points your ideal clients are struggling with?

Uncovering the pain points that motivate your ideal clients will make a huge positive impact on your marketing. It will help you improve your sales copy and create programs, lead magnets, and offers your ideal clients won’t be able to resist.

Would You Like to Talk About Your Website and Marketing to Your Ideal Clients?

I would love that. Just grab a spot on my calendar for a free Clarity call and let’s discuss what you need to do to take your business to the next level.