Obsidian Launch | Tell The Truth… People Will Be Shocked!

Tell The Truth… People Will Be Shocked!

Launching your first business is all about being true to your values, not telling the customer what they want to hear. A good friend of mine, Lesley-Ann Trow of Gorgeous Things, took her struggling company and converted it into a healthy business. The amazing part is she didn’t change a thing about the business. All she did was speak the truth about herself and her values. Clients are now flocking to her. I can’t think of anything more gorgeous than that!

When I started out with my company Gorgeous Things, I totally sucked at selling.

Why did I think focusing on the products I was selling and not the truth about why I was selling them would work for me? Looking back, I now know that it was a lack of Self Knowledge & Self Confidence. I was afraid of really being myself at my product presentations, laying it on the line, being vulnerable and telling people what I really thought and being challenged for my beliefs was quite a scary concept. I'd started Gorgeous Things after looking for products and other ways to relieve my terribly painful & embarrassing Eczema and for some reason I initially found it hard to tell people that. I guess sometimes it's a bit embarrassing to admit where we've come from.

When I focused on the products people ignored me, I bored them and the harder I tried to present 'features & benefits' and 'unique selling points', the more desperate I sounded and my sales just got worse.

I was lucky enough to be rescued by a good friend who asked me one day 'so, what are your values?' Good question. Hadn't really given it much thought. Over the next few months I wrote and re-wrote what I thought were my values until one day after asking myself why I do what I do for the 27th time, it happened. Five beautifully written points that summed up my whole life. I can recite them on cue, I'm happy to share them with anyone who'll listen and I'll argue vehemently to defend them.

So, what are your values?

Here's mine:

Style & Substance
Awareness & Action
Natural Approach First
Nurture Yourself
Nurture the Planet

Now when I do my presentations, I talk about the values Gorgeous Things has been built on, my values. I pass around products whilst I'm speaking but only to illustrate how the product fits with the values. If people have questions about individual products I answer them at the end and try to always bring the answer back to at least one of the values. I also tell people my story of growing up with Eczema, many people can identify with my story in some way. Maybe they were the fat kid in school or teased for being a nerd but they hear someone telling them that great things can come from humble beginnings and they get it.

My business much healthier and my ever growing list of customers are now repeat customers who have a real emotional attachment to Gorgeous Things. My Marketing & Product decisions are easier because it all comes back to the 5 values, if a product or idea doesn't fit with the values, it doesn't happen. The best part about all of this for me is that I get to totally be myself all the time, people know what I stand for and they can easily make the choice to join me or not.

Written by Lesley-Ann Trow of Gorgeous Things, Posted by Mike Michalowicz

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