Meet Them Where They Are – And Why That’s Important

Why don’t you just meet me in the middle. I’m losing my mind, just a little. So why don’t you just meet me in the middle? 

So the question is, why don’t you meet them where they are? 

So often we’re having a problem and we’re missing our ideal clients. We’re missing the people who need us the most with our marketing and our messaging.

And you say, Hey, Meredith, what are you talking about here? I’m talking about the fact that oftentimes especially startup business owners, people who really wanna make a difference are out there telling people what they need, except for the fact that they might not be ready to hear you in what they need. 

Clear Messaging

I think this happens often in our marketing and our messaging and we are trying to sell them this thing over here, which yes, it absolutely does solve the problem that they have, but it’s not what they think the problem is. It’s not what is the problem that is facing their current attention right now, it’s different. And so we have to meet them where they are and then bring them along. Although this is backwards.

So the question that you need to ask yourself is where are they? Where are they actually in this customer journey that we talk about? Because we think we can meet them in the middle, but that is not true. We actually need to meet them where they are in their journey, in what they think their problem is, not what we know they need. And so there’s a big gap in our marketing and our messaging. And so I know how examples can be really helpful. 

So I’m gonna share some examples with you, for example, in the world of moming and parenting, because I know a lot about this one. So if you’re a parent coach or something like that, you know that what a mom really needs is a self care practice, but a mom is gonna be like, you’re so funny. I just won’t stop yelling at my kids. So what they’re thinking is I need to stop yelling at my kids. I need to fix my kids’ behavior. I need to not lose my temper or whatever it is and the answer to that is really that they need is time for themselves. A  practice to catch the space and time it’s a long journey, but what they think they need is three skills to stop yelling at your kids. Three tips and tricks to stop the yelling. That is meeting her where she is or three ways to stop the kid from melting down. That is how we meet them, where we are. 

And in the process, we give them the answer to the problem that they think they have. And we help them understand and unpack how they get from point A to point B and that what they really need is a self-care practice. But guys, no one’s gonna buy a self-care practice, especially if you’re an overwhelmed under slept, overwhelmed, overtired, overworked, mom, right?

Solve Their Immediate Problem

You wanna solve immediate problems now, immediate problems now immediate problems. 

So first we meet them where they are with their immediate problems. And we give that content away for free to help move them along the journey to get to know, like, and trust us our core offerings, our core problems may solve deeper needs, but we do want to have things that get people where they currently are.

Know Their Journey

So understanding your customer’s journey, understanding their frustration. And this is when we talk in marketing about a top of mind problem. Part of it’s also what they think may not actually be what’s missing. So you need to understand what they’re saying, what they’re speaking to. And we have to go over there and take them by the arm and go, okay, I can help you with this and I can help you with this. But what I really wanna help you with is this. 

For example, I’ll use my business as an example. A lot of people know they need to be more visible. They know they need better reach. They know they need to be more visible, more seen. They need to have things that entice people. They focus on where they think they need to be. I need to have a bigger community, a larger audience so that I can make more money.  Well, what I know is they need to be more confident in who they are to express themselves well online, because that confidence helps people, helps them be more attractive. 

But what I sell them and talk to them about is how they grow their community, because that’s what they think they need. And what I eventually share with them is they need to know the end in mind. They need to know what their offers are. To design that journey. They need to have a sales system. They need to start with what they’re delighting and delivering their clients with and every part of the piece on the practice. They need that foundational work and messaging. But what they say is that I need a bigger community to talk to. I need more potential clients. I need more leads or I need to be more visible and more confident. 

So in my programs and services, I help them design that process with the end in mind. And while doing that, I help them with a little more self love, which gives them the confidence they need to show up and be seen when they’re ready. So our messaging is about meeting them where they are. It’s about taking them step by step along the journey until they’re ready to take the next step with us.

And that’s why we have to know where the end is and know how to find them because there are different places along the journey where people may be. And so that’s why we have multiple entry points into our sales system, multiple points. Some people who are way far out on this journey, we have to meet them where they are, give them a piece of content.

And then we have people that are this far along the journey and we have content that meets them where they are. And then we have people that meet them over here. 

So you have multiple pieces of content, multiple information that meets them along the path and brings them closer and closer to where you want to take the deeper dives with them. But if you don’t know where that starting point is or the ending point is you can’t create the journeys along the way. You can’t create the content. That’s gonna entice them to take it step by step. And again, it’s about understanding what they think the problem is. This is why so many business programs say, Hey, do some client interviews. I think every program I have ever done has talked about interviewing clients and guys, I have done a lot of programs. I have coached a lot of programs and it’s a fabulous thing to do.

It’s an amazing way to help our clients move across this journey. So know where your clients are, know what it is that they think their problems are. Which is what we call the top of mind problems. It’s the thing that they’re saying. Oh my goodness. My kid is melting down all the time. How do I stop it?

That’s a two part answer A it’s how you’re being in the space. I got a solution for that. It’s B how to help them breathe through their meltdown and diminish those. So as a parent coach, for something like that, you might have multiple solutions, a mom solution and a kid solution. And it’s what they are thinking about.

