Creating an empathy-forward sales strategy with messaging & positioning strategist Danait Berhe

Akua Konadu  

We know as independent business owners, understanding your target audience, and communicating effectively is a critical step when it comes to selling our products and services. And in order for them to buy from us, we need to deeply understand their buying decisions. So how can we do that? Well, tonight bear he joins us on the show to tell us how tonight is a messaging and positioning strategist who helps business owners communicate their offer through empathy driven sales strategies, she breaks down how we can position ourselves as thought leaders in our industry, through our messaging to move our audience into action. Get ready, because this episode is packed with so much value. Everyone, this is your host, Akua konadu. And you’re listening to the independent business podcast, more people than ever are working for themselves and building profitable businesses in the process. So on this show, I get to sit down with some of the most influential authors, entrepreneurs and creators to break down the science of self made success so that you can achieve it to

Akua Konadu  

Hello, tonight, how are you? Good, good.

Danait Berhe  

Thank you so much for having me on. How are you?

Akua Konadu  

Oh, I am doing Oh, so well. And I’m just so stoked to have you on the show. Because I think number one as a you are a position and messaging strategist, I think what you do is just so so key to business success. And so I’m really excited just to hear more about your empathy, forward sales strategies and how we can start implementing that into our business. So thank you so much for being here.

Danait Berhe  

I’m so excited to be here. I like I love this podcast. So I was over the moon when you were like, Hey, let’s have a chat.

Akua Konadu  

We’ll go you know, we love you. So let’s get let’s get into it. Okay, I’m really curious to know more about your business journey. And essentially, what led you to focus on messaging, positioning, and, you know, empathy driven sales strategies.

Danait Berhe  

Yeah. So I never thought that I would be running the business that I’m running right now. I actually went to school for the sciences and in psychology. And really, I’ve been fascinated with buying psychology since I was I read my very first book about buying psychology when I was like a freshman or sophomore in high school, I was just so fascinated by how we make decisions, like why do we pick the specific thing that we pick when we go to the store? And so that’s always just been in the back of my mind, something that is just like, a fun, fun little hobby, if you will, I know weird hobby for a high schooler. But I left college, and when I started working, I was like, Yeah, this is not. This is not for me, as most entrepreneurs kind of get that sense. When they’re working in the world. They’re like, yeah, now this, I can’t do this forever. That’s not gonna work. But I had a lot of sales experience. And my husband, who was my boyfriend at the time was like, Well, why don’t you just like, try and do something on your own. And I was like, Absolutely not. Like, I don’t know how to run a business. I want to run a business. But I’ve always wanted to, but I didn’t know like how to do that what to do. And that’s actually when I found the rising tide society online and started seeing what people were doing. And I was like, Oh, wait, like, I don’t have to have like a store like I can do this completely online. So I started by doing branded web design, because I had experience doing that in the past. And and so I was doing that I got my first client, the first week, I opened my business. And that was literally the spark. It was not all Sunshine, sunshine, and roses and butterflies after that. But it was like all I needed to be the spark that was like, Oh, I could totally, I can totally do this. But one of the things I realized when I was working with entrepreneurs on their branding, and their website was that a lot of them struggled with articulating the value of what they did, they had a lot of trouble with being able to sell what they did consistently. And so that led me to adding strategy as part of the work that I did in my studio. And really helping people define their message to find what makes them unique, really helped them identify like, why would someone want to work with you in the first place before we ever build out a brand. And the more I did that, the more I realized that that’s like actually where my strengths were. Because it combined all of my research experience, my psychology experience, all of the sales experience that I’ve had working in sales for close to a decade at that point. And so I decided to fully shift my agency which I had been running for a few years at that point to focusing specifically on sales and messaging and positioning strategy. Because I think that that’s where a lot of people struggle, the making things beautiful part is really easy to do once you have all of those building blocks in place. And so yeah, that was kind of the journey that I took to to get to where I am. I

Akua Konadu  

literally just remembered I forgot that used to design. That’s how long we’ve been Don’t each other. And I was like, oh, yeah, like that was the first thing like when I met you, you were a designer. And I completely forgot about that. Because this number one, the transition was really smooth honestly, like, even the way that I think a lot of like the skills that you teach now you apply that so on in your own business to where the transition just happened very smoothly of how you communicated that how you positioned yourself your messaging, because yeah, I completely forgot that you were designed. Yes, when we first started, like when we first met, because we’ve collaborated on various things throughout the years, and obviously know each other, you’ve come on my, my other podcasts. And so like, we I’ve actually had that relationship, I’ve always just known you, I felt like as the V go to person for positioning and messaging and sales strategy. So kudos to you. But I’m glad

Danait Berhe  

that thank you for saying that. Because I think that that’s a testament to the work that I do with my clients. And that actually, it works, because for a long time, I felt like an if it’s kind of like what everyone says about, you know, you can’t read the label from inside the bottle. And it’s hard for us to see if like, Is this making sense to other people? Are they seeing this shift in my positioning? Or are they understanding the messaging and so that’s really encouraging to hear, because it felt like a really long transition for me when I when I made that transition initially.

