Focusing on them is not forgetting about yourself
A few responses to a part of 3 Myths of personal brand were —in the background— asking: if it’s all about them/others… when do i get to think about me? Such a great question. Spoiler alert: It is not an either-or option. Here’s why While speaking to your customers, thinking of ways they can get help into what they’re after doesn’t mean you forget about yourself. On the contrary, it enables you to be more focused and scale your impact. To know what kind of “them” you want to think of starts…
Legacy branding
Legacy branding is all about bells and whistles. How YOU or your company —or worse, agencies— build “winning” brands. Because when you have a “winning” brand, you’ll stand out and everyone will care for it. That’s not the case. I have some bad/good news here: People don’t care about your brand. Your customers don’t care about your brand. They care about how they can get what they want —and if your business can help them transform and get delighted, they’re all in. Businesses can’t (and don’t)…
How not to stand out
When it’s all about yourself (and your brand), it’s hard to stand out. When you get to think —like, really think— of your customers, it changes it all. You don’t show up to sell, but to help them to buy.
3 myths of personal brand
“This is me. These are my values. This is my personality” → Me, Me, Me. It’s focused on you and not on the ones you serve. How are you to be of service and help, if you’re the most important person in the room? “You’re the product” → If you’re a product… then you have no conscience. No morals. No ethics. Because a thing can’t have those. A person does. 🙂 “You build a brand” → Not. Your customers build a brand for the business to thrive.
On this one, I’m afraid.
Have you ever felt you made something but (under the faux-disguise of “modesty” —but in reality, fear), you don’t promote it? That’s what I’m getting right now. The lovely Jonathan Stark invited me to his show, Ditching Hourly, and we explored a POV re: personal branding —and why it doesn’t really exist. So, here I am, inviting you to give it a listen and let me know what you think. And yes, while feeling vulnerable on this one, I’m good to take a few punches. 🙂 Let me know your thoughts on…
Send me a price
While it appears to be an opportunity to start a new deal, there’s lots going on in the background —especially if you’re in a nuanced, expertise business. It also means: I’m shopping for a price. I’m doing the assessment by myself. I’m already comparing other options. I’m checking features. It also means your prospect has the upper hand. Your negotiation power is low and hope is more of your “strategy”. There’s a simple fix though. Qualify your prospect. See if they’re the right ones for your…
You can do marvels
Lots of people see AI as a threat to “their work”. You know what AI is currently doing? It’s making the gap between the learners and the experts even larger. It has lots of pros, of course. However, a con to it is, precisely, a con. ^^ It’s making the lower, entry, learning level to not know the basics, while ai is getting “trained” on those. With no training, knowing AND mastering the basics, you’ll be awesome at prompts… that are empty. Just like someone who knows how to do lots of things…
The same results
What do you find that gets your business stuck? (Yes, I’d love a reply if you feel like it and see if I could help you or connect you with someone who could) Now, look ahead 3 years from now and we’re having coffee. You’ve achieved your goals and feel things are moving forward. What has happened that got you here? Now, come back to the present and ask yourself, are you doing the same things you’ve been doing —while expecting different results? What’s making you stop from a different way?
How are your negotiation skills?
Look, today you’ll need to separate 10 mins of your time and do this one thing. It’s a big ask, I know. And I believe you’ll get a great insight from it. 🙂 This is a survey designed by Mike Lander to assess your Sales Negotiation Skills. “This diagnostic tool has been designed to provide you with insights into your negotiation skills, and areas for your development.” I took it and it was eye-opening —especially if you struggle/have a hard time in sale negotiations or are trying to stand out…
Going in first —a better way.
So, while going going second might be true sometimes, it’s also true that going first (properly) sets the dynamics in the negotiation. And you want to set the table properly. You want to help your client (and prospect) make a well-informed decision. You want both parties be on the same side. To thrive together, or thrive on your own separate ways —which is also fine. You want to not reek of desperation. You want to know if it’s worth moving on. If it’s worth working together. If it’s worth…
