There’s nothing more important for your business than an in-depth understanding and a profound appreciation of the power of beliefs — both your clients and your own.
The good news is you can see and study the power of beliefs at all times, everywhere you look — on TV, in movies, watching politicians and religious leaders, with salespeople, lawyers, doctors… and in conversations with your family and friends.
We’re actually swimming in a sea of beliefs, which is why we included this familiar story in the email template we created for one of our clients this week. You’ll recognize the little snippet that went like this:
“Two young fish who are swimming along one day when they run into an older fish who waves a fin and asks them, “Good afternoon boys, how’s the water?”
And you know the response—the two young fish turn to each other and ask, ‘What the heck is water?’”
So… because beliefs are easy to spot (it’ll be easier after you’ve read this post) to really “get” and master this topic, which gives you immense power in your marketing. You don’t have to buy a bunch of courses or read a lot of books if you use what’s all around you and have an inquiring mind.
In a minute I’ll give you examples that will set you on the path of deepening your grasp of this all-important subject that has such far-reaching consequences in your business and your life.
But first, let’s look at how beliefs actually work.
Beliefs That Control Our Life and Business
It’s important that you identify these beliefs because it allows you to take back control of your life, instead of being manipulated by invisible strings that make you dance like a marionette.
And in your business, recognizing beliefs gives you deep insights into the recesses of the brains of your prospects and clients.
With that knowledge, you have immense power in your marketing.
So… what are examples of common beliefs that form the foundation of our lives?
Here are a few:
– Parents should discipline their kids.– Money doesn’t grow on trees.
– The earth is flat.
– All politicians are snakes.
– Patience is a virtue.
– Everyone is doing the best they can.
– There’s no such thing as failure.
– If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.
– A stitch in time saves nine.
– Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
– Out of sight, out of mind.
– Rich people are greedy.
– Money is the root of all evil.
– Life is good.
– Life’s a bitch, then you die.
– Adversity makes you stronger.
– Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.
Or as Henry Ford famously said…
“Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right!”
Why Do We Believe Our Beliefs?
We’re indoctrinated with beliefs from cradle to grave… by our parents, friends, teachers, bosses, role models, the culture we live in, and… we make them up ourselves.
But even when we “get” them from others, there has to be an internal agreement that the beliefs are true in order for them to have any power in our lives.
And what a belief really is, is a hypothesis about what things mean.
For example, let’s say that every time you’re about to close a sale or enroll a client in your coaching program, they bail at the last second.
The belief you then choose will determine your success going further.
If you decide that, “Clients are too stupid to ‘get it,’” your attitude will shine through and you’ll inadvertently repel them even more.
But if you believe that, “The buck stops here,” you’ll look at what YOU are doing that makes prospects abandon ship at the moment of truth.
The beliefs you choose become the lens you see the world through.
And no matter what the belief, if you collect enough “evidence” the belief becomes more solid and becomes a fact that is now “true.”
This isn’t all bad, of course, because beliefs relieve the brain of having to figure everything out from scratch all the time.
In other words, it’s much easier to figure out once, that snarling dogs are dangerous, than to get bitten over and over.
As another example, let’s say someone tells you you’re stupid.
If you already struggle with whether you’re dumb or not, you may get defensive or attack your accuser.
But if you’re confident and comfortable with your intelligence, it’s as if they’re telling you you’re a green giraffe — there’s no emotional attachment to the belief.
I love the example of my great niece, when she was about 7 years old, a bully came up to her and angrily yelled in her face…
“Nobody loves you!”
She wasn’t intimidated by the intensity of his attack and she calmly and thoughtfully said, as if puzzling out a math problem with a furrowed brow and a finger on her chin…
“No, my Mom loves me, my Dad loves me, my brother loves me, my Grandma loves me…”
Since she didn’t believe it was true, the belief couldn’t stick — there was nothing for it to attach to.
But if the remark struck a chord in her own psyche, it would be more proof that she was unlovable.
And once believed, she would go about gathering evidence to support that belief. Some people carry this on for their entire lives.
Why a Deep Understanding of Beliefs Determines Your Bottom Line
One of my mentors said, you need a “preponderance of proof,” in your marketing, because proof is what holds a belief in place.
This is what we’re doing in our marketing all the time!
We’re making our prospects question their beliefs like:
– I can’t trust this guy.
– It’ll work for everyone else, but not for me.
– These testimonials are fake.
– Marketers are swindlers.
– I don’t have what it takes to succeed.
This is why, when we’re working with our members who need more clients, we have them WORK HARD at uncovering the intricate details of what makes them tick.
Here are the instructions that go with one of the worksheets from our “Click-to-Client Lifecycle Training:”
When you gain this deep level of insight into their needs, desires, fears, frustrations and beliefs you will be able to truly connect with them in your marketing.
This process will also help you to more clearly identify the kinds of clients you don’t want on your list. Side benefit: By shoeing undesirables away in your marketing you pull the desirable ones closer to you.
The idea here is to exercise your creative imagination. You may struggle with answering many of these questions. That’s good news. It’s telling you something …
Most businesspeople are too focused on the products and services they sell. They lack genuine empathy for the people who use them. Take this little exercise seriously and follow through with the remaining modules and you will absolutely slaughter your competition.
Now here’s an example from Worksheet 1-b of the process our members use to build a foundation most entrepreneurs only give lip service to.
We’re gaining a deeper understanding of our prospect’s worldview, their hopes and fears… in other words, their network of beliefs:
As tedious as this may seem at first blush, doing this process gives you persuasive power in your marketing — because you can laser focus your persuasion in a way your competition can’t.
It’s one small piece of our comprehensive training that automates, simplifies, and systematizes the client-getting process.
And understanding beliefs is a cornerstone of scaling your business.
For more insights into grabbing the ultimate competitive advantage, we’ve prepared a short video (check it out here) that shows you how to implement this automated process that makes attracting clients a dream… instead of a nightmare.
In the meantime, Happy Selling!
I’m curious. How did you first hear about Robert Collier? How has his writing influenced your life? I’m a member of the New Thought movement developed by Ernest Holmes. He lived during the same period as Robert Collier. I hope that more people in the world discover New Thought philosophy and learn to be more inclusive and compassionate.
I enjoyed reading your E-book. You filled it with great information that I will incorporate into my marketing immediately. Thank you for taking the time to write it!
Hello Diane,
Daniel here, I can’t speak for Jack, but I was first exposed to Robert Collier’s Letter Book, recommended to me by Joe Vitale. Later I also read Secrets Of The Ages, which is more of a “New Thought” piece.
I’m glad you enjoyed my book.
Keep reading,
Daniel