Akua Konadu  

But I think it just goes to show that again, I say this all the time, just with entrepreneurs, like the journey can shift, right? Like, you just have to step into it and lean into it and lean into your gifts, which is what you seem to do. Like, obviously, you’re very talented designer, but you’re like, Hey, I’m seeing the gap here in my industry. And these are the gifts that I have that I know I can provide and solve these issues. So let me lean into that. And like I think it’s it’s been amazing, because you’re so good at what you do. And so another question that I have is, I’m really interested, let’s let’s break down here, some of the gaps that you’re seeing. I know you briefly mentioned it, but I kind of want us to go deeper into some of the gaps that we’re seeing where business owners are essentially just struggling with their positioning and messaging, and essentially their sales

Danait Berhe  

over the last few years, what I have noticed a lot is as the market becomes more saturated, which is going to happen with any market. There’s more people and especially with something like online entrepreneurship, where it’s such a low barrier to entry, really, you need an internet connection, and a laptop that works and you can be on your way, which is amazing. And I love that I love that people have that opportunity and that access. But I think it also gets to be very overwhelming, especially when you’re newer, especially when you are just getting started. Or even if you’ve been in the game for a while and things you’re seeing things change rapidly like from when I started till now, the amount of technology that we have access to now, and I haven’t even been in my business that long compared to some people who’ve been in it for a decade or two, right, there’s just so many changes, and that can become overwhelming. And when you don’t take a step back to really hone in on your own genius and your own brilliance, you get swept away in all of the things that you feel like you need to need to do or should be doing or whatever, whatever all the advice is out there. And I think that’s where I see a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with their positioning is that they are looking at other people and seeing what’s working for somebody, somebody else, and then they start to mirror, that positioning, or that messaging in their own business. And that’s not gonna work. That’s it’s just not because you are not that person, you don’t have the same experience or background or expertise as that person, even if you’re in similar industries, or you do the same kind of work that they do. You are uniquely you because of all of the things that you have experienced all of the experience that you have all of the unique interactions in education and work experience, educational experiences, whatever, you are the only person who has lived your life to be able to have the perspective that you do. And so that is where your positioning strength is going to come. It’s not going to come from following somebody else’s blueprint on how you should be putting your messaging together. It comes from within. And so I think that’s where I see so many people’s struggles that they feel like, Oh, if I just do it exactly like how that successful person has done it and I follow in their footsteps, then I’m going to see that same level of success. And then when that doesn’t happen, I see that people get so disappointed and they feel like maybe this isn’t for me, maybe I’m not cut out for this, when that is not the case at all. It’s just finding that unique blend of your special sauce that you have to put out into the world.

Akua Konadu  

I love that so much because I think that’s such a good. A good reminder is right we see people and we see their success. We see how well their businesses, but we don’t see the amount of like sleepless nights that it took them to get to this point, the amount of failures, right the amount of disappointments that it took them to get to that specific point, the amount of trial and error and experimentation to get to that point. And so I think it’s just such I just love what you shared with that of like, How can I lean into me and stay in my own lane. I was at the time, I like to put blinders on, right, like anything, because I have absolutely had that issue. And I haven’t been in business that long either. But I did quickly realize to within, like, the first year or two, like I kept doing things, even services, I was doing services and a lot of things in my business that were similar to what my competitors were doing, because I feel like they were more successful than me. I thought, if I do exactly how they do it, I’ll be able to be successful. And I learned the hard way. I was like, I can’t do it. Like at all I was not getting I wasn’t hitting my goals that I wanted to I literally was contemplating is entrepreneurship truly for me. And it wasn’t until I like sat down and rebrand it and not saying that you have to do that that big of a thing. But I again, to your point of really sitting down and like what are the things that I’m actually good at a COA? And like, what are the things that I enjoy doing? And brings me joy? And how can I lean into that to where I have now built a service and a business where a lot of people don’t do what I do, and which it makes me feel good, right? And it’s just and it’s all leading into my gifts and how I show up and how I want to be able to serve entrepreneurs. So I just love that. Because I think like, I just think of my own journey. And that is so so true, like, lean into your gifts, lean into what it is that you have, because what you have is more than enough to be able to solve people’s problems. So I love that so much. So