If you’re talking about, I have an amazing client. I have been mentioning Xonna. I interviewed her last week. Xonna helps people with their health and wellbeing, but ultimately she wants to have their health and wellbeing be the support of having them live their dreams, having them sink in with their soul’s purpose. And so she is meeting them where they are because the top of mind is they need to lose 10 pounds.

So she has a weight loss program that helps them. And after that, it helps them understand that there might be some underlying conditions, but she’s not gonna start with underlying conditions. She’s gonna start with the results, the top of mind thing when they go, oh, menopause is making my belly big. So she’s gonna talk about that top of mind problem.

And I’m gonna think the solution is this, but really Xonna’s got a better solution for me. That’s gonna help me with the long term of my menopausal belly fat, whatever it may be. I love to point out all the lovely things about myself. 

So those are my questions to you. How are you gonna meet them? Where are they? What do they think their problem is? How do you help them solve that? And then help them understand that they have a different problem. 

My original messaging for my fabulous membership Love then Lead. If you didn’t know, I have an amazing membership Love then Lead for heart centered entrepreneurs who would like to grow their communities. Grow their profits, have a sales system that works right. That helps them grow. Make more money, which is what people want.  

We want successful businesses. We wanna do it in a sustainable way. I have clients that are afraid of burnout, cuz they might be overworking, super hard, high achieving workers like myself.

So I help them understand that they have to design the products and services. Again, starting with the end of mind, I have to help them understand. But that’s where it starts to create a business. That’s sustainable. It doesn’t start on this side of the funnel and what we’re giving them. So it’s those foundational things that we have to teach, but we have to meet them where they are. 

I can talk about the fact that they might be overworking and have burnout. And here are a couple of steps to avoid burnout in your business. And then I’m gonna work with them to help them really create a program, products and services that are a hundred percent aligned with who they are naturally their strength, their gifts and their talents. 

I might talk to somebody about the fact that they have problems getting things done because they get easily, whoop squirrel, distracted by the shiny objects in squirrels. Cause maybe they’re ADHD like me and oh wait, maybe they have a problem where they’re talking about. I can’t seem to plan. I never know what to do.

When I sit down at my job, which means I never get anything done. And so then I might offer them maybe just maybe a planner based on your neurodiversity for heart centered entrepreneurs who have something like that. That might be coming out soon. 

Work Within Your Skill Set, Outsource when You Can

So I’m meeting them where they are helping them get more done in their business, utilizing their brain. They may think that they just don’t know what it is or they may think that they’re procrastinating, because they’re not clear. I’m gonna help them understand what part of their ADHD brain has them procrastinate. And then I’m gonna help them understand how to get things done, working with their skills instead of against it. I don’t need to learn how to organize.

I’ll need to outsource it. So first we’re meeting them where they are. We’re understanding what they think the problem is and giving them a nice solution depending on where they are on the map, where they are on their customer journey. And we’re gonna give them different solutions for the things that they think is solving them.

And then we’re gonna help them understand that this is actually what you need to get the results that you’re looking for. So that’s what we are going to do. And that is why we need to understand all of the different entry points of where people are in the transformation that we help in the results that we serve them up. How do they get the results that we serve them up ultimately, and walk it all the way back to the beginning and understand. What are they saying? 

Interviewing our clients is a great way to do it. Listening to what people are saying, be in groups that talk about the challenges that you help people with. I belong to a group of ADHD entrepreneurs. Let me just tell you it’s the best market research place ever. And I feel seen felt and a herd in there. 

It’s a community I belong to so well. And I’m so excited to be designing this planner with all of the things that I know from being certified and trained in Sanity School, which is helping kids. I’m taking the knowledge that I used as a parent coach and using it from an entrepreneur stand point.

That way you’re not working against yourself. Oftentimes we talk about, we know this is what you need, self care, you need to eat right. And exercise. You need to give up blah, blah, blah. And people think I don’t wanna, what I really want Is to be skinnier. What I really want is to look better on camera.

So understand what is the problem that they really wanna solve? What is the problem that they think they need to solve? You are the one that’s the expert that helps them understand how to get from point A to point Z. 

So go forth and meet them where they are. Make sure that you understand how to get them along the journey. This is gonna help your marketing and messaging. And the best way to do this is to be clear.

Where is the ultimate place that they want to be going again? It’s often about what pleasure island looks like and what do they say?

What do they think is in their way of getting to pleasure island? Not what you know, right? Because you know your area of expertise, you know that working on their deep core wounds is gonna help them. But nobody wants to say yes. I wanna look at my deep core wounds and my triggers to stop yelling at my children. No they just want to stop yelling.

They wanna get a handle on the rage monster that is raging inside. That has them easily triggered. They don’t wanna work on the causality of it. They just wanna stop yelling. They wanna stop inflicting damage on their kids. They wanna know they wanna just figure it out. And some people might think that it’s the kid’s fault and not the adult’s fault.

And so you gotta speak to that as well. 

So why don’t we just meet me in the middle. I need to groove down just a little and meet you right where you are. I will see you next Friday. For another episode of Meredith Canaan show, I am your heart centered neurodiverse business coach, helping you make more money in your business, in a sustainable and amazing way. That feels awesome. So you can let your true colors shine on through. No, you don’t have to sing like me, but you can do whatever it is your way and enjoy your business and have it feel amazing.