Strategies for Bypassing Entrepreneurial Writer’s Block

Raise your hand if this sounds like you: you set aside a day or a block of time to work on promoting your business. You pour yourself something to drink, sit down, open a Google Doc, get ready to write some killer social copy, your next blog post, or maybe an email newsletter and…. *crickets*

You – 0, Blank Page – 1 🙋‍♀️

I totally get it. As entrepreneurs, we oftentimes wear all the hats in our business, from marketing director, copywriter, designer, operations manager, shipping coordinator, CEO and everything in between. Sometimes words don’t just flow onto the page.

But by the same token, as an entrepreneur and business owner, there’s no one more qualified to talk about your business than you. You have things to talk about, it’s just a matter of deciding what and when.

So, next time that entrepreneurial writer’s block strikes, try one of these strategies to find some inspiration.

Address False Beliefs

False beliefs are simply this: a belief that a potential client or customer has formed in their mind, usually based on a previous experience, that limits or prohibits them from purchasing your product or service.

 

False beliefs usually fall into 3 categories:

• False beliefs around the product or service (i.e. this product won’t work for me because…)
• Internal false beliefs – a belief about his or her own abilities (i.e. I’m not good with technology, therefore this product will be too complicated for me to use.)
• External false beliefs – a belief based on things outside of one’s control (i.e. I don’t have enough time to use this product)

 

Have clients ever expressed hesitations before booking or buying with you? What hesitations do you think clients might have that are mis-founded? How can you debunk those misbeliefs and reassure potential clients that your product or service will work for them?

Here’s an example.

Sarah is a life coach. Here are 3 common false beliefs she hears from potential clients.

• I don’t understand how life coaching will help me achieve my goals.
• I’m awkward on phone calls and am not good at opening up to people, therefore I don’t think a life coach can help me.
• I’m a busy mom of 3 kids, I don’t have time to go through a coaching program.

 

Sarah decides to write social posts to debunk these three false beliefs. She addresses each belief like this:

• By sharing a testimonial from a previous client who achieved her goals through methods Sarah taught her.
• By explaining her process, noting that she works with each client to create a way of working together that is suited to their personality and goals. Hate phone calls? No problem, because she’s available via text and Slack every day too.
• By sharing that she’s a mom too, yet carving time out for herself has benefited her greatly and helped her be a better mom.

 

Now you try! Brainstorm a list of false beliefs your clients might have and think of ways you’d debunk them. If you can’t think of any, try asking some of your previous clients what hesitations they had before buying, or create a poll on social media to see what false beliefs your audience resonates with.

Share your values

According to the 5WPR 2020 Consumer Culture Report, the great majority of consumers, no matter their age demographic, agreed that it was important to them to buy from companies that align with their values.

We live in a world where it’s hard to find something that hasn’t been done before. Chances are, there are other companies that make products or offer services that are very similar to yours. So, knowing what makes you different is one key way to help you stand out from the crowd.

Voicing your values and living them out every day is one way that you can set your company apart.

As an example, let’s compare two different grocery company’s values: Kroger and Trader Joe’s.

Right away you begin to see some overlap as well as ways the two companies approach the same industry differently. They both value integrity, but Kroger puts more emphasis on the “human spirit”, being uplifting, inclusive and diverse. Trader Joe’s puts more emphasis on the quality of their products, while being committed to their communities and sustainability.

What are your business’s values? What are your personal values? How do they both intertwine? Being transparent about what you stand for goes a long way towards connecting with customers that share and support those values, and therefore support your business too.

Talk about transformations and experiences vs features and benefits

Every product or service has both “features” and “benefits”. Both features and benefits are easy to talk about because they’re pretty black and white. For instance, let’s say you’re a photographer. The features of your photography package may be that you offer a 2 hour shoot, 2 locations, a digital gallery with up to 200 photos, and 2 8×10 prints. The benefits may be that through your photography you capture moments that will last a lifetime.

But what happens when you take it a step further? What changes for your client as a result of those features and benefits? How can your product or service change someone’s life?

For a photographer, maybe your approach is to make your clients feel comfortable and supported so instead of feeling awkward or insecure about their looks, they feel natural and comfortable in their own skin. You’re not selling photos, you’re offering confidence. Who wouldn’t want that?

Another way to think about it is to describe the kind of experience your client can have as a result of your product or service. Maybe scheduling a photography session allows your client to break from their normal routine and go on an adventure. Transforming a normal day into one that will last forever.

According to that same 5WPR 2020 Consumer Culture Report, one of the top 3 things consumers of all ages are willing to splurge on is travel / experiences. How can you make your product or service an experience?

Summing it all up

Addressing false beliefs, sharing your values, and talking about the transformations and experiences you offer are three strategies you can refer back to anytime writer’s block starts to creep back in. Why? Because they’ll never go out of date.

Changing people’s false beliefs may take time. You may need to demonstrate over and over again how those beliefs are false before potential new customers will be willing to change their mind.

Proving your commitment to your values also takes time and repetition. But when you live your values everyday and share what that means for you, people will start to notice.

When you present what you offer as a transformation or experience, you’ve debunked any false beliefs, and you’ve proven yourself to be a business that stands by its values, you’ve created an environment of trust and support that makes buying in an easy decision.