Danait Berhe  

true. And I will say also, that, I think because we’re always taught to look at people who are like, our peers, and kind of see what they’re doing. Like in school, we’re like, Oh, what do you what do you what are you doing on your paper? Like, what are you writing about? And when it comes to entrepreneurship, we have to switch that mindset to focusing on our audience. That is where the magic is, I think so often we’re looking around at like, oh, what’s the person at like, on their paper? Like, what are they doing over there? And oh, that business owner is doing this, like, maybe I should follow that strategy and see if I can copy it, when in reality, what we need to do is blend like what you said, What do I enjoy doing? What do I enjoy delivering as a service, because that delivery piece, we forget all about that when we’re looking at what other people are doing. And we’re like, oh, that person has a membership. They have a service one on one, they have a group program, okay, I’m going to do all of those. And it’s like, do you like delivering the services? And it’s like, no, because it’s like, okay, well, you have to deliver that if you offer it. So let’s, let’s take a minute and find out what we actually want to deliver on and provide as a service. But then also blend it with what does your audience actually need, maybe for you and what you do, and the problem that you solve. It’s not solved by a group coaching program. Maybe it’s solved as a one on one service. Maybe it’s solved in a membership capacity. Maybe it’s solved as a digital product, whatever that looks like. Like, that is where we need to focus. And that’s really what I I really love to focus on and gets me excited is like, what does the audience care about? What does the audience need to hear? Because that’s how you get people to a buying decision is knowing what does our audience actually need from us? And then we can deliver on those things and find that like magic button of what are we excited to deliver on? And what does the audience actually need for us to help them solve their problem in the most effective and efficient way possible? And that that’s where that magic happens. It’s not from looking at other people’s papers. Yes.

Akua Konadu  

Oh, I love that so much. So many great reminders. And so you mentioned this earlier about buying decision, which is something that I really want us to hone into. Let’s talk about that. Can you just break down essentially, just as much as you can bring these books since you were 18? I think which is wild. But let’s break down just a psychology of our buying decisions. Why do we choose the things that we do when it comes to making big purchasing decisions? Yeah, so

Danait Berhe  

when we are making buying decisions, really what’s happening, there are a few things that we have to consider. A lot of times we’ve been taught to do all of the sales triggers, right, like urgency, scarcity, all of those things, which they have their time and their place. And they people suggest them because they work. But a lot of times those don’t actually align with how people make decisions. And we’re, we are pushing people into an emotional decision instead of honoring how the brain works, because the brain does make emotional buying decisions. But we also rationalize those decisions. And when we can’t bring those two together in our content and our messaging and our positioning for people, what ends up happening is what we’ve seen a lot of times in the online space, especially where people start to feel like they are not happy with the service that they’re purchasing. Or they’re starting to feel like oh, like I bought this in the heat of the moment. FOMO like I have having FOMO and I bought this, but this isn’t actually what I need to solve my problem. And then that impacts business owners on the back end where you’re seeing a lot of refund requests or you’re seeing people not complete your programs or not get the results that you promised because the whole sales experience was predicated on these emotional buying triggers. And so what I like to focus on is making sure that we are, of course, speaking to the emotional aspects of purchasing in an ethical way, of course, but also really focusing on the rational part. Because as a market becomes more sophisticated, which it is, we’re more people like 10 years ago, nobody knew what an online course was. So you could sell anything, you could sell a Google Doc and say, that’s an online course. But as as things progressed, and as people get hip to how things work, they know when they’re being sold to now, your audience knows when you are going into a launch period, or when you are about to have a sale or whatever. They know what what we’re doing as marketers, as business owners, and instead of being resentful of that, and trying to bypass that, like sophistication of the market, by using emotional triggers, I think it’s really important that we instead provide them with the information that they need in order to make a rational decision like up, like, really appealing to that rational part of the brain as well. And so for me, that looks like answering some very basic, very basic questions within your messaging. Like, why this offer? Why you? Why me? Why, like, Why should I be the person that’s buying this? Like, why is this specifically suited to me? And why now? Like, why is this the time that I need to solve this problem, that’s like a very high level overview of some of the things that I like to touch on. That is, I think that’s where this, the online space is moving, especially as we have more and more people understanding what’s going on in the sales process. Back in the day, you could do a launch, and people didn’t even know that, like a webinar was going to be something where they’re going to be sold to. And so they get caught up and all of that, and, and then you get to the sales part. And it’s like, it works amazingly well. And now we’re seeing that webinars don’t sometimes don’t work as well, because people already know that they’re like, Yep, I’m gonna be sold to at the end of this. And the way to combat that is not to override the way that the brain works, but to provide all of the things that the brain needs in order to feel confident in their emotional decision, as well as like rationalizing that decision as well, if that makes sense.

