How Do You Stand Out?
How do you stand out in a marketplace that’s really busy, really noisy, and really crowded?
Today we are talking about Step 7 in how to create a clear and compelling message for your business, so that
· You stand out in the crowd,
· Your ideal clients can hear you,
· You attract the clients and the income you desire and deserve and
· You make the difference you want to make.
Watch the video or read the article below to learn three ways to be seen and heard for the work you do.
How Do You Stand Out from Adele Michal on Vimeo.
#1 – Value Yourself and Your Work
The place to start to stand out is to value yourself and value your work.
So many of us are programmed and trained to criticize ourselves.
We say things like:
· “Oh, I could’ve done that better.”
· “Oh, that wasn’t perfect.”
· “Oh, gosh, I wish I had said this to that person, not that.”
We forget to acknowledge and celebrate who we are.
In that way, we do not value ourselves and our work.
It seems that we really value criticizing ourselves more highly than valuing ourselves.
Unlearning that training and learning to value yourself and your work can take some work.
I’ve spent time doing this kind of work for myself. I share the tools that I have mastered with my clients to help them clear
· old beliefs,
· old patterns of emotion and behavior and thought, and
· old programming.
Some of the limitations we have created ourselves through the decisions we’ve made about ourselves and about life.
And we’ve had help from other people, telling us who we are and what our value is. Often what they teach us is not true or very positive because it’s from their own limiting training!
Clearing internal limitations is really important. When you do release old patterns and beliefs you can create from a clear space rather than from being held down by old limitations and hidden beliefs that get in your way.
One of the things you can do to value yourself and your work more, starting today is, to be kinder to yourself.
Do you speak meanly to yourself?
Notice how you speak to a friend or a child or a pet. If you were your own pet, how would you speak to yourself? Would you speak in a kinder way?
Please take on the practice of being kinder to yourself this week.
# 2 - Know the Contribution That You Are
It may sound strange to ask the question, “How am I a contribution?”
I’ve recently heard a wise person say that our job as human beings, our purpose as human beings, is to be a blessing to each other and to the Earth.
If you’re a blessing, then you are a contribution.
A blessing can be small and simple. I’ve made it a practice for several years now to connect with people who are serving me – wait staff, people at a help desk, people on the phone or online who are trying to help me get what I want.
It’s really been remarkable because there really is a connection, and it’s easy to make. I see in someone’s eyes that s/he is saying is saying internally, “Wow, you’re the first person who has seen me today. Thank you.”
In my world, that is a contribution. And it feels good on both sides to make that simple connection.
Of course, I want to contribute to the people that I love and the people that I serve - my clients and students.
Acknowledging and knowing what the contribution is that you make is something to look for.
Sometimes, getting that kind of feedback can take a while. I remember way back when I was first starting my practice as a therapist, I was working with a woman named Peggy. She was just a delightful person, but she was kind of closed-down.
She had had some trauma in her early life, and that was playing out in her relationship with her husband. We did our work, she completed with me, and I didn’t see her again for a while.
Then she invited me to a party. Her husband was there, and he came up to me and said, “Thank you for whatever you did with Peggy. She is a new person.” I was new in my business so it surprised me, and what a wonderful surprise it was!
That was a contribution that I had made to Peggy. Peggy shared her transformation with the rest of her world. It had the ripple effect, and that was great. I was so grateful that I got to hear that feedback from her husband so I knew that I had made a contribution to them both.
Sometimes, you have to ask.
I had a client recently say, “Should I do a survey of my current clients, like what I contribute to them?” I said, “Yes, that’s a great idea!”
Not only will she get the feedback of what she is actually contributing to them, but she can also find out how else they would like her to help them.
Asking your clients is a great way to get feedback on how you’re contributing to others. It may be in ways that you don’t even know!
#3 - Be Present
We live busy lives, and we are in our heads a lot – thinking about our to-do list and being concerned about what and who we’re concerned about. It’s really easy not to be present.
I’d like to introduce you to a practice that I learned from Rachael Jayne Groover and The Art of Feminine Presence. I am a certified teacher in that body of work. It’s called the Head Bubble/Power Center.
I would like you to notice how present I seem to be in two different states.
The first state is one where I going to create a bubble above my head and pay attention to my thoughts there. I'm going to be in my head, and I'm going to tell you about my day.
[Speaking quickly] “My day has been pretty good, and we don’t have any rain today. It’s sunny, which is good, because we’ve just had a big storm come through. Got a lot to do. Have a lot on my to-do list. I'm just kind of jazzing around. I don’t know if you have those days, where you just can’t quite settle. That’s been my day so far.”
That’s how I talk when I am in my head bubble. Notice how you respond when I talk with my attention there.
State 2 is that I'm going to put my attention down into my pelvic area in the center of my body.
If you do yoga or are familiar with the chakras, this is the second chakra or power center. This is the center that we create from.
I'm going to put my awareness there. I'm going to settle back. I'm already feeling a little bit more relaxed.I want you to notice if you feel more related to me in this position.
[Speaking more slowly with more feeling] The day is actually flowing pretty well. I got up early, got everything I needed to do done early, and am just kind of moving through my day, and getting things done the way I want them to go.
“I'm here with you right now, which is so cool. Yeah, some big projects are coming together, and ahhhh … I'm actually having a great time.”
What did you notice different when I'm in my power chakra and when I’m in my head bubble? felt more relaxed in the second state when I was in my body. I was able to slow down and not feel so stressed.
When your attention is in your body is that you give yourself and other people your full attention, you are in the present moment, and aware of your whole self, not just your mental state.
If you’ve got your to-do list and concerns running in the forefront, it’s really hard to be present to another person.
Yet, our full attention is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other.
Do you have anyone who really listens to you with their full attention? I hope you do because that is such a gift.
The third way to stand out is to Be Present.
Practice being in your body, being in the moment, and being present this week.
Those are the 3 steps toward Step 7 of How To Stand Out In Your Business and In Your Messaging. Thank you for joining me for this series, and I look forward to hearing from you about how you’re coming along with your clear and compelling messaging.
PS If you would to learn more about how to have your business stand out in the crowd, please join me for a webinar on Thursday, September 27th at 7:30 pm EDT.
You can sign up for free here:
It’s called A Taste of Authentic Marketing, and we’ll go over the seven steps to create a clear and compelling message about your business. Many women with a service-based business struggle with knowing what to say about their work so that they have more clients and income and make a bigger impact with what they do.
If knowing what to say and how to say it with confidence would serve you, I would love to have you join me Thursday.
Register here: