Putting out fires that flame up in your business
Only share the magical moments on social?
Time to put on your firefighter cap and reveal how you handle a 5-alarm fire, too!
For many years, the idea of me sharing anything other than a polished, spit-shined, headshot/portrait image was an absolute no-no.
Why the hell would I want to show off the photo process, or even worse, the funky and unplanned way we had to Plan B our strategy in order to produce these images?
I mean, people only care about the final product, I would say to myself…
::older, wiser me pats younger, naive me on the head:: there there, you’ll get it, soon enough, :)
Now that I approach content creation with the desire to inform, entertain and inspire my audience with the stories I share, I understand the value of offering the not-so-smooth moments that serve as wonderful, teachable moments for my audience.
Those moments get written in my Notebooks App and I expand on these ideas in social posts and blog posts just like this, :)
In the past year, I’ve written about several types of Plan B moments that have occurred with my clients:
Weather-related issues
Wardrobe malfunctions
Locations not working out
Actors falling through
Clients who had a traumatic episode moments before their sessions
In addition to the lessons you offer by sharing these stories as a whole, revealing how you handled the situation when things didn’t work out so well provides your audience a unique glimpse into how it’s like to work with you.
It’s important to reassure them that even when the service you’re offering unfolds in a completely unplanned manner based on a variety of uncontrollable variables, you will still be able to handle whatever comes and deliver on the work you two set out to do.
It clearly illustrates your resourcefulness, your ability to think quickly under pressure and not shut down, and your resiliency to bounce back and deliver on the work, as promised.
Most importantly, it shows the level of commitment you have to delivering a successful experience for your clients.
So when situations have arisen where you’ve had to go off the game plan to get you and your client back on track, make sure you share those stories through your social and blog content, so that it gives your audience a well-rounded perspective on how you operate.
What about when it was your fault?
If you are willing to share a moment where the detour was out of your hands, also share when you misjudged something.
Be vulnerable enough to share those moments, too...it’s okay to be wrong - we’re human, after all!
But, make sure you also talk about how you solved the problem!
There’s a fine line between sharing something that clues your audience into your work ethic under pressure and someone who makes really egregious errors within their business!
Being that open and vulnerable is not a bad thing - its a relatable quality and shows off your honesty - not a bad combination to exhibit in front of an audience of potential clients, if you ask me.
Have you shared on social media and blogs how you’ve put out fires that’ve flamed up with your client interactions? What was the response from readers?
Still not sure how to approach this type of content?
I can help you out if you’d like, :)
Set up a call with me and let’s see if we’re a fit to work together.
PS - For those of you who aren’t in the know, I mail out these blogs 3x a week, and lemme tell you, they’re a real party, so, if you’d like to get in on this, sign up for it here and I’ll throw in a free gift for you, because I care, :)