Akua Konadu  

But what I loved what you said, there was like, let’s not override the brain, let’s give your brain like, let’s give people the information that they need to make that decision. But also to I guess, what I’m really interested to know is, how can we merge the two like bridge the gap, because I feel like a lot of times what sales, and I have to be honest like, which is why I lean more into storytelling, because it’s combining the two a lot easier with selling and providing the data, the necessary data and the emotion for people to make the decisions that they need to make when purchasing from you. So my question is, is like how within your sales strategy, are you bridging the two the gap? Because I feel like a lot of times we feel like in order to sell, we can’t tap into people’s emotion. But that’s actually what you really need to be tapping into. But how can we do it in a very ethical way? Because I do feel like as well to even add to that is, you know, we hear this all the time, urgency, right? Like a lot of times when people are selling, it’s tapping into a specific thing, that more so a specific emotions that are a little bit more so negative, which I am seeing that it’s very, it’s getting tiring for business owners, I think a lot of us are very burnt out with that. And so how can we do it in a more ethical way? I definitely just learned we had Natasha, Pierre with one of our past episodes talk about ethical urgency, which was a great sales strategy as well. But how can I also to how can we just ethically sell better, where we’re still tapping into emotions, but it’s not coming from like a scarcity place?

Danait Berhe  

Yeah. So the way that I love to do this is really, when we think about what we’re doing when we’re selling is that we are taking someone’s perspective on a problem because they are experiencing a problem, right? And they’re telling themselves, either, I can’t solve this problem, because they’ve tried so many things, and it hasn’t worked, or I need to find a solution to this problem. The problem with that is that if you are the person experiencing the problem, you have never solved it before, right? So you only have one way of thinking about the problem, you only have one way of approaching the problem. And you are looking for solutions that are going to help you to shift how you think about the problem and how you approach the problem. And so as business owners, our main job, really when we are sharing our messaging content, all of those good things is to shift the perspective of our audience from this is how you’re approaching the problem to this is how you should be thinking about the problem. This is how you want to be thinking about the problem. This is the perspective that will help you to start saying, Oh wait, there is a solution to this and this person is the one who’s going to help me because I’ve never approached this problem in this way before. So, how I like to do it, storytelling is one of those because it is, like you said, it’s such a nice way to bring the emotional with the rational and kind of teach those lessons within a story context. But really, I focus a lot on perspective shifting content perspective shifting messaging, how can we get people to think differently about the problem, and that is completely up to you on whether you want it to be a very negative approach or very positive approach? I think that it is I personally prefer to approach it from a positive perspective, I think that a lot of times when we are very negative and just pushing on pain points, which is what a lot of times the old sales strategies are, is where it’s like, poking at pain points and prodding them, and making them making them even more inflamed and aggravated so that people feel like, Oh, I’m so frustrated, like, I need to buy this because I, I can’t do it without this solution. That’s a very negative approach. And that’s where the emotional aspect comes in, and the emotional buying comes in. But when you can shift someone’s perspective to saying, Well, the problem is that you’re looking at it from this perspective, how about if you just move a degree over this way? And how about if the problem is actually this, and now you’re now you’re opening up doors, now you’re opening up possibilities for someone. And now it’s a little bit more of a positive association with the problem, as opposed to, as opposed to a negative association with the problem, and you’re not having to dig up pain points to do that, really, all you’re doing is just sharing your unique perspective on how to solve the problem. And that makes such a massive, massive, massive difference. And it creates that emotional, emotional connection, because now you’re the person who’s showing them new ways to think and approach things. So already, I’m like, Well, my mind has been blown like this is this is really good. You’re creating that new way of thinking about solving a problem, which creates that natural urgency where it’s like, oh, there is a solution. And I kind of want that solution, because I didn’t realize that I can solve it by looking at it from this perspective. So that’s how I like to marry those two things together without necessarily having to just push on someone’s pain points all of the time, which I think a lot of my clients have also mentioned not being too much a fan of doing any more. It just doesn’t feel good to sell that way. But when you think about it as shifting a perspective that feels like, oh, I have a lot of possibilities with how I can do that. And that’s really powerful. Oh, yeah, I

