Future Work/Life is my newsletter in which I explore ideas focused on the future of work and how to design legendary careers. If you find it interesting, please share it!
Wow, I am busy at the moment! Working on some very interesting projects - more of which to follow, but for today that means:
a) I’m keen to hear from anyone who struggles to recall their achievements - in the distant and not-so-distant past. Wish you had a way to immediately retrieve those lost memories? Feel like time is slipping away and you’re not making the progress you’d like? Then get in touch…
b) I haven’t had a chance to write something even vaguely coherent for this week’s newsletter.
…HOWEVER…
I have been asked a variation of the same question four times this week, which probably tells you something about the world right now:
“Any ideas on how to use our content strategy to win new business?”
So, given you could apply the same principles to getting a new job, attracting talent or winning new clients, I thought I’d share something I wrote on this last year.
Good luck out there and have a lovely weekend!
Ollie
P.S. Listen to this week’s pod interview with Allison Baum Gates, in which she shares insights from her book on Breaking into Venture, and how to build a legendary career (one important element of which is having a POV, by the way).
How a clear point of view creates new opportunities
The question 9/10 SME leaders are asking me right now?
How can we increase inbound leads and convert more clients?
The answer I give?
Make it impossible for prospects to miss the value you'll offer them.
When the market slows down, it's tempting to focus on short-term sales and marketing tactics.
Buy a new list
Pay for new leads
Create more content
Send 100s of cold emails
Have more people make more calls.
From over 10 years of running SMEs, I know that those tactics are expensive.
They cost time AND money.
Instead, at times like this, it's more important than ever to tell the world why you're different.
How do you that?
Clarify your point of view (POV) – your unique insight about the future of your category.
Explain how your prospect will transform by adopting this POV – why will life be better?
Make sure your POV is heard by the right people – those making & influencing purchases.
If you haven't done step 1, you can't do step 2.
If you haven't done step 2, you can't do step 3 = No Increase In Sales
Why?
Without a POV you just blend in with everyone else banging on about the same things.
So, what makes a great POV?
You have to be addressing a real problem that your customer FEELS.
Tell the STORY about what life will be like when you help them solve the problem.
Frame it in terms of your CATEGORY, not your product - people care about their lives improving, not what you're selling.
Keep it SIMPLE. Don't overload people with jargon. Use the words that your customers use.
Leave your customers needing to speak to you to discover MORE.
In the short and long term, the best route to increase sales is:
A clear POV...
...framing the prospect's transformation...
...told to the right people in the right places.
Tactical shortcuts won't grow your business, so take a breath before spending more.
Go back to the beginning and consider your value and why it's unique.
Keep returning to the problem your customer is experiencing or the new opportunities you can create for them.
If you'd like to learn more about crafting a POV and finding the audience to tell it to, get in touch.
My bestselling book, Work/Life Flywheel: Harness the work revolution and reimagine your career without fear, is out now. You can order your copy HERE (UK) or HERE (US).
Here’s what Christopher Lochhead - Godfather of Category Design, author of Play Bigger and, crucially, a man with a strong POV himself - said about it:
"Ollie Henderson gives you the tools to create a legendary career by embracing being different, harnessing your creativity and building a system to share your ideas. Forget chasing work/life balance and build a Work/Life Flywheel instead.”
