Big Bright Bulb Founder Crys Williams and I recently chatted on Twitter about how clients really want to feel like they're your only client.
(The one thing you're missing in this view is her tweet about me writing an e-book.)
Well, Crys, I don't have this one figured out yet, but I'd like to present a few ideas that will help make our readers feel like they are the only ones. I have a feeling that if we apply these to all of our relationships, including with clients, it will have the same impact.
- Be present – Give yourself time to sink into the writing process with your whole being. (I wrote about the problem of rushing in a previous post.) Then as you're reading your writing out loud (you never skip that step, do you?), imagine your ONE ideal client is sitting across the desk from you. Think about the benefits this information will have for that person. Stay with that feeling as you edit.
- Be responsive – Read and reply to your emails, comments and social media messages. Thank people for their opinions, even when they are different from yours. Most of all, learn from these interactions and shape your future writing around exactly who is in front of you.
- Be a friend – In my memorial to my greyhound Chyna, I commented that everyone she met was a friend waiting to happen. Assume the same is true of your reader. Write from the assumption that you already have a positive connection – that attitude will shine through your writing.
- Be there – Show up in their Inbox and/or social media stream on a regular basis. And certainly be there when you SAY you're going to be there. Show them you are someone they can count on to be consistent.
Everyone wants to feel special, appreciated and well taken care of. Instead of seeing that as a demand or a challenge, see it as an opportunity to connect more deeply with one reader at a time.
P.S. Crys, thanks for the inspiration to write this post!