Akua Konadu  

think to even just, I love that shifting the perspective because to your point, it lets people see the possibilities, and then lets people see that there’s more than one way to get their problem solved. I just love what you said earlier, like, usually, when we’re trying to solve an issue, we always say that there’s only one way to solve it. And that’s not necessarily the case. So what you’re doing is you’re, I feel like you’re literally making your what you offer more personalized for the individual, which I think is really great. Because there’s so many different out like outcomes, but they’re all positive compared to the other way, which that’s how we’ve all been told to, you know, sell is, you know, really driving it like, of course, knowing their pain points. Absolutely. I think you should know them. But how can you shift that perspective to where it makes it where they’re able to see a lot easier the transformation. And I think that’s so important, because people need to be able to see the transformation that you’re able to provide them. And I think when you shift that perspective, they’re able to see a lot easier, and they’re able to see it in more than one way, which I think is so so, so possible. And I love that I think that’s really, really great. So a question that I have then is what strategies like essentially, how can independent business owners, how can we really start leading more with like an empathy forward sales strategy, and with our positioning and messaging as well?

Danait Berhe  

Yeah. So I think that knowing your audience’s pain points is actually very, very important to the process. I don’t want that to get lost in translation, where people are like, Oh, okay, I could just talk about whatever I want. And it’s like, no, no, this is actually a really important part of the process. The difference is that when you focus on the pain points, what you’re telling people is, you’re focusing on why they can’t achieve something or why they’re struggling or why this pain point is going to get even worse, if they don’t solve it. That’s focusing on the negatives. When we use the, our pain points or their pain points to shift their perspective. We’re saying, Hey, I know you’re struggling with this. And the reason is, is because you’re thinking about it this way. And I want you to think about it this way. And that is like a very completely different way to communicate with people than then harping on the pain points. So some of the strategies number one is getting to know your audience really, really well. And that just means that you need to spend a lot a lot more time paying attention to the things they’re saying to the things they’re mentioning to you the words that are coming out of their mouth, how to or how are they explaining what it is that they’re struggling with? What solutions are they looking for? And when you come on social media with that perspective, the world opens up is what I’m going to say. Because instead of focusing on what somebody else is doing, you are keeping your ear to the ground on what your audience is doing and what they’re talking about and what they’re focusing on. And you’re using it more as a research tool, as opposed to a tool to compare yourself to other people. So that would be step one is spending a lot of time focusing on how can I understand my audience? I think that businesses that will continue to win and continue to thrive, regardless of the economy, are the ones who feel content consistently go back to their audience and figure out what do you need? What are you struggling with? What is what is going on with you? Because that’s when you can really make your sales experience feel personalized. And that’s when you can have those experiences where your audience is saying to you? Are you in my head? Do you like? How do you know that this is exactly what I was saying to myself yesterday, after I close my laptop for the day. That is how intimately we need to understand our audience. And so be customer obsessed? Part one. The other strategy is to really focus on your own thought leadership. That is the that is the thing that makes all of this magic possible is really extracting your own genius and your own brilliance from your brain, figuring out what is my unique perspective on the problem, and every single one of us has it, if you’re sitting there going, well, it’s not very unique, like I don’t really have a unique approach, you are 1,000% wrong, I will, I will bet my life on that you have a unique perspective on how to solve the problem. And you want to spend some time really extracting that from your own brain, so that you can then marry. This is the problem that my audience is is experiencing. This is how I saw that problem. This is my unique perspective. And when you can bring those two things together and present it to people. That is like the most effective sales strategy because that’s what people need. That’s what people need to know is. Do you understand me? Do you get me? Am I seen and understood by you, the person who’s selling me this solution? And also, do you have a proven way to get me the result? If you can answer those two things? And it’s Yes, I understand. And I see you and I know what you’re going through. And yes, I have a proven process, a proven way to get you the result that you’re looking for. That makes your sales process 10 times easier. And it feels so nice, because you’re not having this uphill climb to sell to people, it just feels so natural. And that’s when you get people in your DMS going, Hey, I need to sign up for this, I need to sign up for the service like yesterday, because you know exactly what I’m going through, you know exactly what’s going on with me. And you have the solution that I’ve been looking for. And so yeah, focusing, becoming customer obsessed, and extracting your thought leadership from your own brain. And utilizing that in your messaging and positioning to set yourself apart are going to be the most powerful sales strategies that you can utilize, especially in a saturated market.

