As a business owner for the last 18 years, and having worked with thousands of clinical hypnosis clients I can tell you, your story matters. Many marketers out there will tell you sharing your authentic story helps people connect with you. We buy things from people we like or who are like us.
This is the primary reason we have mission statements or corporate culture photos in marketing materials, CEO bios, and Facebook/Instagram Lives/Posts. It helps your customers connect with you.
Selling services/products using your story from an unhealed place
Sometimes we haven't yet healed our deepest wounds but want to begin helping people with a service/product that has helped us to feel relief. We might consider this person an Unhealed Healer. But I prefer to call them Healers in Progress. And until we leave this world, we are all in-progress regardless of how healed we feel. There is always something more we can shift and find more love around. You may use your story as a healer in progress to help people learn that you are available to them, that there are parts of your story that have been healed and you want to help in the ways you can. If you are wanting to share your story to help people know that you are offering a service/product please keep reading.
I will encourage you to not go down this road in a big marketing way. Why? Because you may feel the pressure to solve your problem or find forgiveness for your attacker when you aren't quite ready yet. Forcing love isn't the same as actually feeling love, it's actually the opposite. Love is a naturally unfolding process. We tell our story to those who will withhold their judgment and offer unconditional love in order to heal our wounds. Taking them to the free world before we have gotten to a place of peace, can in some ways take away from our credibility, but not always. Tread lightly and do what's in your heart it will always lead you, much better than I ever could.
If you choose to use your story from an unhealed place in your marketing approach, use a caveat in this way. "We are all growing and developing. I am still working on this myself and as I do I will let you know what I come up with, for now, this is what I've learned, (Insert: What you have healed about this issue)."
Selling services/products using your story from a healed place
This is your time to shine! You have come through the fires of transmutation. You can easily tie in your authentic story, to your mission, to your product as long as it's relevant.
We have all seen the countless ads of people calling their elderly grandparents on Thanksgiving, the troops coming home to their eager fur babies, or people being stranded in a snowstorm getting rescued. These are all stories, many of them are true and they connect us to whatever we may be purchasing. Some have nothing to do with what we are buying but because we connect with the story we pay attention to the ad. Your story is no different.
I used my story when I opened my hypnosis practice in this way. "I suffered from anxiety from the time I was 11-21 years old. It is my mission to help people rid themselves of unhealthy anxiety." I had so many stories to go along with this, from being paralyzed in my chair from fear, hyperventilating without seemingly being triggered by anything, being physically assaulted, bullied, and more. I could find a story instantly because in order to heal my anxiety I had to heal all of my stories around anxiety, gain tools to help myself shift perspectives, and eventually share those tools with others. Every person I worked with that needed help with anxiety could see themselves in those stories they, in turn, didn't feel alone and knew if I could do it, with some help, they could too.
I would caution one point, if you are not fully healed, you may risk getting re-traumatized, I always advise seeking help during this process if you feel it's needed.
Keep in mind, if you base your business on your story when your story changes so may your business. Once I felt complete in helping others with anxiety I started a new business helping people use their voice to share their experience with the world.
It's been a journey and in many ways a struggle to shift my story and change businesses. But I'm still developing this part of my experience. I will let you know what I come up with, what I've learned so far is I have to remain true to me, trust that I am safe and know that who I am fundamentally is a helpmate in this world. I offer love to the best of my ability and honor those that seek my help in the most authentic way I can.
We need your story healed or unhealed for marketing or not. Believe in yourself and know that you matter!
