Why aren't you chosen even when you're relatable? How to articulate your content business so readers naturally want to take action (purchase)

I'm Takeya Nakano.

This was back when I first started my business.
At the time, I truly believed this.


“If I can just gather empathy, my products will sell.”
“The era is all about empathy marketing.”
That's what I thought.

It was the moment I started updating my SNS and blog, andbegan receiving comments by exposing my own failures.That's when it happened.

“I understand how you feel, Nakano-san, it hurts!”
“I was struggling with the same thing.”
“You gave me courage!”

With so many “likes” and empathy-filled comments flooding my notifications, I felt relieved, thinking,“Okay, I’ve built a relationship of trust. My fans are growing.”That’s what I thought.

However, when I finally gathered the courage to present my product, it happened.


The reaction was surprisingly “non-existent.”


The number of clicks was almost zero.


The comment section, which had been so lively until yesterday with people saying “I understand!” and “I’m rooting for you!”, went silent as if it were a lie.

“They react so much usually, so why?”


I still can’t forget that feeling from back then, of my blood running cold while clutching my smartphone.



Why didn’t it sell even though I was so relatable?Now, I understand the reason painfully well.
What is it?

This time, just like I once was,I will talk about the true nature of being “stuck in empathy” where you have empathy but no sales,and how to break out of it tofix the decisive “misalignment” so that people immediately decide, “I want to ask you.”I will talk about this.

If you know this, your“likes (empathy)” will turn into an asset called “sales.”

Is that “empathy”
really an asset?

Among those who come to me for consultation, quite a few arein a state of being “stuck in empathy.”I noticed that people who fall into this state have a certain pattern. Most of them are extremely serious and sincere people.

They update their SNS and blogs every day, and to put what they’ve learned into practice, they expose their own weaknesses and failures. As a result, they do receive comments.

“I understand your feelings, it hurts…”
“I had the same problem!”


Their posts consistently get “likes,” and they interact actively with followers. That’s why it’s only natural to feel, “Okay, I’ve built a relationship of trust. My message is getting through.”


It was at that moment that they posted a link to their new service (LP).

The reaction was surprisingly “non-existent.”
The number of clicks was almost zero.


(I wonder if everyone goes through this?)


The comments that had been so lively with “I understand!” and “I’m rooting for you!” suddenly went quiet, as if they had been set to private.

“They react so much usually, so why?”

It’s no wonder you’d be confused at this point. However, (I can say this now, haha) from my perspective, the cause was clearer than day.


People who fall into this pattern havebecome “stuck in empathy” for the reader.That said, gaining empathy is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s necessary. Without empathy, you won’t even be read in the first place.


However, many people make a huge mistake here.

“Number of likes = Trust balance (Sales)”
is not true.

If you only post “supportive content” and connect only through “empathy (affirmation of the past or present),”a branding (impression) is formed in the reader’s mind that “this person is a kind person who will listen to anything.”Then, what happens?


The people who gathered are


not “people who want to change their current situation,” but “people who just want someone to listen to them.”Indeed,by gaining empathy, you can create a “comfortable place (status quo).”That’s why, the moment you present a “product (change for the future),” they suddenly become distant and leave, saying, “Oh, I’m not looking for anything that strict.”

Empathy is merely the “entrance” to a relationship, not the “exit (goal).”

That is the case.


If you continue to post while misunderstanding this, it is the cause of falling into the hell of “being appreciated but not selling.”

On the side effects of "empathy"

So, why is it that even when you gain empathy and are so deeply appreciated, you still become someone who gets buried?


On the other hand, what is different about those who sell, who are chosen immediately even at high prices?


In the course of meeting over 5,000 people so far, I have realized the decisive difference.

It is,

whether you can clearly distinguish between "empathy" and "trust".

That is it.


Readers unconsciously judge us based on the following "two axes."

If you misunderstand this, your business will never succeed.

Those who get buried
contribute to maintaining the status quo

Those who get buried make gaining the first axis, "empathy," their goal. They agree with past failures or current suffering by saying, "I understand, that's tough, isn't it?" However, this is merely


"agreement with the past and present." If you stop here, the other person is satisfied with "Ah, I feel relieved (affirmation of the status quo)" and does not move.


Since there is no change, naturally, no compensation (money) is generated.

Let's use a "taxi" to explain this simply.

A passenger gets into a taxi.


