The Positioning Tweak That Will Help You Book High Paying Clients
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
Why generic content is no longer enough to attract and book clients in today's online space
The two problems with the most common type of content new online service providers are making
The core messaging shift that will help you stop competing with everyone who shares your job title
The formula for identifying your dream client's lived experience and using your services to position yourself as the solution they need
A homework assignment to audit your last three pieces of content and start rewriting with this new approach today
I want you to read these three hooks and see if you can spot the problem:
"If you are struggling with time management, a virtual assistant can help you with that."
"If you want to get more eyes on your work, here's what a Pinterest manager can do for you."
"Here's how an online business manager can increase your business revenue."
Sound familiar? If you have made content that sounds exactly like this, you are not alone. This is the most common type of content I see from new online service providers. And it has two very specific problems.
Problem 1: Your job title is the solution, not you.
When you say "here's what a Pinterest manager can do for you," you are positioning the job title as the solution and then expecting your audience to connect the dots and see that you are the specific person they need. That is putting an extra barrier between them and booking you. Your goal in your marketing is to remove as many barriers as possible, not add more.
Problem 2: Your pain points are too generic.
When you start with your job title and work backwards to find content ideas, you are always going to land on generic pain points. Generic pain points lead to generic content. Generic content leads to no bookings.
Why this approach does not work in 2025
The online space has changed a lot since I started my business four or five years ago. Back then, you could show up and say "I am a virtual assistant for creatives" and people would find you. That is not how it works anymore.
Today, people are not looking for a virtual assistant who can do admin tasks. They are looking for a virtual assistant for brand web designers, or a marketing expert who specializes in growing online businesses. Specificity is what people are searching for now, and if your content is not specific, it is going to get lost.
A lot of the advice still floating around online for new virtual assistants and online service providers is outdated. Learning how to show up in the online space as it actually exists today is one of the most important investments you can make in your business right now.
The shift that changes everything
Here is the core shift I want you to make: stop selling the value of your title and start selling the value of you.
After years of experience as an online service provider myself, here is what I know to be true. Nobody is really hiring a virtual assistant or an OBM or a project manager. They are hiring you. They want your personality, your energy, your approach, your methods, and your unique way of solving their problems.
When you start showing up in your content that way, you immediately stop competing with anyone else who has the same job title as you. You become one of one.
Before and after
Here is what that actually looks like in practice.
Before:
"If you are struggling with time management, a virtual assistant can help you."
After:
"If you are a course creator with a half finished launch plan and you have been saying 'I need to launch my course' for the last six months, here is how I will help you get your course launched and students enrolled as soon as possible."
See the difference? The second hook is speaking to a specific person, in a specific situation, with a specific solution. That is the kind of content that stops the scroll.
The formula is simple. Identify your dream client's lived experience of their pain points and desires, and then use your services to position yourself as the necessary solution. You do not need to explain every detail of how you will do it. They just want to know: are you going to solve my problem?
Your homework
Go back to your last three pieces of content and ask yourself honestly: am I selling the value of my position, or the value of me?
If you look at your content and realize you are not selling anything at all, now you know where to start. And if you can see that you have been leading with your job title, pick one of those pieces of content and rewrite it using this method. You do not have to start from scratch. Just take what you already made and give it a new angle.
This is something I come back to constantly in my own business, thinking about what my dream client's real life looks like, what she is struggling with day to day, how she wakes up feeling, and what specific scenarios she is navigating. The more specific you get, the more your ideal client feels like you are reading her mind. And when someone feels that seen and understood, booking a call becomes a very easy yes.
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If we haven’t met yet, hi! My name is Shannon and I have been a heart-led entrepreneur in the online space for over 5 years, teaching ambitious young women how to say yes to the desires of their hearts and start the business that will change their lives.
I created The Shannon Blanchard Podcast to support you in building a life that feels lucky through entrepreneurship, intentional reality creation, and deep inner work.
If you're a big dreamer and ready to embody your fullest potential in a way that lights you up, this show is for you!
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