Let’s compare these two expressions:
- “With my help, you can be exactly where you wanted to be in six months”.
- “I already made all those mistakes and now know how to avoid them, and therefore can help you to avoid them as well”
They both illustrate the value, but do it in very different ways: The first one uses the value to inspire – shows how good things can be. The second one uses the value to reassure. to show what could otherwise be bad, but will not be because of the value you provide.
Both are useful but in different parts of the conversation. The rule is [Inspire early, reassure late].
This way, you can more easily illustrate the full potential of the value conversation to hook the client, then remove obstacles from their mind as they think of them. Using it the other way around (first reassuring, then inspiring) risks driving them away by listing obstacles, then sounding defensive by building the case for value. Now, if you just look at this paragraph again, you will see an example of how this is done.
Finally, you can do a quick check-up: what part of your usual “pitch” is really here to inspire, and which to reassure? When are they mentioned, and does this follow the [inspire first – reassure late] rule? If not, you may get a better “bang” out of the same words by sequencing them in this way.