As the driver, you say,

"Your luggage is heavy, I understand,"
"It was tough today because of the rain, I understand,"

and no matter how kindly you empathize,

if you don't move the car even a millimeter, no fare (compensation) will be generated, right?

A driver who just stays parked and listens to you might be a "nice person," but they are not a professional.


Business is "the movement from the status quo to an ideal future." The act of just being by someone's side without causing movement (change) has no market value.

Those who are chosen
show the future

On the other hand, "those who are chosen" are different.


For them, empathy is merely the "entrance." After getting into the other person's good graces, they always present "trust (expectation and conviction for the future)." Trust is the conviction that


"if I learn from this person, my future will change."

"I understand your efforts so far (empathy/acceptance of the past and present). With that in mind, if you take this path, you will reach your destination in the shortest time (presentation of the future)."

In this way, after you have finished agreeing with their past and present, you show them a better future (a prosperous reality) articulated by saying, "If you go this way, your wishes will come true."

The "3 Steps" to being chosen

So, how exactly can you escape from "just being empathized with"?
The steps are as follows.

This order is important.


If you suddenly show your ability (the future) without empathy, you will be thought of as a "cold person" and no one will listen to you. However, if you end with only empathy, you will just be a "nice person."

What the other person is really looking for is not "someone who just understands them (a friend)." They are looking for a "guide with a map" who can lead them out of the forest of confusion and to their ideal place.

Not empathy, but
the moment you show them the future (the exit),
people naturally start to move.

"Empathy is important, but that alone is not enough."

Have you begun to understand the meaning of this in your head?


What the other person is really looking for is not "someone who just understands them." They are looking for a "guide with a map" to help them escape the forest of confusion.


Actually, I will tell you the story of a woman (Ms. T) who achieved a dramatic change among my clients.


She originally worked in corporate back-office (clerical/administrative) tasks and was very good at "supporting someone" and "listening to what they have to say." Because of her good personality, she was cherished by those around her who would say, "I want to ask you if anything comes up."


However, that "good listener" quality backfired, and before she knew it, she was being treated like a "handyman (convenience store)".


She was thanked with "Thank you, that helped," but her unit price remained low. Days went by where she only had more chores added to her plate, like "Do this for me."

"Am I just a convenient person?"

She had been worried about that for a long time.


So, we used her greatest weapon, her "empathy," as a point of contact, and switched to "articulating the future." Instead of just taking on clerical work, she started proposing from the perspective of a "branding producer" by saying, "President, by me taking over those chores, you can concentrate on the 'sales' and 'future vision' you should be doing, right? If you do that,


next month's sales and the company's stage will definitely change like this," and clearly articulating the "more prosperous reality (future)" the other person can obtain. What happened as a result?


She, who had only been asked for "one-off tasks" until then, immediately secured a


monthly contract of 60,000 yen on the spot. Evidence is better than argument.


This is the LINE report she actually sent to me.

What I want you to see is that the customer didn't pay for mere "clerical agency," but invested with the expectation that "this person will take me to the next stage" because she showed them "a different movement (future) than now."


This is the difference between someone who ends with just "empathy" and someone who shows the "future."


Make them recognize you as an "ally" with empathy, and make them convinced you are "useful" by presenting the future. When these two are aligned, your "likes (empathy)" turn into "sales (trust)."


Regarding the "inner change" that allowed her to graduate from being a "handyman" and proudly convey her own value, she talks about it candidly in this article.

If you think, "I want to change too," please read it.
It should give you courage. ^^

How to turn your "empathy" into
"sales"?

"With my experience, what kind of future can I show..."

If you think so, it's because your experience is still just "raw material."

What you need is not to force a persona. It is the skill of articulation that turns your kindness into the power to guide your readers.

I have released the Three Seminars to Turn Your Uniqueness into Work for free, which covers the 'steps to strip away unnecessary words and be chosen in the shortest time' that T-san, whom I introduced this time, practiced.

Your empathy is a weapon. First, take home these 'processing techniques' through these three lectures.

▼ [Free] Receive the 'Three Seminars to Turn Your Uniqueness into Work'

Exclusively on our official LINE, we are giving away the Three Seminars to Turn Your Uniqueness into Work for free as a guide on how to sell in the content business through articulation!

[For those who are serious about changing their lives]

'How should I articulate my own situation?' 'I want to break through my current situation of not selling as soon as possible.' For those who wish for this, I am also accepting



Spot Consulting where we can carefully develop a strategy individually. Let's work together to create a future where your value is chosen at a fair price without being sold short.