Akua Konadu  

Oh my gosh, I love that we hear this all the time that we need to your target audience. And that’s the common thread I’m seeing on the even on the show with like so many successful entrepreneurs, like know your target audience, right. And it is I say it all the time. It’s such a basic elementary thing. We all know this. But again, like being customer obsessed, I think I just love the way that you said that because our customers change. So when you are having your ear to the ground, their needs could change. And then you’re already on top of it, making those changes foundational pieces to you’re making those foundational changes to your messaging. So that you can position yourself to where like they’re realizing that they have the problem, they already know who to go to right away. So I think that’s so important. Is this something that you should be consistently revisiting? Whether that’s once a quarter or once every few, you know, every I don’t even know a year, whatever. But you just need to be revisiting consistently and always making sure that your ears to the ground. Because I think again, that will that literally positions you even with hate helping you create that thought leadership type of content. And so and with Thought Leadership, I really want to break that down. Do you still think that business owners have a clear idea on what like thought leadership content is?

Danait Berhe  

I feel like no, a lot of times people feel especially entrepreneurs and small business owners really feel that thought leadership content is is focused more so on the size of your audience. They feel that if you don’t have a big audience, and you’re not really a thought leader, or you’re not creating thought leadership type content, when in fact that’s not true thought leadership really is just about what is your perspective on your area of expertise. How do you think about whatever it is you do, whether that’s systems, whether you’re a photographer, whether you are an agency owner, a one on one service provider, whatever that looks like, and whatever offer like whatever problem you solve, what is your perspective? What is your heighth on this industry, what is your unique way of thinking about the problems that your audience is facing? And how are you going to present that in a way that makes sense for them and really connects for them? That is thought leadership. That’s essentially what it is. And the more that you can share your unique perspective and your unique ideas with your audience, the more that you will be seen as a thought leader, by your audience, that’s all you need. Is your audience to see you as someone who is who is an expert, and an authority in what they do. It doesn’t matter that a million other people on social media think about you that way or not. No, it matters that the people who would be your paying customers are the ones who are thinking about you in that way. And if you can shift that perspective on thought leadership in that way, and really start to think about it as am I sharing enough of my ideas, enough of my concepts, enough of my perspective with my audience, that is what we’re looking for. And that’s really what builds thought leadership. And when you can focus it on just your audience and not get overwhelmed with like, whether anybody else thinks you’re a thought leader. That’s when you’ll also notice that other people are going to start saying, Oh, that person knows what they’re talking about. They have such a fresh perspective they have. I’ve never heard about that before, or, Oh, I’ve never really thought about it in that way. And that’s what we want. Like when we can do that. That’s what creates innovation in our space. I think. So. So many people always say, Well, I want to be an innovator I want, I want to like create new ways of doing things. And that comes from inside of your brain, not outside of it does not come from other people. It comes from your own perspective and your thoughts. And so if you want to be a thought leader, you want to be an innovator in your space, you want to be someone who is consistently solving problems for your audience, really think about am I sharing my perspective and my concepts and my way of thinking and my way of processing this industry and what I do with my audience, and that that is what’s going to help you to be seen as a thought leader in your space. Yes,

Akua Konadu  

I love that. Because I do feel like thought leadership has been kind of a trending word. These past like, you know, I feel like the words getting more trendy. But I I don’t think people like truly understand like, exactly how to lean into more thought leadership content. Like for me personally, I think a great way to start even just to add to that, like a great way if you’re a business owner that’s struggling of like, well, how right cuz we overthink things, especially we like sit down on like, right, I’m gonna create thought leader ship content, and you’re like, oh my gosh, like, right, I literally just like took a piece of paper wrote down like my deepest, darkest thoughts in regards to storytelling, positives and the negatives, and then started pulling stuff out from that, that I thought could be really beneficial. I think like, that’s like such a simple way to get started of like, what do I really, really think about this specific topic, good and bad. And then leaning into that to start building your content of like, okay, like, I want to lean into this topic. And here are my true true thoughts on it. You just created something. And again, those are your thoughts and your experiences that nobody else has. So that instantly makes you stand out when you create some really great captivating content through that. Yes. So I love that you shared that that was so good. So, so good.

