You might be really good at solving specific problems for your buyers and clients, but very often buyers don’t become clients, because we move too fast, jump to conclusions, and end up trying to ‘trade in incompatible currencies‘.
A client might say: “I want a website with custom branding and e-commerce built in”, and on the surface that seems straightforward enough.
But below the surface, there’s a lot more that they’re looking for from you.
"A site that works, doesn’t break, and that’s easy to manage and update".
Or: "A site that enables me to earn more from the traffic I’m getting".
Or: "An online presence that I’m proud of".
You can’t assume that you know what’s behind the obvious or surface-level issue – and even when you ask deeper, you’ll only learn what they tell you, which may or may not be the complete picture.
So if you then go answer – and try to fulfill – the surface-level wishes, you likely speak to something that isn’t the real, true, deeper desire… and you might lose the client.
Whenever you try to help someone, serve someone, or try and do something in order to solve a problem for someone… but they’re not having any of it?
Very likely, you’re trying to trade in incompatible currencies.
Your job then is to figure out what it is that the other person actually wants.
That’s how you move forward with people, and yes: that’s how you get more of your work picked up and sold.
To do that, and to make sure that you’re speaking to your buyer’s actual needs, use the L.I.V.E. model.