Time to answer a random question of the day:
What commonly used phrase really irks you?
I have to admit….
When people say, “That’s just how I roll!” it’s more irritating than pulling out a nose hair.
What does that even mean?
According to StackExchange, the phrase originated with 90’s hip hop, and as far as I’m concerned, it should have stayed there.
The phrase conjures images of lowriding in cars with thumping bass, slowly rolling around the block because the drivers are just that cool.
Please.
I’m ashamed to admit the moments when the phrase is on my lips because it’s used so often.
“That’s my jam!” is a close second.
Unless you’re slapping that jam on a peanut butter sandwich, I don’t want to hear about it.
Is it petty? Am I venting?
Quite possibly.
But, “That’s just how I roll!” reminds me of how easy it is to hide from our fears. (Stick with me in this segue.)
For instance, an entrepreneur isn’t afraid of going to a networking event – they just prefer to stay at home – because “That’s just how I roll.”
It’s easy to use a preference as an excuse to stay small. We make up rules to avoid feeling insecure, and then forget we made them up, blindly following them well past the point of usefulness.
For example, I had a recent conversation with a yoga teacher about how to get more coaching clients. They have regular yoga students hiring them for private lessons, and it seemed to me they’d be good prospects for coaching, too.
“Oh, I’d never ask a yoga student to hire me as a coach. That would be a conflict.”
Wait – what?
I didn’t see how that was a conflict. It would be like MacDonald’s refusing to sell you a hamburger because you’ve already purchased french fries.
Apparently, they’d been warned against not keeping professional boundaries as a yoga teacher and using your influence inappropriately, and turned that into a rule that you can’t sell coaching sessions to a student. Huh?
If you have a happy customer, it seems to me you do them a favor by letting them know what else is on the menu. They can choose for themselves what to buy.
And then a conversation with another client who isn’t making money. When I ask them about people they know who already come to them for help, several come to their mind immediately.
“Those are potential clients,” I tell them.
“Oh, I’ll never sell to my friends,” they said.
Well, why not?
Personally, I love paying people I like to provide a service for me! It’s a double gift; I get the service and I get to support a friend.
But we make up this rule that inviting friends to pay for what you do is somehow wrong. And then we coach them anyway for free.
It’s a common way to avoid asking people who would possibly love to hire you to have a conversation about it.
When I first started noticing this, an example came to me.
Let’s say I make a new friend. We meet for coffee once a week. One day, we’re hanging out and I’m complaining about my vision.
My friend says:
“You know, I’m an eye doctor and I could check that out for you. My office is right around the corner, if you want to set up an appointment.”
Would I be angry because my friend is trying to sell me something? Hell, no. I’d be thrilled to know that my friend could help.
I already trust my friend, and if they can help me, I’m grateful. Even if I’m not into making an appointment, it’s good to know they’re a resource.
So let me ask you a question:
Do your friends and family know what you do to help people? Or are you hiding behind the rule, “I won’t sell to my friends?”
Please note: this isn’t about whether or not you should have friends as clients. That’s your choice.
But it is too easy to coach for free and hide behind rules about a “conflict of interest” – when you could be getting paid for your life-changing services.
In the IMPACT membership, we’re gearing up for a month of playful action around creating clients. Starting with the potential clients right under your nose that you haven’t even noticed.
The guy at the bike shop who’s always asking you for advice.
The friend you end up coaching for free.
The mom you met at a party who was super curious about what you do.
We’ll be exploring the natural and authentic way to recognize clients possibilities with our May work-and-play-shop:
How to Turn Connected Conversations Into Clients
You’ll discover how natural (and easy!) it can be to ask for and receive money for your powerful service. I’ll share my two-step “system” for creating clients – no social media required.
And you’ll get supportive, real-time feedback about selling situations and a Quest to support you in inspired action all month long.
It’s time to create the IMPACT you’re here for.
https://www.theawakenedbusiness.com/impactinvite
Yours in love and play,
Steph
