This is one of the most powerful exercises I have to share in doing business. It draws the right people to you, helps your ideal peeps feel more at home, and pushes away those individuals who aren’t a good fit without any hard feelings. It’s also free and fast, so holy crap you should keep reading. 😉
“Playing psychic” means you’re going to make a series of statements that feel specific but that are actually quite broad, just like psychics do when they’re giving a reading.
For example (imagine my eyes rolling back in my head while I gaze into a crystal ball): you have a father and you own a pair of pants. You hate trying on bathing suits and love ice cream.
See? Easy. You could be like, “Holy crap! HOW DID YOU KNOW!!!??” or you could see what I’m doing: playing psychic.
Here’s why telling your people who they are matters: people want to feel seen. They want to feel as if you know exactly who they are and what they want. When you tell them exactly who they are and what they want, they freak out and heart you really hard.
If you’re reading right now:
You’re a creative, intelligent entrepreneur.
You’re not terribly offended by swear words.
You want to make meaning, connection, and cash as a result of your work in the world.
And (of course!) you want to go your own way, ’cause life as usual is for the birds.
Playing psychic in these statements enlightens the reader by helping them to know they’re in the right place.
If the first statement on a website in no way aligns with the reader’s values, they’ll probably go away.
That’s good. We like going away. People who don’t fall into these loose categories you’re creating aren’t going to be a good fit for your business.
The tougher the filters your clients have to pass through to work with you, the more confident you can be in the compatibility of your services and their needs.
The people who get your vibe and are your ideal clients will gobble up what you’re saying. The peeps who feel all ‘eeeeesh’ or ‘eh’ or ‘meh’ or ‘no thanks’ about you will hit the road, never to be heard from again.
Playing psychic helps them to go away faster. With less pain and wasted time and refunded money.
Statements like the ones we’re about to create make the time between a client’s meeting you and saying ‘yah’ or ‘nah’ much shorter, so you can focus on clients who GET you. Clients who GET you hire you, refer you to others, and come back for more when they need it.
Your turn! Think of the one dream client you’d like to clone over and over again. Write directly to that person in these statements, as you’re trying to attract more of the same.
You’re __________________ and probably __________ as well.
You are ______________ and _____________________.
You are not ______________________________________.
You love to ______________________, especially when _____________________.
Your ______________ could use a little help, and that’s where I come in!
Let’s try it again, Mad Libs style:
If you’re here, you’re probably __________________.
You’re ______________ and _____________________.
You’re definitely not ______________________________________.
You love to ______________________, especially when _____________________.
You know your ______________ could use a little help, and that’s where I come in!
Now, go off the rails and strike out on your own. Tell me 10 things about your ideal clients. You’ll find that they tend to share characteristics like “love fresh flowers” or “hate jazz music” or “really dig True Blood” or “like to be near water.”
Those characteristics aren’t coincidence — they’re signs of an ideal client! So think of every client you’ve ever loved, and play a game with yourself to see how many characteristics those peeps have in common.
No matter where you decide to feature this playing psychic copy, this tiny piece of writing is going to attract more of the right people for your business to you!
Hint: if you can’t think of things your people like or want to do or struggle with — what are the things YOU like or want to do or struggle with? Start there, and I’ll bet you’ve got at least 80% of what you write down in common.
P.S. How to be weird in a way that attracts your peeps and builds your business
