You know you’re supposed to let your personality shine in your business — after all, “people buy from people,” right?
But how do you know what to share and what to leave out? How can you position yourself as an expert if you’re constantly having to Instagram your latest latte? And why would anybody care about your personal life, anyway?
The truth is, if you want to stand out from all the other people doing what you do, sharing bits of your personality is essential. But it doesn’t have to be awkward, to undermine your expertise or to be too revealing (I see you worrying, my introverted friend).
I’m Marsha, and I LOVE helping heart-centered entrepreneurs just like you learn how to use your stories to add personality to your business — and enjoy the engagement, excitement, and extra sales that comes with it.
The trick is adding personality without being over-personal.
Personality is the gold dust that makes people fall in love with you and your business. It gives them the trust they need to buy from you, and gets them excited about sharing your stuff. But being over-personal gets you into muddy emotional waters, sets you up to attract people who struggle with boundaries, and undermines your authority as the expert at what you do.
The best way to walk that line? Using carefully curated stories.
Stories are absolutely integral to the way we connect as humans — they instantly make us sit up and pay attention, not to mention make us feel deeply connected to the person that’s telling them.
And if you know how to choose the right ones and position them in your communication, you can create that feeling of connection without having to spill your guts all over the internet.
The results?
Your audience feels instantly connected to you. (Which sets the stage for some fantastic sales.)
You differentiate yourself from the 18,000 other people out there doing what you do on the Internet.
Engagement increases for your blog posts and newsletters (and anything else you say as the face of your business) like gangbusters.
Your writing and branding become incredibly effective — you pull in not just anyone, but your dream audience.
Rather than non-customers on your list, you start building an honest-to-goodness following of fans, who look forward to hearing from you
Things this will not do:
Require you to share every gritty detail of your life on the Internet.
Have people banging down your door because you’ve somehow created the impression that you’re in the market for a new best friend.
Open your most vulnerable bits up so the world at large can poke them.
Make you consider changing your name because now faceless randoms on the internet know way too much about your life.
I’ll show you how to get across you online — in a way that feels natural, comfortable, and has your dream audience not just wanting to hear from you – but wanting to buy from you!
Here’s how it works:
— Together, you and I excavate your very best stories and figure out the best way for you to start incorporating them into your business communication. (Think you don’t have any good stories to excavate? My 20 years of storytelling coaching, interviewing on air and for my (Bloomsbury-published) book and networking expertise say otherwise.)
— Once we’ve chosen a good one to start with, we figure out how you can tell it in a way that’s going to be the most impactful in your blog, newsletter, or web copy. Plus, I’ll teach you my secrets for making people feel like they’re getting the inside scoop on your life while still protecting your privacy.
— Then you go away and write it all up, using a special storytelling checklist that I’ve used to help everyone from World Domination Summit speakers to TED talkers. After it’s done, we’ll go over it again to make sure it’s really tight and effective, then release it into the world to work its magic.
Let’s put a little more you back in your business.
Ready to change the tone of your business conversation (without losing your privacy, sense of self, and that all-important boundary between you and business you?)
Let’s chat! Book in here for a 15 minute free (no obligation) call, or email me at hello@yesyesmarsha.com.
“If you have a chance to work with her – take it!”
“Marsha has a savant-like sense for story. But, she doesn’t stop there. She’s spent years not only telling her own stories to thundering applause on the stage and airwaves, but also helping to develop powerful stories for individuals and organizations. Along the way, she’s developed a proven-process to help anyone craft stories in a way that’s fun, entertaining, and leaves then with a clear, emotional narrative designed to make an impact. If you have a chance to work with her privately or attend a workshop, take it!”
Jonathan Fields, Founder of Good Life Project®, www.goodlifeproject.com
“In a week I’ve already written 3 new pieces of content quickly and easily – and am actually looking forward to doing more.”
“With sensitivity, humour and insight, Marsha helped me to dust off my tired old story so that it became shiny and new. Now, I have this great story to share in so many ways: as a talk, in a blog post, on my website or on social media.
I used to procrastinate about writing, but since working with Marsha, in a week I’ve already written 3 new pieces of content – very quickly and easily – and am actually looking forward to doing more. I feel inspired and re-energized.