Danait Berhe  

I love that you mentioned you took the time to write out what your deepest, darkest thoughts are. And like your most profound thoughts are on storytelling, I find that a lot of people sometimes have trouble with being able to sit there and kind of dig through their thoughts and feel like, okay, is this unique? Is this like, is this a perspective that I have? And so one of the things that helps my clients is actually looking back at their audience. And when we’re talking about like, looking, understanding your target audience, so often we think it means creating those, like, ideal client avatar is where we’re talking about, like, you know, what magazine does Suzy like to? Does Suzy like to read? No, that’s not, that’s not going to get someone to a buying decision. What is going to get someone to a buying decision is really understanding these key things. So if you want to write these down, it feel free. The problem is that they’re struggling with the desires that they have, what are the what are the things that they want they want in relation to what it is that you do? What is their perspective? Really think about them? What are they saying, I believe, or I think that, you know, I can’t get organized in my business because of XYZ or I think that I can’t make money in my business because of XYZ, whatever that is, what are their perspectives? What are the feelings that they’re experiencing? What are the things that they’re doing, the actions that they’re taking, or the things that they’ve tried? Like, I, I have tried this, or I do XYZ to solve my problems, or I’ve you know, taken these types of courses, whatever that looks like, what actions have they taken, and then what fears do they have in relation to what you do? So, problems, desires, perspectives, feelings, actions and fears. Once you’ve taken the time to sit down and write all of those down, really dig deep get into their brain get into like, Okay, this is exactly how they’re feeling. Once you’ve done that, this should take you a good amount of time. Usually it takes people like 30 to 30 minutes to like an hour to do this, if you’re really getting deep. And then I want you to go through this entire list of things and say, Okay, what are my thoughts on this perspective that they have? What are my thoughts about this perspective that they can’t make money in their business? Because they’re too niche, or whatever? Like, what is my thoughts on that? If you are someone who is a photographer, maybe your wedding photographer, and maybe the perspective that some of your clients have is that this person isn’t, I don’t trust anyone to capture the things I really want to be captured, what is your perspective on that, when you can address these things, and you can really start to speak to these thought processes. These are the things that help someone make a buying decision, if you can address all of these things that are going on, emotionally, like how they’re feeling, those are the problems and the desires and the feelings that they’re having, as well as the perspectives and the fears that they have around, getting this result getting this thing that they really, really want. That’s when you can create magic, that’s where your thought leadership comes in. So spend some time really digging into that, and that is going to help you to really understand and start to extract your own brilliance and genius. And you’re gonna be sitting there going, Oh, I really know what I’m talking about. Okay? Like, and, and that gives you such a sense of competence. I love when that happens for my clients, and people that I teach and stuff like that, it just, it’s a wonderful because it’s like, a new world opens up for people where they’re like, Oh, I am an expert. And when you can take that energy, and put that out into the world. That’s when you attract people into your sales process into your business into the results that you’re getting clients in a very seamless, effortless way. But it’s also really empathy driven, because you’re showing up for people, you’re answering the things that they want. So yeah, that’s like one of the strategies that you can use to do what, what a coup has already done, which is really extracting your brilliance from your own brain. This is how you can do it. If you struggle with just sitting there and, you know, putting pen to paper.

Akua Konadu  

Oh, yeah. Oh, that was so good. I love that too. Like, one thing I’m just realizing is just with really figuring out your target audience is specificity, you have to be very, very, very specific, especially when you get to the first perspectives. And really think about to like, what have they tried, I love that. Because the way that you think and you operate, you’re going to be able to have a perspective that’s going to counter that and start making those little shifts, which I think is so so key. And again, these are foundational, these are really, really great exercises that people need to be taking the time to do. So then position themselves as a thought leader in whatever business that they have. So I absolutely love that this is just so good, and so helpful. So I’m really curious to know your thoughts, because you have already just provided so much value already. But I really want to know, just because Didn’t you always keep it real? We have so many conversations where we just laugh, and just, we could talk for hours, because with all of our hot takes on entrepreneurship sounds like I have to ask her so what is your current hot take on entrepreneurship, especially in the future of entrepreneurship? Hmm.

Danait Berhe  

Okay, this is a this is a loaded question. I

Akua Konadu  

love it. It’s getting spicy.

