#MondayInsight:

I was working with a client last week, and we got down to the nitty-gritty of his work, which is deep, raw, and radical. He sells to high-powered CEOs, helping them dig into their darkness to access real power.

At one point in our call, he said, “The good thing about going into the dark is that it shows you the truth. The problem with the dark is that it shows you the truth…

And the truth doesn’t necessarily mean you get the life you think you want. It might mean that it’ll tear the life you knew apart!

So I can’t promise that if they do this work with me, their life will magically be put back together. In fact, they may blow up the life they knew while working with me! But I can’t tell them that, right?”

I replied, “Yes. Yes, you can.”

I continued, “If you can’t promise that things will magically go back to how they were, don’t promise that. If they’re really the right prospect for this work, on some fundamental level, they’re not looking to go back. They’re looking for a new path forward. You can be honest about what you can and can’t promise.”

I added, “As an example, you could say something like, I don’t know exactly what your life is going to look like on the other side of this. What I do know is that you’ll have a new level of vitality, vision, and power—one that will reshape how you lead, live, and see yourself. And you’ll develop a count-on-able inner strength that’ll get you through whatever storms are thrown your way.”

Promise what you can promise and name the things you can’t.

Here’s what’s wild: somehow, we’ve been programmed to believe we can’t tell the truth—at least not the whole truth—in marketing. We’ve convinced ourselves that if we really say what’s true, people won’t buy it.

But I argue that if people know they need deep work, they’re looking for someone who can really take them there.

Deep down, they’re asking for someone who can pierce through their B.S. with the sword of truth. And once they hear the truth… they can’t unhear it.

At that point, they’re likely going to do one of three things:Bury their head in the sand and hightail it out of there! This is sometimes accompanied by a deflection, a projection, or demonization. But you can handle that because you know it’s not about you, right?

1. Recognize that you’re someone they need to work with at some point, but that now isn’t the time. These folks sometimes circle back around, especially if you stay in relationship with them over time.
2. They’ll be immediately magnetized to you, with a gut knowing that they have to work with you. This happens because you showed them a way out and a way forward by telling them the truth—even if it’s a hard truth.

The third group are always the people in the market who are truly hungry for, and willing to invest (often at the highest levels), in real, transformative work…

But they won’t see you or trust you if you don’t lead with the truth they need to hear.

For that audience, radical truth-telling is the ultimate differentiator in your market.

While other coaches and consultants may offer strategies, performance enhancements, or mindset shifts, radical truth-tellers promise deep and lasting transformation. This distinct positioning attracts clients who are serious about deep change and willing to invest a premium for it. This is true regardless of the market or niche.

By positioning yourself as one of the rare guides who dares to lead clients into the “dark” spaces where true power and change reside—you set yourself apart from other services and service providers and create the potential for life-altering breakthroughs for your clients.

Now, you may nod your head along with this and think, “I AM one of those rare guides!” and you’re probably right. But can people see it and even feel it in your marketing and messaging? Are you as fierce and loving in public as you are behind closed doors with clients?

If not, bridging that gap is your most direct path to not only being a radical truth-teller, but to being paid a premium for that gift.