I abso-tively (absolutely, positively without hesitation) recommend Marsha to anyone who wants to connect in an honest way with other people.
Anne Gage, Riding Coach/Horse Trainer, Mono, Ontario
“I now can answer questions about why I do what I do in a way that is not only interesting, but also feels very authentic to me.”
“There are many reasons why I do what I do for a living but, before I met with Marsha, I didn’t really have a clear and concise way of communicating those parts of myself to people. When I tried to, it always felt forced and unnatural. After a few sessions with Marsha, I now can answer questions about why I do what I do in a way that is not only interesting, but also in a way that feels very authentic to me. I don’t feel like I am selling myself. I feel like I am just telling part of my story.”
Kayti Doolittle, Copywriter, Kansas City, MI
“Marsha shows you that YOU CAN”
“Marsha short-circuits the endless loop of ‘I want to, but I can’t because…’ and by asking exactly the right questions and offering exactly the right suggestions she shows you that, in fact, YOU CAN.”
Sage Tyrtle, Storyteller, Toronto, Ontario
“Now I feel great about sharing my story”
“Before working with Marsha, I wasn’t sure how to talk about my story in a compelling way. Now, I have a story to share! And it’s totally, authentically me, so I feel great about sharing it. Marsha is brilliant, funny, and passionate about what she does – and that flows into every conversation and email. I would definitely recommend working with Marsha. She beautifully reveals the stories within each of us.”
Sophia Apostol, Life Coach, Toronto
“I LOVE my story now and no longer hold back sharing it with people.”
“Before working with Marsha, I had no idea how to tell my (business) story so that potential clients could decide that they want to work with me. Through our coaching sessions, experiences that I had rejected previously for business purposes made sense and made my story more unique and interesting. I feel now that my story is not only really engaging and interesting but also captivating and nails my WHY. I LOVE my story now and no longer hold back sharing it with people.”
Susanne Schwameis, Career & Leadership Coach, Vienna, Austria
“I didn’t even know I had a story, let alone know how to tell it.”
“Before I met Marsha, I didn’t even know I had a story, let alone know how to tell it. I had random thoughts about things that had transpired in my journey, but I didn’t have a firm grasp on how it all connected in a way that came full circle. Marsha helped me connect all the dots! Not only did Marsha help give me the confidence I needed to see the full value of what I have to offer, but she also gave me the ability to talk about it in a way that makes me feel comfortable. Now, people always read my sales emails and want to meet with me!
Lynn Burger, Health & Wellness Coach, Residual Income Coach, Eugene, Oregon
“How Marsha turned the hours of memories into a captivating and concise story line is beyond me. It felt like magic.”
“Although I have a lot of stories and I love to tell them, I’ve always struggled with how to bring them together cohesively to share my personal narrative behind my business. How Marsha turned the hours of memories into a captivating and concise story line is beyond me. It felt like magic. But the best part was, when I heard it, I had the feeling of the story having been there all along.”
Linda Ugelow, Performance and Confidence Coach, www.lindaugelow.com
“Marsha helped me out of the weeds, weave a story that was compelling for our target market, and wordsmith a few variations based on audience and type of conversation.”
“I recently contracted Marsha Shandur for assistance in packaging one of our complex digital product offerings for an upcoming conference I was speaking at. Through a series of questions, Marsha helped me out of the weeds, weave a story that was compelling for our target market, and wordsmith a few variations based on audience and type of conversation.
I definitely used the new way of talking at the conference, and with our customers and found it simplified the conversations and made it easier for people to understand. Months later, we are still using the language developed by Marsha to tell our story. I will definitely work with Marsha again. “
Laurie Paleczny, President, Dash Digital Group, www.dashdigitalgroup.com
“Marsha was able to hold the big picture and create a coherent, dramatic, and interesting map of my point a to b.”
“Before working with Marsha, I knew I had a story I wanted to tell but wasn’t sure how it connected to the work that I do. I wanted that link. I wanted to understand how I got from there to here. Marsha was able to hold the big picture of all these bits and pieces and create a coherent, dramatic, and interesting map of my point a to b. I would recommend Marsha to anyone who has a story they are dying to tell!”
Michelle Rothstein, Executive Coach, WorkModern
