I’m sure you’ve heard of the origin story, where you talk about why you got into the business you are in, what led you to work in your profession so that people understand where you are coming from and feel a little closer to you.
You’ve probably told that story a million times in your sales pitches and your talks, and quite rightly. Whenever you can bring an audience closer to you it’s a great thing. Relationships are built on the know, LOVE and trust elements and letting people into your life is essential.
You’ve probably heard my origin story about how I got into this business. I’ll give you the bullet point version.
Got made redundant from my Editor’s job at Capital FM in the East Midlands.
Was dating hot personal trainer boyfriend.
Set up Action Boot Camp with redundancy money.
Grew to award winning business with 9 sites very quickly
Others asked me to help and Big Me Up Media was born.
Me and boyfriend split on holiday in Ibiza and wedding was cancelled.
I gave up the bootcamp and focused on me and my business.
If you’ve followed me for a while now you would have heard me talk about this journey as it’s so vital to why I do what I do. And if you’ve only just joined me, that was me from 2009 to 2014.
But there is another story……
It’s a story that YOU should definitely be telling when it comes to branding and definitely when it comes to selling.
If you want people to spend money with you that have to buy into YOU and know deep down why you are doing what it is you do.
I call it the Aha Story and it comes way down the line after the origin story.
This is the story of a time in your life when something changed. Maybe you got injured or sick, maybe you got bored with the “job” maybe you had a lightbulb moment when you realised you could do something so much more.
This is when you PIVOTED in your business and started doing things a different way, added something new to the timetable or created a whole new program. Sometimes it’s necessity, sometimes it’s just passion but something changed and you had your AHA Moment.
I had mine in London three years ago. I was in the Capital doing a Mastermind with a group of women from the fitness, health and wellness world. It was a high ticket price and the day culminated with a visit to The Shard and a glass of Champagne.
In the morning me and one of the women on the course got up early and went for a walk over Tower Bridge, it was exciting and exhilarating being on the Thames standing against the crowd of hundreds of people making their way over to Westminster in their suits and trainers. It was a wave of non-stop people and I said how glad I was that I didn’t have to work that corporate life any more at the radio station.
My friend had also worked in the city and we talked about office life and our very quiet and often lonely entrepreneurial life we had now. We talked about how we did miss the office gossip but not the politics, we missed the support of colleagues but not the nasty bosses.
An idea was starting to form in my head.
Then she said that she knew other people who would love to be here on this Mastermind today but they just couldn’t afford the price tag. In fact, she knew a lot of people who would love to work with me but couldn’t afford my 121 coaching fees which are quite hefty upfront for the first 12 weeks.
Suddenly I had my AHA moment on that bridge in London City.
What if I was to take my coaching program which gets great results for my 121 clients and teach it to a group of people at a fraction of the cost?
My mind was racing with all the possibilities. I had butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. In fact I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I wrote all my ideas down on the train that night and I couldn’t sleep I was so pumped up.
They would be happy. I would be happy. And we could have a support group called The Office where we all hang out and chat and help each other.
And so The Dream Life Academy was born……. and we are just opening the doors on Year 3, the group is getting bigger and bigger with many people staying on each year as I add new content.
What’s your AHA STORY? When did things change for you? Start telling THAT story so that people connect with you and realise why you do what you do.
You’ve probably noticed we like to swim in a different ocean to everyone else when it comes to branding and selling. There’s no time to swim with everyone else we need to be seen and heard and that’s what we teach you to do too.
I have 30 years’ experience now in writing and communicating and getting your message out there and reaching the people you need to bring into your world.
Yvonne “stories sell” Radley
