What do Dan Kennedy, Brendon Burchard, Tony Robbins and Sharon Pearson have in common?
Those who master their message, know their customers and package 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 doubt about who they are, what they do and how they do it.
While these entrepreneurs are highly successful, they weren’t always. The one thing that everyone understood on the road to achieving their dreams was the power to define their character, their purpose, and their 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 lives.
If your character is strong, well defined and positions you as a leader in your market, then you become the trusted adviser, the confidant, to whom others turn for help.
A business owner influences the culture of an organization. It is a powerful positioning tool that generates publicity and excellent public relations.
But how many entrepreneurs set out to define their character and influence their customers’ perceptions of who they are, what they do, and how they work?
Brendon Burchard He’s Enthusiast: He’s a living workhorse known for creating product launch after product launch and spreading ideas (and talking) at the speed of light.
Dan Kennedy is the complete opposite, he’s attractive and smart, but laid back. His approach is… well, there’s no other word to describe it, but the one he chose to define himself is plain and simple: no nonsense.
Tony Robbins has one of the most powerful people on the planet and the ability to creep into your psyche. His charisma is extraordinary.
Sharon Pearson, an Australian dynamo making her mark on entrepreneurs and coaches, speaks candidly. She tells it like it is and takes no bullshit: she steps up or gets out of her way. She is also an endless 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 set you apart, attract customers or publicity.
People want to be around people with the energy, vision, tenacity, and courage to excel.
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 attracts people like the proverbial moths to a fire.
Packaging yourself requires strategy: letting others define you at random is making one of the biggest marketing mistakes in business. It is your job to define and refine your image and message so that no one misunderstands who you are and what you stand for.
Your job then, as a business owner, is to be memorable.
So what elements of your personality can you turn up the volume on?
While the highly visible aspects of style, energy, discipline, passion and direction form ‘pull’ elements, it is often the deeper perspectives behind these outward symbols that are the core drivers.
Here’s a sampling of character differentiators you might want to consider:
- Define yourself with a ‘Greater Purpose’ or ‘Life Mission’
- Share your story of Perseverance and Tenacity in the face of failure
- Representing a minority group and assuming leadership
- Overdeliver either service or quality and provide the awesome ‘wow’ factor
- Overcome the obstacles that hold most others back, and encourage others to overcome their obstacles.
- Develop a unique system or way of doing something that offers genuine value
- Give to your community in as many ways as 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 consistently present that face to our clients. In other words, step up and be counted as the person we want to be known for.
And remember that all the greats, including Kennedy, Burchard, Robbins, and Pearson, spent time figuring this out: it wasn’t handed to them, they defined themselves, and they garnered attention by positioning themselves well in their target market.