Introduction: Why Most Consultants Sound Exactly the Same

Let me share something I've noticed over my many years working with business professionals. Most consultants, coaches, accountants, and business owners sound pretty much identical. They talk about quality, service, speed, experience, and all that stuff, but those types of words just wash over people like water off a duck's back.

Think about it...

When you're at a networking event and someone says, "We provide quality service with over 20 years of experience," does that actually tell you anything? Does it make you lean in and want to know more? Probably not.

What can win attention and win income is what I call a signature snapshot — a short, memorable expression of how you create results. It becomes an anchor for all your marketing, your sales conversations, your books, and your online and offline programs as well.

What Is a Signature Snapshot?

The signature snapshot is that perfect example of value delivered. It's a short true story that demonstrates your method, your character, and your impact in your chosen field — the area where you know you can add value.

Once you nail it, everything becomes easier. You stop explaining and you start demonstrating. Prospects don't need persuading. They simply recognize the proof of what you've already done for other people like them.

Here's what makes this approach so powerful: you're not making claims, you're sharing evidence. You're not trying to convince anyone of your expertise, you're simply showing the transformation you've created. And that's what people respond to.

The Three Elements of Your Signature Snapshot

The snapshot is built from three specific elements, and you need all three working together:

Number one: The client's situation. A short summary of where they are — possibly confused, stuck, frustrated, wasting time, or even leaving money on the table. This is where you connect with your prospect's current reality. They need to see themselves in this description.

Number two: The method you use to help them. Show how you created it, the thinking, the formula, the system. Not jargon, but clarity. After all, as the old expression says, resistance is created through a lack of clarity. People want to understand how you work without feeling overwhelmed by complexity.

Number three: The result. The evidence that confirms your value — increased profits, better clients, saved time, clarity, smoother operations, whatever it might be. This is where you prove that your method actually works in the real world.

Once created, your signature snapshot becomes the key factor of your message. It says: This is the kind of transformation I deliver for people like you.

Using Your Signature Snapshot in Marketing

Your snapshot can take many forms, and that's what makes it so versatile:

Short stories: A 100 to 150-word article on LinkedIn, email, or Instagram. These are quick to create and easy for people to consume during their busy day.

Carousel posts: Breaking the story down into slides — the situation, the method, and the result. This format works brilliantly on social media because it creates a natural progression that keeps people engaged.

One-minute videos: Describing the snapshot conversationally. Natural, simple, believable. You're not trying to win an Academy Award here, you're just sharing a story that happened.

Talks: For example, "How I Helped a Consultant See Out a £100,000 Profit Without New Leads." This becomes your signature presentation that you can deliver at networking events, conferences, or even as a webinar.

Website anchor: Put the snapshot at the top of your home page, letting the proof lead the story. This means visitors immediately see what you do rather than having to wade through generic statements about quality and service.

These stories build trust before conversation. People recognize your strengths and what you can do long before they speak to you. That's the beauty of it — you're pre-selling your expertise through demonstration rather than declaration.

How Snapshots Transform Sales Conversations

Once you've gathered information about the client and their situation (and as you know, the selling takes place in the gathering stage as people sell themselves in their answers to your well-crafted questions), it becomes snapshot first and explanation second.

The snapshot sets the scene and positions you as someone who's been there and done it in their environment. You never need to hard sell — it's just not the way. The story and the way in which you tell it does the heavy lifting and gives the buyer confidence. It's a simplified buying journey.

Think about it this way: instead of saying "I can help you increase your profits," you say, "Last month I worked with a consultant in Manchester who was struggling to convert enquiries. We implemented my three-stage follow-up system, and within six weeks she'd converted five enquiries worth £75,000 in fees. Let me tell you how that worked..."

See the difference? One approach is a claim. The other is a story. And stories sell.

