What Comes Naturally To You Is Your Greatest Differentiator
- October 6, 2014
- Posted by: Rochelle
- Category: Niching, Personal Brand
Think about that for a moment.
Your greatest differentiator is what you might very well be taking for granted.
Let’s be clear: It’s probably not about your technical prowess, even if that’s what you think you’re selling. It may be the way you build relationships. How you break down the complex and make it simple. Your special talent for translating ideas into images.
Is Richard Branson’s true talent building companies or how he connects with people? Is Malcolm Gladwell a staff reporter or a collector/writer of stories that intersect with intriguing research? Is Twyla Tharp a choreographer or a translator of streetwise wisdom into movement?
If you’re overlooking the key to what makes you uniquely different from everyone else in your space, maybe it’s time to mine for the gold right in front of you:
Take a look at what you do every day. The problems you solve, the ideas you generate, the art you create, the people you touch. What do they have in common? What comes so naturally (or so joyously) that it’s almost like breathing?
Think back to times in your life when you were jamming on all cylinders—when you experienced complete and utter flow. What were you doing? Who were you doing it with? What did you create?
What do your people consistently depend on you to deliver? What experiences are you known for? (a word of caution: beware if your current circle relies on you for a talent you’d rather kick to the curb).
And yet it’s not enough for you to be clear on your greatest differentiator. You’ve got to SHOW it—on and off-line—with the stories you tell, the actions you take and the visuals you display.
The clincher? Bring your story—yes, your personal story—into your work in a way that highlights the one-of-a-kind talent you bring to your clients, your buyers, your team.
Make it real. Make it sticky. There’s no one like you.
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6 Comments
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I have never considered myself a “technically” competent salesperson. I have always believed through my business life that my relationship building, care for the customer as a person has been my strongest point.
A technically competent salesperson is only that if he / she does not have interpersonal skills.
This was very thought provoking to me at a time I needed to be prodded. Thanks Rochelle. As usual you are on target.
Love that Ed–being clear on who you are makes all the difference!
I am a wannabe solopreneur. Since sharing my story with others and being more transparent, I have been able to connect with a lot more people and I have seen my earnings increase.
Thanks Victoria–I do believe story is the new marketing!
It becomes so important to define and know yourself. When I left government my initial goal was earning cash until an expected project (a political campaign) a bit more than a year later. The how came into focus later when circumstances (perhaps my own preferences?) made a career outside but still dealing with government issues and policies a reality. I often speak about replicating the work, the approaches, the environment, the thinking, that permeated my government positions and applying it to private practice. It involved a process to narrow the focus, including the type of client and work, but as I sharpened what I would (and wanted to) do and how I defined my target client, I better defined myself for my targets (to find/ want me).
Isn’t it interesting how we get to where we are today? You started as the reluctant consultant and now here you are–loving it!