Note from Ilise: This is an unusual guest post by Deidre Rienzo, of Connect with Copy, and one of the reasons I love it is because Deidre has thoroughly integrated her marketing into her life. I think you'll see what I mean! (And if you like what you read, be sure to scroll down to sign up for Deidre's un-newsletter too.)
Back in September, I got hit by a car while I was walking. I don’t remember the actual accident. In fact, I had trouble figuring out my name when the paramedics asked me. And I had no idea who was president.
My body was banged up, my brain was concussed, and my tooth was missing.
I remember a stranger standing over me telling me I’d been hit by a car.
Next I remember my husband being there, telling me I was going to the trauma center.
Then, I remember being in the ambulance.
It was definitely the scariest thing that has ever happened to me.
Why am I sharing this?
Because, believe it or not, as I laid on the stretcher, being examined and wheeled from test to test, and waiting for results — I thought to myself: Oh my goodness, this is going to make a great guest post for Ilise's blog!
Here’s why:
I was terrified.
I was disoriented.
I was more vulnerable than I have ever been.
I had pretty much no idea what was happening.
And the things I wanted most — from deep inside my body — were:
- Human kindness
- Someone to tell me what happens next!
The nurse who told me he was going to keep me near him and keep me safe — I could have kissed him! When he said, “The doctor is going to review your X-ray soon, and then I’ll let you know what’s going on,” I could have cried with relief. Actually, I did. His care and his updates were more important to me in those long hours than anything else.
In scary hospital situations and in business — people are a little bit vulnerable. Not hit-by-a-car vulnerable, but still. They are uncertain, nervous, and maybe feeling a little overwhelmed and alone. They are embarking on something new, and they want to know: What the heck is going on? What can I expect? What happens next?
Moments like this can be made so much easier with kindness and guidance.
When I have a consultation with a new client, I lay out very clearly what working together would look like.
And then during my process, I keep in touch at every step.
Everybody knows what’s going on at all times. Just the way I like it!
Too many wild, out-of-our-control things happen in our lives. Let’s just keep our work process clearly defined so our prospects and clients can feel at ease, k?
If you need help doing this, schedule a free mentoring session with Ilise or check out Jill Anderson’s Client Onboarding Toolkit.
If you want to hear the whole story, check out: I got hit by a car. Here’s what I learned.
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Hi, I’m Deidre. In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a copywriting partner to web designers , my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and what I’m learning as I go (with Marketing Mentor as my guide). To keep in touch, sign up for my un-newsletter here and get my freebie download, 12 Sparks to Write Sizzling, Audience-Attracting Website Words.