Multiplying Your Content from One Snapshot

Here's where it gets really interesting. Each snapshot contains five to ten micro lessons:

• What triggered the client to seek help from you?
• How you diagnose the problem
• Small wins achieved early
• The biggest breakthrough
• The lasting transformation

Each one can become a standalone piece of content — short articles, posts, short-form videos, even a masterclass.

So if you have just three signature snapshots, and each contains six micro lessons, that's 18 pieces of content right there. And that's before you start adapting them for different platforms or audiences.

This is how you create content that's both consistent and varied. Consistent because it's all anchored in your proven methodology, and varied because you're extracting different lessons and angles from the same core stories.

Writing a Book Built on Signature Snapshots

A fantastic way to organise what it is that you know. Here's a structure you can use:

Number one: Why clients need help now. This is your opening chapter that creates urgency and relevance. You're explaining the current landscape and why the old ways aren't working anymore.

Number two: Your core philosophy — the formula that underpins the snapshot. This is where you introduce your methodology at a high level.

Number three: Ten to twenty signature snapshots. Each chapter contains situation, method, results, and lessons for the reader. This becomes the meat of your book.

Number four: The path — next steps and implementation. You're not leaving people wondering what to do next.

The great thing is you're not writing theory. You're capturing evidence. It's engaging, it's real, it's quick to write, and it's just so powerful.

I've written multiple books using this exact structure, and I can tell you from experience: when you're writing about real transformations you've created, the words flow far more easily than when you're trying to explain abstract concepts.

Creating Audio and Video Programs

Turn the snapshots into:

A 10-episode podcast mini-series where each episode covers one snapshot and three lessons. This format works brilliantly because people can consume it while driving, exercising, or doing household tasks.

A short online video course featuring 10 transformations, real examples from the field. Video lets people see your personality and builds connection in a way that text alone can't achieve.

Client audio stories for the website. These serve as social proof that visitors can listen to while they're evaluating whether to work with you.

Each one reinforces your expertise and invites people to start working with you because each one builds connection. A different story, a different snapshot resonates with different people, and it builds understanding and trust.

Some people prefer to read, others to watch, others to listen. By creating your signature snapshots in multiple formats, you're reaching people through their preferred learning style.

The Power of Repeated Proof

When your market — the people you love to work with — see repeated proof, not just claims about your authority, your authority strengthens. Fees can rise, of course. Referrals increase, and it sets you apart from what can be a crowded scene.

Think about the professionals you most respect in your field. Chances are, you can recall specific stories about the results they've achieved for clients. That's not an accident. They've understood the power of repeated proof.

You're not bragging when you share these stories. You're providing evidence. And in a world where everyone's making claims, evidence is what people are desperately seeking.

Your Next Steps: Creating Your First Signature Snapshot

Here's what I want you to do right now:

Think about your best client result from the last twelve months. Got it? Good.

Now answer these three questions:

1. What was their situation before they worked with you? Be specific about the frustration, confusion, or problem they were facing.
2. What method did you use to help them? What was your process, your system, your approach? Keep it clear and jargon-free.
3. What result did they achieve? Quantify it where possible. What actually changed for them?

Write this down as a short story — 150 to 200 words maximum. That's your first signature snapshot.

Once you have it, start using it everywhere. In your LinkedIn posts, in sales conversations, on your website, in your email signature. Test it and see what happens.

You might be surprised at how this one simple story transforms the way people respond to you.

Simple Idea, Extraordinary Leverage

One story becomes a system. A signature snapshot becomes the foundation of your expert identity.

Over my decades in business, I've seen this approach work for accountants, consultants, coaches, solicitors, financial advisors, and countless other professionals. It works because it's based on something fundamental: people trust evidence more than claims, and stories are the most compelling form of evidence we have.

So stop explaining what you do and start demonstrating it. Your signature snapshot is waiting to be captured.

Want to learn more about positioning yourself as the obvious choice in your market? Join The Paid Up Club where you'll get access to my complete library of business development strategies, monthly masterclasses, and a community of professionals who are serious about charging premium fees for the value they deliver. Try it for £1 at peterthomson.com/paid-up-club