When opportunity knocks, you answer. And on a recent Sunday afternoon that knock came in the form of two adorable girls who were making the rounds in my neighborhood. I’ll call them Nadia and Daisy.

Upon opening the door, Nadia immediately looked me in the eye, smiled, and without hesitation told me that they were raising money for their Girl Scout troop and wanted to know if they could sing a song for me. If I liked the song, I could make a kind of donation in the amount of my choice.

I was immediately impressed with these two nine-year-old girls, who, during the next five minutes, behaved like sweet-natured prodigies from Shark Tank.

They exhibited so many positive entrepreneurial traits, applicable to all health and wellness professionals, that, well . . . here I am writing a blog post about it.

Within the first 15 seconds, they:

• Confidently made eye contact and smiled at me
• Didn’t stumble or look away while asking for money
• Had an ingenious solution to not having a “thing” to sell
• Took charge of what they were doing – no hovering parents in sight

And it only got better from there.

As you might imagine, it would have been impossible to turn down Nadia and Daisy’s “will sing for money” offer. I asked if I could request any song I wanted, or if they had a list I could choose from. At this point, I was imagining they’d step forward with a rousing rendition of “You Are My Sunshine,” or something equally as Girl Scout-ish. Nope.

They rattled off titles of a few pop songs, and when I asked if they had a favorite, they both nodded and affirmed that “Believer” by Imagine Dragons was their favorite – their #1 hit with a bullet next to it. Well, of course, I wanted them to sing their best song! And so it began.

Not only did they nail the entire song, never skipping a beat or forgetting a lyric, but they also had a super sweet dance routine to accompany the song. They were fabulous!

Let’s pause for a moment and relate this to a health and wellness business lesson. 

If someone asked you what your best offering or service was, do you know what you’d say? Whether it’s a workshop, a 1-on-1 session, or an online course, do you feel solid about your services? Can you declare with confidence, “most people really enjoy my yoga nidra sessions” or “my clients get the best results with the 10-session personal training package AND meal plan”?

Being able to clearly explain to others what you have to offer, and the benefits of that offering, is the beating heart of your marketing efforts.

As Nadia and Daisy went on to demonstrate, it’s not about simply delivering your offering competently, but over delivering in ways that are special and specific to you. It was the unexpected dance moves accompanying the song that distinguished Nadia’s and Daisy’s unique selling proposition from other Girl Scouts who were raising money.

So whether you’re a health coach or yoga therapist, you should know what YOUR unique selling proposition is and make sure it’s clearly communicated in your marketing message.

Perhaps my favorite part of our encounter came at the end when they had finished their song, taken their final bow, and awaited my donation. I grabbed my wallet and was a bit mortified to find that I was virtually cash-less. I had a measly $7.00 for the girls who clearly merited a twenty.

But I contributed what I had, and alas, I could tell that while Nadia and Daisy were grateful, they were also a bit disappointed. They expected more. They knew they were worth more, and that the neighborhood clientele could afford more.

Next health and wellness business lesson, then: Maintain high expectations for yourself! Nadia and Daisy in no way frowned upon my $7.00 contribution, they were gracious as could be. But there was a momentary micro-expression on both of their faces that told me these girls were in it to win it. They wanted to earn as much money as possible, and they knew they did a great job.

I find that some health and wellness practitioners are ashamed to admit that they want to earn a lot of money. Or, feel uncomfortable acknowledging that they are a kick ass service provider.

Remember though, that financial exchanges are exactly that – an exchange. And that exchange needs to be of equal value in order to feel good to both parties. If you deliver an outstanding hour-long yoga or psychotherapy session and are only compensated $15.00, it won’t feel right. You might become resentful or eventually, lose your enthusiasm for what you do.

A higher price tag asks the provider to deliver outstanding quality AND the customer to make a commitment to their own health. It’s a win-win. 

Let’s review, then, my favorite health and wellness business lessons from the Girl Scouts – or at least from the savvy Girl Scouts who recently knocked on my door:

• First impressions count: smile, make eye contact, introduce yourself by name
• Deliver your “elevator pitch” in a calm and confident tone
• Don’t hesitate when talking about money
• Be creative about your offerings; if you think you don’t have anything to sell, think again
• Know what you’re good at, own your value, and be able to clearly articulate both
• Over-deliver in ways that are creative and unique
• Drive and ambition aren’t anything to be embarrassed about – aim high! 

Leave a comment:

Please comment below and share your thoughts on the lessons above. Which one(s) resonated with you the most? Also feel free to share other great business lessons you’ve learned from kids, and/or your favorite flavor of Girl Scout cookies. I promise to reply to every comment. Scout’s honor 😉