2.5 Month Delay for Organizing? She’ll Wait!
Last week, I had a client agree to wait 2 months to work with me because some silly words I put on my contact form.
I am on a campaign to ask you to BE YOURSELF in your business! (If you need inspiration on this topic I have it for you HERE and HERE.)
I have tried to be ME as much as possible with my original entrepreneurial baby, Home By Eleven, from the start. One of the things I like to do is talk about pop culture and books and make people smile or laugh whenever possible.
I made it my goal to have a professional but personable/fun tone on my website at all times--I want people to know who they're getting when I arrive at their house! We are going to laugh and have fun and yes, we can cry too, but that's in the middle of laughing.
So the point of my story--this is my contact form on my website.
It's only like, 58% serious in this contact form. And plenty of times, people just email me about their specific house situation and that's it. Totally cool! But when someone plays along with me, I know it's going to be a client love connection. Like Sarah last week…
^^ our email exchange
I took her contact form email comment about Love Is Blind and went to town. I gave the bad news first…I told her that I wasn't scheduling people until June, and if she had the ability to wait I'd be happy to take care of her house then; but if not, I could refer her to someone great. Then I closed with something un-serious about Love Is Blind. Just creating that lil' personal connection. And by the end of our exchange, she said she'd rather wait for me and my schedule.
Now, was that a result of a combination of things, and not just talking about a random show on Netflix? Well I'm sure it wasn't just that. But did it help create a feeling that we were on the same wavelength? And did I make her laugh? YEP!
This is just one example that is fresh in my mind, but over the years I've had countless small interactions like this based on things I have on my website, which clients have responded to or talked to me about that stood out to them. I want to help make the potential client know this isn't a scary process, and that I'm a real person who cares about them, and that makes a huge difference in the start of the sales + conversion part of our job once they've decided to reach out for help.
I talked about this with Meg Mueller, who runs a company called The Lit Bulb. She is a copywriter for professional organizers, and most of our conversation is about the importance of your words and your personality shining through in your digital properties (like your website.)
Meg and I talk through ALL THE THINGS you need to think about when you're writing to get clients--both on your website and on your blog (yes, you CAN blog, I know you can!)
Meg Mueller, a copywriter for professional organizers’ websites
One thing I'm going to blatantly steal from her?
This, on her IG, where she gives a super cute graphic
about what is happening in her non-business world.
Be.
YOU.
Potential clients will connect with it. And--if they don't--again--they're not for you.
Here's one more reminder if you missed it a couple of weeks ago from my friend Sarah (you can listen to the interview HERE):
"Clients need to hear about you and your uniqueness.
They need to hear your story, why you do what you do, why you're different from other organizers.
Not everybody wants to hire the type A minimalist organizer who's been organizing since they were in diapers.
A lot of clients are looking for organizers who have had firsthand experience with hoarding, chronic disorganization, downsizing, relocating, therapy, recovery, blending families, aging parents, losing loved ones, being diagnosed late in life with ADHD or autism, even something like rebuilding after a fire or designing your own kitchen or closets.
This is what makes you unique and knowledgeable.
Share with others what you have gone through, what you've learned along the way and find ways to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack."
--Sarah Brent, Practical Harmony Organizing