Danait Berhe  

I think that entrepreneurship has been really glorified for a really long time. And I think now we’re seeing a lot of negatives about entrepreneurship because it started to get hard. The last couple years have been hard for entrepreneurs, especially with things we can’t control, right, you know, we had COVID, and then the economy and all of these things that are happening. And I think that the end with AI, of course, as well, like coming into the mix. There’s a lot of fear around entrepreneurship, there’s a lot of negative conversations around entrepreneurship, or people putting entrepreneurship down, and that can that can really, that can really impact how entrepreneurs are continuing to show up. And I think that the future of entrepreneurship is truly in people stepping into their thought leadership. I really, really think that I think that people stepping into how is it that they are making a difference? How is it that they are solving problems for their audience in their unique way, is, I think is still the only is, is the only way that you can ride out the storms of entrepreneurship, I think when you are trying to ride the waves of what’s popular in the moment, or what’s hot and what’s trending and what the hacks are, which they work for a time being because that’s why people are sharing them because they work. But if you cannot tap in to your own genius and your own brilliance and in your own ability to solve a problem and become obsessed with how you solve that problem. That is those are the people those are the entrepreneurs who We’ll write it out regardless of what happens in the economy in the world, in the entrepreneurship space in the online space, I think that continuing to be customer obsessed, and solution oriented, and focusing on those things and being, like, one track mind about how do I do this better? How do I continue to do this better than anyone else? How do I continue to deliver these results for people, that is the magic and you can do that, with whatever technology shows up with whatever things come up in the world, you will continue to thrive because you are creating your own path, essentially, as opposed to jumping into the lanes that have already been created. And then, you know, you go down those lanes, and sometimes the lane isn’t all the way paved, and now you’re like, Well, where do I go? Because you’re not paving it, you’re just hopping into lanes that other people are, if you can continue to be customer obsessed solution obsessed, and really focusing on your own thought leadership, and how can I be the very best at solving this problem? For my audience, that that is like that, to me, that is like, the only thing you need in your tool belt that I don’t care what social media comes and goes or what happens, like you will, you will be an entrepreneur a decade from now if you can, if you can continue to, to keep those things in mind. See, I knew

Akua Konadu  

you’re gonna bring it I already knew like, because that is so good. And so true. Because when you think about AI, right, like, again, I always say AI doesn’t have your experiences, right? That thought leadership. I mean, of course, you can like put, you know, you can obviously put prompts in an AI to give you a sort of a IGBT like to give you something, but again, like, doesn’t have your experiences your mind, like how you view things like thought leadership, I think is so so key. And I think now more than ever, people crave it, people want it because there’s just so many things that are trying to grab our attention constantly. And so I think, again, people want transparency, authenticity. You know, I feel like that’s such a trendy word. I hate saying that word. But it’s true, like people are craving it now more than ever. And so I love that. And this conversation did I have absolutely loved it. I think it’s so impactful. It’s so important. And I feel like you already answered the question. But I always like to close out each episode with what do you think is the biggest differentiator between the businesses that succeed and the ones that fail, I feel like you already gave so many great ones. But you might have a little, you might still have a little something, something to give. So let me know what you think.

Danait Berhe  

I again, I think it’s what I said, I think it’s really being able to carve your own path. And seeing that everything else is a tool. If you can see everything else, social media, chat GPT strategies and tactics and hacks as tools to enhance what you do, and how you do it, then that mindset is everything in business, because you will be the person who’s going to be okay, if like, the internet shuts down tomorrow, and you’re going to go, you’re going to be able to be the person who’s going to go, put it stand outside your house and be like, Hey, this is what I do this, how I help people and you’re going to, you’re going to find a way to make things happen. And I think that’s just like, I think entrepreneurs are just naturally like that we have that grit, that ability to be scrappy, and to figure things out. And so if you can lean on that more than you lean on all the tools that are available to us. That is what will continue to those are the businesses that I see continued to succeed, regardless of what’s going on in the world. And the ones that kind of fall to the wayside because unfortunately, they’ve relied so heavily and think that the tools are the key to the success when in reality, you are the key to the success. It’s you and you what you’re bringing to the table and what you’re bringing to the world. And I think when you can really tap into that, like you become unstoppable as an entrepreneur. And I think there’s nothing more magical than that. I

Akua Konadu  

mean, today that is amazing. You’re so I love that so much just love that answer somebody because it’s true, like being scrappy, figuring it out, no matter what the circumstances are like that as a difference between businesses that are here today and tomorrow. And so continuing continuing to lean into your gifts continuing just to figured out the solution and just being open to the right, the opened up possibilities of whatever the solution may be, right because I think sometimes we just get so we have like a one track mind of like, this is the solution. This is how this problem is going to be solved. And it’s not like that, you know what I mean? So just being open to whatever the solution can be. It can be a great way to push you forward. So it’s and I love this conversation. Thank you so much for coming on the show. This was so so impactful. And I know like our audience is absolutely gonna love it. If for people to connect with you. Where can they find you?

Danait Berhe  

Yeah, this is so good. Thank you for having me. I love talking about all things business and entrepreneurship and especially with you people can find me over are on tonight bg.com or on Instagram where I like to hang out in stories most of the time at tonight BG.

Akua Konadu  

Yes. Oh, thank you. Thank you so much tonight loved this conversation. And thank you everybody so much for listening and until next time. That ends our episode of The Independent Business podcasts. Everything we’ve discussed today can be found at [email protected]. Head to our website to access for show notes, relevant links and all the resources that you need to level up. And if you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss our future content. Drop us a review and leave our guests some love on social and thank you again for listening.