e don't like to swear. Truly.

 

Yeah, yeah, we know all about "authenticity" and being "real." But really, we're just not the swearing types.

 

However, to make a vital point, we're going to swear today. Multiple times. The vulgarity will gush.

 

You're going to feel dirty when you're done reading this. But you're also going to know exactly what to do to improve your business.

 

Brace yourself - and don't say you weren't warned.

 

 

There. We said it.

 

See, "box" is a four-letter word at our firm. We feel nasty just writing it.

 

Your--(cringe)--box is your view of the world. Your preferences and desires. Your perspective and attitudes. Your view of your offerings and qualifications and why your customers should care.

 

Guess what? Your prospects and customers don't give a hoot for your box.

 

They live in their own box, and if you want to sell them, you've got to crush yours and live from theirs.

 

Every time we consult with companies, we set the stage up front with something that can seem a bit off-putting:

 

"We are not your advocates," we tell them. "We are your customers' advocates."

 

 

We get paid to offer new, surprising, different, and workable insights and strategies.

 

We get paid to see your business as your prospects and customers see it. We get paid to uncover ways you can make your offerings more relevant and compelling to them.

 

And we can't discover those if we're blinded by your box.

 

 

We love you. We really do. And we really, really want to help you.

 

It's just that your box harbors your blind spots and limiting factors. Only by keeping out of your box can we identify and overcome those to help your business grow.

 

It is precisely by refusing to touch your box with a ten-foot pole that we're able to fundamentally, drastically, and legitimately serve you.

 

For example, we've consulted with dozens of financial services clients.

 

There's one question that tells us everything we need to know about their business: "How have your clients fared in the recession--have they lost money, maintained, or gained?"

 

You can guess what the answer is for 95% of them. Still, they want to spend hours explaining to us how they're different, that they "really care" about their clients, that they're more qualified and educated than other advisors, etc.

 

It doesn't matter if they have dozens of official designations with important-sounding initials oozing from their business card. Only one thing matters to their clients and prospects. Find out how to give them that and you've got a message worth sharing.

 

What do your prospects and customers care about? Why should they switch from a competitor to you?

 

Which of their problems do you solve (versus the problems you think you solve)?

 

What are your flaws and weaknesses in the eyes of your customers? Are you seeing them?

 

 

Empathy is the magic ingredient that will grow your business. That is the secret sauce, the x-factor of successful businesses.

 

It's what gets you out of your box and into the box of your prospects and customers. And when you see through their eyes, feel through their heart, experience their frustrations, envision their goals and dreams, you're able to craft your offerings and message to resonate with them.

 

Here are a few questions to help you do this, as provided by copywriter and consultant Jeff Sexton:

• What are their fears?
  
• What are their secret hopes and dreams?
  
• What (and who) do they most admire?
  
• Who (or what) holds power over them?
  
• What frustrates them?
  
• Where have they come up against limitations and failures?
  
• What's their current worldview when it comes to your offerings/message?
  
• What conventional wisdom do they subscribe to?
  
• Where is the system and the conventional wisdom letting them down and leading them astray?
  
• How do they see themselves?
  
• What's the biggest threat to that self-identity?
  
• What keeps them up at night?
  
• What do they wish for before blowing out the candles or while seeing a shooting star or when praying?

You can spend your life trying to sell people your box. Or you can simply give them what they crave inside theirs.

 

 

Now, enough swearing for one day. Go cleanse your mind by cultivating empathy for your prospects.

 

Get inside their heads. Figure out what they want. Then give it to them on their terms.

 

Empathy is the key that will unlock your limitations and boom your business.