If you want to attract more of your favorite clients and customers, you have to be brave enough to wear your brand on your sleeve.
Your favorite clients and customers are the people who are more aligned with what you have to offer and how you like to work. They value your process. They understand your approach. They’re happy to pay you what you’re worth. You don’t have to convince them; they already agree with you.
In order to attract those people, you have to show them exactly who you are. Not the cleaned up version of who you think you ought to be, but the real you. If you show the cleaned up version of yourself, you attract the cleaned up version of your favorites. Real you = real favorites.
Let’s say you’re going to a party. You could wear something generic, with broad appeal, like jeans and a tee shirt, something that won’t push anyone away. Or you could wear something that’s exactly you — something that lets people instantly know something about you. Maybe it is jeans and a tee shirt, but with Chuck Taylors (or penny loafers, or Air Jordans, or flip-flops; insert iconic shoe here). Maybe it’s something completely wild and unconventional, something everyone will notice. Maybe it’s all black from head to toe. The point is to dress yourself in a way that is true to you.
Dress your brand the same way. Make sure your branding says something about who you are and what it’s like to work with you. And make sure it says it in a way that is appealing and engaging to the people you most like to work with.
Not to the most people. To the people you most like to work with.
It takes bravery to walk into a party wearing your soul where everyone can see it. It takes bravery to put your true corporate self out there in your branding. After all, you might alienate someone. But the truth is, no matter what you do, you’re going to alienate someone. Make sure you’re alienating people who should be working with someone else anyway, and attracting the people you most want to work with.
Wear your brand on your sleeve, and you’ll alienate the right people, and attract the right people.
