Want prospects to sit up and take notice? Want to attract the attention of strategic partners? Because if it’s not happening for you already, maybe “your brand” is too one-dimensional – based on “You” or “What You Do” – whereas the marketplace is demanding it to be more three-dimensional. Let me explain.
(1) How many time have you heard your real competitive advantage is YOU?
It’s true. Clients are buying you as a person — your knowledge, credibility, your ideas and solutions etc — just as much as your services and products.
And it’s a powerful advantage to have in a competitive sea of seemingly-alike coaches. Afterall, there is no-one else like YOU in terms of experience, qualifications, personality etc Right?
(2) But that alone is not enough; we are also increasingly being judged by
“our body of work”: e.g. the quality of our work we put out via our blogs, our articles, our social platforms, our ebooks, our infoproducts, our services and programs etc
(3). In turn, we are also judged by who we associate ourselves with via our clients, testimonials, social platforms, teleseminars, mastermind groups etc
Welcome to 3D branding in 2010!
Branding is no longer who we say we are (1). To be credible we must reinforce that message through our body of work (2) by leading through example.
Both (1) and (2) are then reinforced and reengineered by the circles we mix in (3).
So want to strengthen your personal coaching brand in 2010?
a) Develop yourself to become first and foremost a person of influence (think VALUE).
(b) Become prolific. Get your ideas and concepts out there in as many tangible foremats as possible (think VISIBILITY).
(c) Constantly reinvent yourself and your craft through constantly adding to your People Rolodex anyone who can help you get there quicker, faster (and you them in return) [think INNOVATION].
- Ask yourself how can you allow your target audience access into your personal life?
- How can you more fully self-express yourself in your unique style of coaching?
- What does your “body of work” say about you?
- Which circles / communities are you mixing in?
- Who else shares your common compelling vision?
The current economy has created a whole new set of obstacles. It’s like navigating down a once smooth river that’s now full of jagged boulders.
Consequently a brand is NO longer something you can go out and *dictate* to the world.
3D branding means branding has evolved to a living breathing entity incorporating (1) You (2) Your Body of Work and (3) Your Inner & Outer Circle where brands thrive and evolve through personal leadership and a tsunami of social support (think BE, DO, HAVE).
Remember marketing isn’t a campaign … it’s a commitment to a group of connected people centred behind a cause!
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More Impact – More Reach – Less Work!
If you want to learn the essential strategies, skills and secret sauce to positioning, presenting and promoting your coaching business, you’ll want to get inside The Lyons Den right away today.
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Good post. I think this is true not only for coaches, but all
business owners. I know it’s true for the massage therapists I work
with. I take this as a call to amp up what I’m doing. I especially
like the question “What does your body of work say about you?” I’d
like to suggest a different term rather than “constantly reivent”
yourself. My goal for myself and my clients is to get unstuck. I
want to find the places that keep me & them from our most
authentic selves in our work. So maybe constantly expanding,
constantly honing???
Good response Sharon. Essentially it’s how we are present ourselves
to the world in mind-body-spirit … in which case there is much
scope for individual-expression!