I was working with a client a few weeks back to help them identify their next level offer.

“Tina, I have a pretty good sense of what I want to do in this new package… but I’m stuck on what to call myself! I just can’t land on a title that seems to fit…”

My response:

“What you call yourself doesn’t matter – what matters most is the transformation”

Clients don’t hire you based on what you call yourself or your title – they hire you based on what you can do for them. What is the transformation – the deliverable – you are creating for your clients?

Your title is what can get you in the door – but the transformation is why they will hire you.

Imagine you are a leadership coach. If I’m looking for support to develop my team leadership skills I may do a search for “leadership coach” and find you. This could lead to a connection and conversation, but what I will really want to know is “how can you help me?” If you can clearly communicate to me that the transformation you provide is “the ability to develop and lead a solid, reliable team that does amazing work and brings their best each day” now you’ve got my attention! If you just say “yes, I can help you with your leadership skills” that might not be quite as meaningful to me.

If you are a social media VA, you might think “I’m here to create content and post on social media for my clients”… but what is the transformation? What is the result of a solid and consistent social media presence? Is it to build authority? Or to get a steady flow of leads coming in each month?

If you are an accountant you may find yourself in the box of “I’m here to do your monthly financial reports and file your taxes”, but is that the transformation you want to be known for? What if instead your work was all about helping your clients feel confident in their money decisions, and ensuring that they are able to pay themselves a good CEO salary each month.

Back to my client… he is amazing at the tech side of running an online business, and wanted to create his next level packages around providing high-level tech services. Calling him a Tech VA simply isn’t a fit as he brings so much more to the table. As we dug further into what he loved doing most and what he is best at, it’s helping clients implement their marketing plans through the use of technology. He’s seen a few too many scenarios where folks have an amazing marketing plan that falls apart when it’s not implemented correctly. When the pieces aren’t all working together as they should. The transformation he is bringing to his clients isn’t just “doing the tech stuff”, it’s ensuring that their marketing plans come to life and that everything is working correctly and efficiently to reach their marketing goals. Now that’s a hot transformation!

When you are clear on the transformation you provide – and are able to communicate that to clients – you will stand head and shoulders above the crowd of everyone else who has the same title as you.

I’m curious… do you feel clear on the transformation you provide for your clients?