What Do You Want to Be Known For

Being known or remembered for something isn’t just about people knowing your title or industry. It’s about people being consistently exposed to how you think - your perspective, beliefs, experience - so they begin to understand why they would choose to work with you or feel confident referring you.

A few weeks ago, I shared my business one-sheet - a one-page overview of my business and how I work - in one of my networking groups. It had come up in conversation, and a couple of people asked to see it.

One of the women in the group, a financial planner, read it and kept coming back to it. It prompted her to think about creating a one-sheet of her own. But more importantly, reading it gave her a better sense of how I think.

We do completely different work, but she could see the similarities because the one-sheet communicated more than my services and credentials. It communicated something about my perspective.

That's what it means to become known for something.

Knowing what you do is only part of the picture.

Of course people need to understand what you do. But as they get to know you, they're also forming an impression of how you think and how you approach your work.

Does the way she approaches things make sense to me? Do I trust her judgment? Do I see things similarly enough that I would want her helping me make decisions?

Expertise is important.

It shows people that you know your work and can do it well. But your perspective helps them understand why they might choose you specifically.

Tips and helpful information have value, but they can also be found online in a million places. What people can't find in those places is the perspective you've developed through your own experience doing the work.

If you're not sure what your perspective is, think about questions like these:

• What business belief do you hold that not everyone agrees with - and why?

• What's something you've changed your mind about after years of experience?

• What advice do you hear all the time that you don't agree with?

• What do your clients hear you say over and over again?

• What do you see repeatedly in your work that your clients don't necessarily see?

Your perspective doesn't have to be controversial.

You don't need to come up with strong opinions or take a controversial position just to stand out. Your perspective develops naturally from your experience - doing the work, solving problems, paying attention, and recognizing patterns over time.

The more experience you have, the more you've likely developed a point of view about your work, whether you've intentionally thought about it that way or not.

Repetition is important.

I see business owners struggle with this all the time. We feel like we're constantly repeating ourselves. But people don't see everything we post or read every email we send.

Repetition is how people begin to associate certain ideas with you. If you want to become known for the way you think and approach your work, you have to keep talking about those things.

What will people say about you?

Think about what people say when they refer you. They probably don't just say, “She's a financial planner” or “She's a website designer.” They add something. They explain why they think that person should talk to you.

You can't control what someone says when they refer you. But you can influence it by consistently sharing enough of your approach and perspective that they have something more to say than simply what you do.

What do you want to be known for? And are you sharing enough of how you think that people are saying the things you'd hope they'd say about you?

Need a strategic sounding board?

Sometimes you don't need another course, program, or long-term commitment. You just need focused time to talk through a business challenge, make some decisions, and figure out what comes next.

That's what my Laser Consult is for.