Those who master their message, know their customers, and pack their ‘character’ have great influence in the marketplace and attract publicity through their energy, persistence, and leadership skills.
Dan Kennedy, Brendon Burchard, Tony Robbins and Sharon Pearson are leaders in their field. They all use the same tactic to promote their work.
All four bring their character to everything they do, leaving no room for doubt about who they are, what they do, and how they do it.
While these entrepreneurs are very successful, they weren’t always successful. The one thing everyone understood on the road to achieving their dreams was the power to define your character, your purpose, and your message, and not leave this important strategy to chance.
On a smaller scale, clients choose to work with you because of the quality you offer; But clients choose to stay with you because they love your character and the energy, the vision, the hope, the determination, whatever drives them in their daily life.
If your character is strong, well defined, and positions you as the leader in your market, then you become the trusted advisor, the confidant, the one others turn to for help.
The business owner influences the culture of an organization. It is a powerful positioning tool and one that leads to advertising and excellent public relations.
But how many entrepreneurs set out to define their character and influence their clients’ perception of who they are, what they do, and how they work?
Brendon burchard He’s Enthusiastic – He’s a living workhorse known for creating product launch after product launch and spreading ideas (and speaking) at the speed of light.
Dan Kennedy is the opposite, he is attractive and intelligent, but relaxed. His approach is … well, there is no other word for that, but what he has chosen to define himself with is plain and simple: no nonsense.
Tony Robbins has one of the most powerful people on the planet and the ability to get inside your psyche. His charisma is extraordinary.
Sharon Pearson, an Australian dynamo who leaves her mark on entrepreneurs and coaches, is a sincere conversationalist. She tells it like it is and accepts no nonsense: step forward or get out of her way. She is also an inexhaustible source of energy and inspiration.
In Sharon’s words: “Don’t be beige.” And she is right.
Developing your ‘character’ is one of the strongest influences you can use to be memorable. As business owners, the same will not differentiate you, attract customers or publicity.
People want to be surrounded by people with energy, vision, tenacity, and the nerve to stand out.
Leaders become leaders as there is no one else in that space willing to say ‘follow me’. They attract followers and attention because they have something to say and a way of saying it that moves people.
On one level, it’s your brand, that collective of character, personality, style, and charisma that draws people in like the proverbial moths on fire.
Packaging yourself requires strategy – letting others define it at random means making one of the biggest marketing mistakes in business. It is your job to define and refine your image and your message so that no one misunderstands who you are and what you represent.
Then your work, as a business owner, will be memorable.
So what elements of your personality can you turn up the volume?
While the highly visible aspects of style, energy, discipline, passion and direction form elements of ‘pull’, it is often the deeper perspectives behind these external symbols that are the primary drivers.
Here is a sample of character differentiators that you can consider:
- Define yourself with a ‘Greater Purpose’ or ‘Life Mission’
- Share your story of perseverance and tenacity in the face of failure
- Represent a minority group and take leadership.
- Excessive delivery, be it service or quality and provide the awesome factor.
- Overcome obstacles that stop most others and encourage others to overcome them.
- Developing a unique system or way of doing something that offers genuine value.
- Contribute to your community in every way possible
- Become a brilliant communicator / teacher and tell others what you do and how you do it.
- Share your passions that you are involved in outside of business, that is, your interests
- Be genuine – the real deal – honest, approachable, trustworthy, true to your word
These are just starting points, it is up to each of us to own our ‘character’ and personality and present that face to our clients consistently. In other words, step up and be considerate of the person we want to be known for.
And remember that all the greats, including Kennedy, Burchard, Robbins, and Pearson, took time to clarify this: It wasn’t delivered to them, they defined themselves, and they attracted attention by positioning themselves well in their target market.