By Mary Albright of Mary Albright Consulting
My daughter Caitlin recently met up with some old friends from her Civil Air Patrol squadron. Most of these guys have graduated college or have one more year left to go. As they are talking about what they’ve all been up to, one of them asked her, “So what are you going to do?”
Her response: “I’m majoring in astrophysics. Using unorthodox insights, I want to explore and discover what’s out there in the universe.”
That led to more discussion. “Astrophysics? Wow, I’m not smart enough for that.” “Hey, have you thought about working for SpaceX?” “Unorthodox insights, huh? What does that mean?”
So what does this discussion between a bunch of college students have to do with personal branding?
She fascinated them with her anthem: unorthodox insights.
Her fascination archetype is the secret weapon. Mystique + innovation. And when we worked through creating her anthem, a two- to three-word tagline for her personality, she settled on Unorthodox Insights. And she uses it to describe her distinct value. It’s the foundation of her personal brand.
Here, then, are three reasons why personal branding helps attract the right clients for your business:
You always get to work in your genius zone.
Forget the days of being everything to everyone. The planet is not your ideal client. When you know your advantages—how you are different—it allows you to stand out from the crowd.
Caitlin stands out because she knows her greatest value is that she provides Unorthodox Insights. She brings the creativity and inventiveness of the artist and blends it with the analytic mind and insight of the scientist. And as the secret weapon, she is the creative mind that produces agile solutions even when under high pressure.
When you know your greatest and distinct value, you are in a category of one—that one person that client needs for a project or that company needs to hire.
You get to be who you are versus what you do.
When you have a clear personal brand, your differences are what make you stand out and win.
Instead of talking about what do you, as if your job defines you, you communicate and lead with who you are.
For instance, if someone asked me, “What do you do?” I could use the standard vanilla answer and say, “I’m a business consultant.”
That doesn’t really tell anyone anything about who I am and how I provide distinct value.
Instead, I can answer that question with who I am. “Inventive problem solving is my secret weapon. I bring unconventional solutions to conventional problems. Think of me as MacGyver Mary. As a business consultant…”
See the difference?
You are set up for success.
Whether you are a solopreneur, an employee on a team or anything else for that matter, when you know and share your personal brand, you optimize your success.
In a team environment, when you know each other’s advantages, it makes it easier for each team member to develop a signature specialty. This allows the team to optimize its work, be more efficient and reach success faster.
And when each person knows their advantages, they’ll become known for their personal brand and people will come to them for the result their personal brand helps them deliver.
Mary Albright is owner of Mary Albright Consulting and serves as a board member with NAWBO-Minnesota. Learn more at www.maryalbright.com.