Ever heard of the Curse of Knowledge?

It’s when you have enough knowledge about XYZ that it’s hard for you to think about XYZ from the perspective of someone who DOESN’T have as much knowledge.

So what does that mean for us business owners and marketers?

It means that, since you’re well-­versed in whatever it is you teach, sell, or do… you think about it very differently from how your potential clients think about it.

Which means the way YOU talk about your program, product, or service may not actually resonate with the people who haven’t bought from you yet.

Now, don’t worry – I’m not saying that you shouldn’t write in your own voice.

I’m just saying that sometimes what you think your ideal client wants to hear is… well…not what she wants to hear.

In last week’s article, I talked about how you can get inside your prospect’s head and write how SHE talks.

So, even though you’ll be telling stories and teaching lessons in your emails using your own voice, when it comes time to paint the picture of “where she’s currently stuck” and then the picture of “what’s really possible,” you’re able to use her own words.

(That’s how you get someone to think, “Holy crap, she’s reading my mind!”)

But there’s one more thing you have to remember… you have the Curse of Knowledge.

That means you know what your ideal client NEEDS.

You know that she needs to identify her unique purpose, find her voice, rewrite her story about how lovable she is…

But that’s what you, from your vantage point on the far side of Knowledge, know that she needs.

She doesn’t necessarily know that she needs those things yet.

All she knows is what she wants.

Or, even if she has an inkling of what she needs, she’s much more likely to respond and take action when you talk about what she wants.

AND, even if she DOES know she needs what you’re selling, she’ll still choose which brand, company, or service provider to buy from based on her wants.

Long story short –

Yes, you can give your clients what they need…

But only if they hire you in the first place…

And they won’t hire you if they don’t think you can give them what they want.

So the next time you sit down to write an article, opt­-in page, or sales page… stop. Look back over all the notes you’ve gathered from your sales conversations – the notes that tell you, verbatim, what your prospects say they want. And write about that.

If you don’t have copious notes telling you what your people want, start by identifying their “wake-­up-­in-­the-­morning problem,” the thing that’s on your prospect’s mind as soon she opens her eyes in the morning.

Better yet, identify the “what­-keeps-­her-­up-­at-­night problem.”

Once you have the problem, ask yourself, What does she want instead of this?

YOU may know that she needs to learn how to listen to her body.

SHE’s worried she’s going to have to order the largest size out of all the bridesmaids.

SHE wants to lose 20 lbs before the first fitting.

SHE wants to be slim and look good when she stands next to Jessica and Laurie wearing the exact same dress.

Don’t get me wrong – learning how to listen to your body is a wonderful thing. And a lot of people want that. And even if they’ve never thought of it before, it can still sound like a nice thing…

But they don’t stay up at night worrying about it.

They worry about losing those 20 lbs by a certain date because there will be professional photographers to preserve the fact that they were noticeably the largest lady in the bridal party.

See if you can pinpoint those very vivid wants.

Because that’s how you’ll get people to sign up with you.

And that’s how you’ll (eventually) be able to give them what you know they need in order to transform their lives for realz.

Want help crafting a powerful message that helps you stand out and connect with your ideal clients? Grab my free workbook below!