Make Marketing Suck Less

Coach, consultant, CEO, mentor.

One of the biggest questions I am asked is, “Michelle, I don't know what to call myself. What should my title be?” And then it's always followed by this sentiment that they are so much more than a business coach, so much more than a copywriter, so much more than [insert whatever your title is here]. 

And most likely that title is an inadequate description of the value and transformation that you actually create for your clients. This means that means no matter what you call yourself, you're always going to feel that the results and the value your business creates is so much more than that.

So let's talk about why your title matters way less than you think and what you should do instead on this episode of the Rebel Uprising podcast.

If you're listening to this podcast, one thing I know about you is that you are so much more capable than any title you could possess, which is the problem with trying to find the perfect title for that business card or for your about page. The title we choose to use in our business really just reduces us to a role - author, speaker, CEO, consultant, web designer. 

And if you're multi-passionate or you have really deep expertise, that role will always feel too small. It doesn't capture how you do your work or the results you help your client achieve. There are three big reasons why you should stop worrying about what to call yourself.

Reason number one is your title makes you a commodity. 

And when I think of a commodity, I always think of milk. If you go to the grocery store and you need a gallon of milk, you go to the back and there's many options to choose from. So we usually choose the price because milk is milk. It's a commodity. It doesn't matter what brand you're buying. 

So when you call yourself a coach or consultant, you're basically saying, hey world, I'm milk. I am a commodity. And you might be thinking, “But Michelle, I'm a business coach or I'm a life coach,” and what I really hear is that I'm almond milk. I'm coconut milk. I'm 1% milk. At the end of the day, it's something you pour on your cereal or into your coffee.

So our title really makes us a commodity and keeps us from standing.

Number two, it's not capturing the result of the work you do, why people hire you.

A great example of this is my web designer, Natalie McGuire. If you've ever been to my website, that is her work. She is brilliant, but she has a very different approach than all the website designers out there, because when she designed someone's website, she's not going right away into like, what are your colors and fonts should be and what kind of imagery do you need.

Instead, she starts by talking to your best clients and helping you create a strategy for a website that actually serves as a tool for you getting sales and attracting the right people. So Natalie is so much more than a web designer because she's providing the result she gives her clients is yes, a beautiful website that makes them look like a pro, but it's a beautiful website that is designed with strategy so that you can increase your sales. It's a sales tool.

So a web designer would never capture what it is she actually does.

The final reason, your title is never going to match your vision or the impact that you want to create. 

Period. Full stop. That title can't communicate the magic, the change, the impact that you want to have in your community, on your clients or the world.

So the bottom line here is your title doesn't matter. Don't worry about it. No one cares what you call yourself. And your title is never going to be the reason why someone hires you or the reason why someone asks you to be on their podcast or to share a stage with them. It's not about your title. 

Your title, certainly can't do the heavy lifting of capturing the value that your business creates and that's what I really think we want our titles to do for us. But, you know, by me saying I'm a messaging and marketing expert, I'm establishing my expertise, but I'm also trying to establish the value I create and my title can never do it. It is woefully inadequate. 

That's because you and I are so much more than our titles, our businesses create more value than that title could ever communicate.

So don't worry about the title, but what should we focus on instead if the title doesn't really matter? Your 3 Word Rebellion.

The biggest result I help my clients achieve is radical clarity. The ability to communicate the value, the results and the impact, their work creates, a succinct message that is unique to them, and in some cases it's trade markable to them and their business.

Next week on the show I am interviewing my client and friend Caroline Mays. If you ask Caroline what her title is, she would tell you she's a copywriter or she writes bios and about pages. But when we worked together, what I realized and what she always knew, is that she delivers so much more than that. What she's creating for each of her clients is basically this one page work of art that highlights their experience, their expertise and packages it all in a compelling and beautiful story.

So as you'll find out in that episode, Caroline doesn't write bios. That's not what she does. She's not a bio writer, but the value she really creates in her business is she uncages is your epic credential.

Now tell me, what do you want? More of a bio or an epic credential? Because your message should elevate your work. Your client is not going to remember what you call yourself because they just don't care. But they're going to remember that they want an epic credential. 

And once you have that 3 Word Rebellion that gives you the clarity to show up and say, yes, this is my stake in the ground, this is how I'm different, and then you create the key messages that support your 3 Word Rebellion and takes your right people on a journey from initial curiosity about what it is you do and what that 3 Word Rebellion is all about to being bought into the work your business does.

Your 3 Word Rebellion puts you in a category of one, because that message is uncopy-able. It is uniquely yours and only your business can deliver on the promise of your 3 Word Rebellion. 

So your message is what powers your marketing.

You know exactly what to say to capture people's attention, create conversation and cultivate emotional connection, what I call the ACC way.

So don't put another ounce of thought into what you should call yourself because honestly, my friends, it does not matter. 

Put your energy into your message, your 3 Word Rebellion, because those are the words that will power your marketing, attract the right clients, and get your transformative work into the hands of the people who need it.

If you're struggling creating that 3 Word Rebellion and the key messages that turn strangers into clients and fully communicate the value your business creates, I'd love to talk to you about the 3 Word Rebellion Messaging Intensive. It's a 90 day one-on-one experience where all you do is show up with your messy ideas, put those ideas in a Google doc and I'll bring the structure, the analysis, the word nerdery. That will create that messaging that powers your marketing copy and sales, you can go to Dr.Michellemazur.com/talk to book a complimentary conversation to see if this is the right next step for your business. 

Until next time, remember, you are so much more than a title. Your work is more valuable than a title could ever capture.