Do not Be a Commodity: Stand out

What do you do? People are tired of hearing the same old answer, like I am a teacher or I am a plumber. That is boring, it is not unique, and has no element of surprise or deeper meaning. There are countless other plumbers and teachers, what makes you stand out? Why should people care? If you were at a cocktail party, and told people will they nod and regret asking? Will they be looking for a more interesting person instead? Think about it. For most of us, there are probably millions of others who have the same profession. Many of which probably do their work much better than us. How do we stand out then? Through something I call soft power- tell them what you stand for, why you do what you do and what value you add. Instead of a teacher, say you inspire people to build their life on concepts. If you do plumbing: I relieve people of the stress of DIY. The only difference is perspective. The first answer only hits the logic of a person, the second answer touches the heart. It engages emotions, people can relate to the pain point, and it is unique. People value perceptions, and further more people value the reasons behind what you do. If you can communicate the peculiar benefit you will do much better at standing out. People

are more likely to listen to the things that relate to their core beliefs. They are connected with those that share their beliefs. Every decision you ever make in business will communicate to others something about your beliefs. They will know just how seriously you take your world view, and your level of commitment to it. Essentially, they will base their interest, or lack of interest in your product or service, on the message you are trying to convey. Integrity is being who you are and maintaining the same beliefs in all that you do. From your website, to the behavior of your sales representatives, it should all tell people what you believe in, and what you value. Author: Leslie Poku Follow him on Twitter: @LesliePoku