The Money is In Your Message: MOMeo’s 30 Day Challenge continues with Sophfronia Scott

When entrepreneurs come to me to discuss writing a book to help market their businesses, they expect to hear me ask, “What’s your book about?” And I can tell they’re just itching to tell me all the juicy details of the book they think people absolutely need.

But they’re surprised—and often challenged when I ask instead, “What message are you trying to send with your business.What’s the overall message you want to deliver in your book?” The answers are hugely important. These answers are what makes your customer choose your business over someone else’s.

People will be drawn to your overall message and how it makes them feel. Your message makes you attractive, like a super magnet. When you have something to say and the confidence and fortitude to say it, that sets you apart from everyone else.

Ideally your personal presence will deliver this message in a powerful way, so much so that people will want to line up to learn from you, be around you, work with you. In short–they’ll want to give you money.

Let’s use Dr. Phil and his work as an example here because he has created so many bestselling books, all with very different subject matter. However, all of his books have the same basic message. Dr. Phil’s message is intended to make you take charge and “get excited about your life”. Taking this kind of personal responsibility is what’s going to help you solve all of those pesky life problems. It’s going to help you lose weight, strengthen your family, meet the right mate or salvage your marriage.

The message is connected to something that people want for themselves in their lives. Note that the message is simple, clear and not about Dr. Phil.

HOWEVER…

Don’t you get the sense that Dr. Phil probably lives this message, that this is exactly the way he lives his life? It would be very hard to believe that this tall, powerful, well-spoken, straight-talking man would turn around and blame someone else for something falling apart in his life. His message “fits” him because this is the way he is. You get the sense that he would be saying the same things regardless of whether he’s at a cocktail party or on national television. It is who he is and yet it’s a message that connects with a wider audience because Dr. Phil has directed it towards helping people solve a problem. You can do this too!

Your Belief Systems

Okay, right now I’m going to ask you to do something that might sound like I’m saying, “Don’t think about the huge purple-spotted elephant standing in the room” when that’s all you can do! I’m sure your brain is already spinning and crafting your message for your book or your business. STOP! Don’t do it just yet. If you create a message right now, whipped out of thin air, it will dissipate for you just as quickly. You won’t connect to it and it won’t work.

A strong message has to be anchored in something–in the core of who you are. That’s the only way you can craft a message that fits you-one that is attractive, credible and one that others will immediately relate to.

So how do you do that? Your message must naturally grow from your personal belief systems. Your belief systems are the glasses through which you see the world. It’s how you live-who you are. You may not even have words for your beliefs right now because you’ve never thought to give them words before. Too few of us stop to think about what we really, truly believe. We just act and move through life without thinking about the thoughts running through our brains or why we make the choices we make. But that’s also why it’s so easy for you to stand out when you do get clear on your beliefs. With just that one step you’ve already done what many haven’t!

This doesn’t have to be a complicated process. You can start out just by writing out two words:
 I BELIEVE…

If the word “believe” doesn’t work for you, then think in terms of “What I know for certain…” or “This is what I know to be true for me…”

Next, write down a series of sentences to complete these phrases. They can be about life in general, or about work, family, love, money, society, history. If you have trouble with this, you can do a couple of things. If you already write, such as a regular newsletter or journaling, review your past writings and see if there are patterns to what you say or think about. Do you give the same advice to people over and over again? Do you have a “thing”– something that really bothers you every time you see the subject or situation come up? What inspires you?

For instance, I believe:

• if anyone wants to bring something creative into the world, they should be able to do it
• love is a powerful force, especially within families
• spirituality is important
• it’s important to be in charge of one’s own creative process and decision-making
• anyone can accomplish great things when they put their mind to it

Once you understand your belief systems you can translate them into your message. Basically what you’re going to do is take your beliefs and apply them to your topic at hand. Then you’ll one step further: how do you want this message to show up in your business?

Maybe it will be in the words on your website, or in the way the phone is answered when customers call. When you do this work, you’ll see that you can apply it in so many places. You’ll find your writing, your speaking and even your marketing will be so much easier because it will come from the heart.

Sign-Up for the 30 Day MOMentum Challenge: 30 Days to Build Unstoppable Momentum

Sophfronia Scott has over twenty years of experience as a professional writer, most of it spent at Time and People magazines. When she published her first novel, “All I Need to Get By” with St. Martin’s Press in 2004, one prominent reviewer referred to her as potentially “one of the best writers of her generation.”

Sophfronia holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard. As executive editor of The Done For You Writing & Publishing Company, she helps entrepreneurs and speakers to write and publish books to market their businesses. Her latest work, How the Fierce Handle Fear: Secrets to Succeeding in Challenging Times, will be published in April.

Starting March 12, you can join Sophfronia, MOMeo’s Carla Young and over 30 other thought leaders for the Fearless Fridays Telesummit, by going to www.FearlessFridaysTelesummit.com. Sophfronia can also be reached via her website, www.doneforyouwriting.com.