be the beacon of light your customer needs
after i started viewing the lighthouse as a symbol for what i believe we women in biz are really building, i discovered that there is a book called Attracting Perfect Customers: The Power of Strategic Synchronicity by Stacey Hall & Jan Brogniez that uses the lighthouse quote & symbol as well.
it’s a great analogy…
not only does the lighthouse NOT run around the island looking for boats to save but it is a beautiful beacon of light for those that need it.
- a safe, calm port in a wild storm
- a guiding light for those needing direction & care
and i am sure this is what you want to be for your customers.
but it is important to remember that…
not every boat needs the lighthouse. not every boat even likes the lighthouse. not every boat cares.
in our businesses i think we often try to do everything and be everything for every one.
trying to narrow down our niche and hone in on an ideal customer is kinda scary and often hard.
- we might leave money on the table
- we might end up missing an opportunity
- we might be way to narrow
- we might turn people off
- we might get it wrong
often we just want to help people or make a difference and we can see how we can easily change the lives of everyone who comes in our path (if only we had that moment to convince them!)
focusing on an ideal customer feels an awful lot like saying no to everyone else.
though we may be driven to help (or inspire, or educate, or otherwise change the world one person at a time…) the bottom line is that we are also in business.
our ultimate goal is to sell lots of stuff, to earn a living, to make a profit (doing what we love.)
and that is really hard to do if we are not super clear about WHO we are selling to.
you are here to be a lighthouse. to be the beacon of light to that one boat out there that needs you.
which one is it?
chris brogan asks a fabulous question:
what are you doing to make your customer the hero?
this reminds me of the lighthouse too.
there is a sort of romantic notion about the lighthouse – how beautiful they are standing out in the landscape with their light shining bright.
but when it comes to the storm, the lighthouse is never the hero of the story. the captain of the ship is!
which one is your boat? which captain needs your light? and why? how does what you do help make them the hero of their story? and how can you communicate this with them so they know… so they see you as the beacon?
get clear about that.