#MondayInsight:

Anytime someone hires you, they’re taking a risk. There’s the obvious risk of them spending their time and money without knowing for sure that working with you will get them where they want to go. But there’s a hidden risk as well…

If you’re inviting people into transformative work, they’re going to have to risk truly changing. That means leaving the life they’ve known, changing their most intimate relationships, and altering their fundamental sense of self.

Transformative work requires that they confront whatever material is keeping them where they are. They’ll have to go to their depths to move through it and come out the other side. That kind of quest isn’t taken lightly, nor should it be. It’s fraught with risks—be they real or perceived.

The thing to remember in your messaging is that most of the perceived risks aren’t entirely conscious. Instead, there are hidden fears lurking in the subconscious with huge warning signs that say “do not enter.”

I hope you’re seeing the kind of risk someone is up against when saying yes to you—but even more, when they’re saying yes to themselves about doing transformative work, with your help.

That brings me to the risk I believe you need to take as a messenger…

After enrolling people in the dream—the potential your work offers—take the risk of telling the truth about what the journey entails.

Most marketing promises ease, but I encourage you to take the risk of telling your people that the work isn’t easy… that not everyone is ready for the journey… that they’ll face bumps and challenges along the way… that they might want to quit at certain points…

Be honest about the work.

That said, you can make certain guarantees:

– The guarantee that you know the terrain.
– The guarantee that you’ll be with them, supporting and guiding them as they do the work.
– The guarantee that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
– The guarantee that if they commit to the journey and take it with the right support (which could be through you), they will indeed get to the other side.

And you can share your experience of what’s actually on the other side. You can paint that picture, which helps provide much-needed hope and a reason to begin!

But don’t tell them it will be easy. Instead, tell them they’ll have to take a risk… but that they don’t have to take it alone.

When you take the risk of telling the truth, it actually opens up their willingness to take it in return.