Stop Selling What You Do.
Start Selling How They'll Feel.
Picture the scene. You're at the school gates, or queuing for a coffee, or standing in the rain while the dog does its thing, and someone asks the question we all secretly dread: "So, what do you do?"
If you're a wellness professional, I'd bet money you answer with your job title. "I'm a reflexologist." "I do sports massage." "I run a pilates studio."
Nothing wrong with that. But it's not doing you any favours either. Because nobody wakes up wanting a reflexology session. They wake up wanting to sleep through the night again.
The trouble with leading with the "what"
Most of us were trained brilliantly in how to do the work. Almost none of us were taught how to talk about it. So we default to describing the mechanics: six sessions of one-to-one coaching, deep tissue and Swedish massage, reformer classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
All true. All completely forgettable.
When you lead with the what, you're asking a stranger to imagine why they'd want it. People are busy, and they won't do that translation for you. So you end up sounding like everyone else on the same street offering the same thing, and when everyone sounds the same, the only thing left to compete on is price. That's the trap.
People buy a different version of themselves
Here's the bit that changed how I talk about my own businesses. People don't buy services. They buy a version of themselves that feels different to how they feel right now. Calmer. Lighter. Able to get through a Monday without dreading it.
Think about the last slightly indulgent thing you bought. A holiday, a nice bit of skincare, a course you signed up for at 11pm. You weren't buying the flight, the cream or the PDF. You were buying how you imagined feeling afterwards.
Your clients are doing the same sums about you. The massage, the class, the programme is just the vehicle. The feeling is the product.
The reframe, in practice
Keep your method, but move it to the background and put the feeling at the front. A few before and afters:
- Before: "I offer therapeutic massage." After: "You'll leave with your shoulders down from round your ears."
- Before: "I'm a nutritional therapist specialising in gut health." After: "Clients arrive exhausted and bloated. They leave with energy that lasts past 3pm."
- Before: "I run a 12-week business accelerator for wellness professionals." After: "You'll stop dreading the money conversation and start charging what you're worth."
Notice the method hasn't vanished. But now the feeling is doing the heavy lifting, and that's what makes someone say "oh, that's exactly what I need" instead of nodding politely.
Find your own feeling
Grab a pen and answer three questions about your own work:
- How does your client feel walking in the door? Be honest, not flattering.
- How do you want them to feel walking out?
- What one word would they use to describe that shift to a friend?
That third answer is closer to your real marketing than your job title will ever be.
Where to use it
Once you've got your word, it belongs everywhere:
- Your website headline: feeling first, method underneath.
- Your Instagram bio: swap the job title for the transformation.
- Your pitch: at networking, the school gates, the supermarket. "I help people stop dreading Mondays" opens more doors than "I'm a life coach" ever will.
- Your pricing: people pay more easily for an outcome than for an hour of your time.
And no, this isn't about being salesy or overpromising. It's the opposite. It's simply being honest about the real reason people come to you.
Your one job this week
For one week, stop introducing yourself with your job title. Lead with the feeling and see what happens.
You are not your service list. You're the person who gets people from exhausted to energised, anxious to steady, stuck to moving again. That's what people remember, and it's what they tell their friends. And that, not your qualifications or your equipment, is what grows your business.
So, what's your word? Pop it in the comments or tell me at the next networking event. I'd love to hear it.Camille x