Anyone who knows me socially is probably pretty surprised to see this. The “ish” part specifically. I work very hard to be unapologetically me. It’s kind of my motto. I love being that way. I love busting expectations and making people rethink their assumptions. The reality is that all of us are complex and interesting creatures. We all break the mold and most of the time, even in business, it pays to show off your personality. People want to do business with people they know, like, and trust (this phrasing is widely attributed to Joel Comm but I can’t find the original source). The key here being that they know you.
If you’re in a role where you need a head shot. Please PAY someone and find someone who works with you. Pay attention to how they respond. When you finish your convo, do you know something about them? Did they walk this line well? If yes, and you Know, Like, and Trust them, get some photos that capture all of you.
No one wants to do business with a caricature. They want a real human with interests and opinions. But not too many opinions. And not so many interests that they feel ignored. So what’s a successful business woman to do? How is it possible to let people know you but not know too much of you. A common suggestion for salespeople is to just shut up and listen. It’s true, I even wrote a post about it. But people can’t know you if you don’t talk to them. If they ask you questions, answer them! Be honest and candid but don’t make it about you. I know you’re sitting there saying, “Lauren, they asked about me, how do I not make it about ME??” OK OK I get it. The truth is that it is about you but it’s edited. If a client asks you how your day is, you’re not going to say TERRIBLE, and proceed to list everything that happened to you today forcing your startled client to sputter in alarm and sympathy. But please, I beg, don’t say, “fine”. This tells me nothing. I know nothing about you except that you speak English. What if instead it went something like this, sigh “Have you ever heard the phrase sometimes the bear eats you and sometimes you eat the bear? Well today that bear is full, just ask my flat tire. But I’m really excited to be here with you, let’s get started!” Do you see it? You made a joke, you told them the truth, but you also told them you were here for them and excited about it. You even told them a little about your upbringing (is that phrase regional? I have no idea but it was common in New England).
Have some fun! All your pictures don’t have to be tight head shots. Be yourself!
I won’t lie to you, this line is hard to walk. If you’re not a naturally funny person, don’t try to make a joke. It’s not who you are! You can do this though. Maybe your response would be more like, “Well, I’ll admit I’ve had better days but really you can only have one best day and right now I’m happy to be here working with you. Let’s get going.”
People want to know you but there are limits. In the same way that you don’t usually give someone your full life story on a first date, don’t overshare your life but making sure your professional walls aren’t sky high will help you reach people.
Next week we’ll talk about how to curate your social media.