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Who is ready to get a little bit better?!?!
Let’s have a conversation, let’s talk about something if you are a business owner!! Also, if you are a business owner, drop your link in the comments for a chance to network!! The question today is, HOW DO I STAND OUT IN THE MARKETPLACE?
I mean, I know… my industry is saturated and there are like a bazillion coaches out there. And for you there’s people doing this or doing that… How do YOU rise ABOVE? How do YOU set yourself apart? How do you stand out in the marketplace?
And there are tons of good answers… you have got to have great marketing, you have got to have branding, and that branding needs to be on point. Maybe you stand out because you have a polarizing voice, maybe you have strong opinions , maybe you hustle a bunch… there are a lot of ways, perhaps you need to be the best of the best. Those are all good things, but I have a different answer.
Genuinely care about people. When you care about people, people know you care. They know you are going to go out of your way to ensure success, ensure a great experience, increase the quality of life of the people that you serve… I know that sounds a little ooey gooey, warm and fuzzy for business, but I am telling you everyone wants to be cared about. This is why the platform for my membership community is to be known, seen, heard and valued. We come together to celebrate and challenge one another to give out greatness to the world. That makes people feel seen, heard, and valued… that makes them feel cared about.
I’m reading a book called Seen. It is all about anxiety, depression, suicide and the pandemic of all of that in you people and it was largely written during the global pandemic with COVID 19. The stats in this book are sobering, but the solution that is offered is not the right medication or the right therapy (the author is not against those things) but offers a deeper solution which is in the title: make people feel seen. The power of human connection has never in the history of our world been more important than it is TODAY.
So how do you create that connection? How do you make people feel seen? Well, it has got to start here in the heart. You have to genuinely care about people… ask yourself, do you? Do you genuinely care about people? It is very easy to say, Well, yes of course I care, I love people. I think it is really important to do a little heart check moment with this.
I heard someone talking about this recently and they were talking about the fact that they feel like sales is difficult, like we’ve gotten into the place of more of a need to sell rather than needing to add value to people. When we focus on adding value to people, that tends to come from the heart whereas, when we focus on the sales… that comes from the head. When we flow from our heart and function in our family, in our friendships and in our business, Good. Things. Happen.
People feel seen, they feel valued, valuable connections are made and at the same time business happens, people make more money, people make more impact… good things happen when we show up and genuinely care about people.
How do you do that in the marketplace; Make YOURSELF stand out by caring? I’ve got four points (plus a bonus:
Show up for people when they need you the most, not when your contract says to show up and not when you are obligated to – I don’t care what kind of business you are in. When you care about your people and show up (i.e. when they have a loved one in the hospital, or loss of a loved one sending a meal or a card or going to the funeral service or you know someone has had a week so you show up to the office with their favorite cup of coffee.) However you show up, it says, “Hey, I was thinking of you.” Your actions speak louder than words.
I feel like I’ve never talked about this before, just kidding. YOU have got to celebrate with people. And I am talking about genuine enthusiasm, don’t just give lip service. That means not just giving a high five or having to be loud. But you could be – I am and I love it when people share with me that they have a win, because I GET TO CELEBRATE THEM!! You want to know what makes people know that you care about them: celebrate them, celebrate their birthdays, celebrate milestones in life and in their company, celebrate anniversaries, because that shows you know what is going on in their world. So don’t get too busy and caught up in your own thing, celebrate some people in a big way with some enthusiasm (and for the quiet people, give it a try). There is a reason I sing Happy Birthday so loudly, horribly and off-key – it brings joy and I am known for it.
Encourage often, randomly encourage, consistently encourage. Plan your encouragement; put it on your calendar. One of my favorite things to do is to send random text messages to people. And handwritten notes… This is a lost art, people. But you and I know when you get mail and you see that it is handwritten, that is gold and you are going to open that up. Or call someone, there are so many texts sent these days and so rarely do we pick up the phone and call. So bring some joy to someone with encouragement.
Put yourself in the position of giver, I mean that is basically the beauty of all these points. You get to care about others and not necessarily get anything in return. We don’t have to turn people into a number or a dollar sign. It is about serving your way to the top, serving your way to greatness and when you serve people, you do it from the heart… You will rise.
Now I could do a whole blog on honor. It is a lost principle in our culture, today. If you have ever been to a military funeral, you see what honor really looks like. When they honor the veteran or fallen soldier, they honor the family, they honor the flag, they honor everyone in attendance. They play taps and they’re firing the guns. You get just a glimpse and every time I’ve had the honor of officiating some of those services (or attending for friends and family), it never ceases to strike me deeply that we’ve lost honor in our society.
And there is a verse in the Bible that says you should give honor where honor is due… honor is about acknowledgement. Honor is about the other person and how they are a gift to the world (which by the way, EVERYBODY is a gift to the world).
And you can find a way to honor every single person you come into contact with; that’s a little mind blowing at times because there are some people right now you are going to have a hard time wanting to honor right now. BUT you can find something to honor because God created us.
Give Honor, give people honor. Publicly, privately, honor their gift, honor their skill. Honor their impact, honor their commitment. It could be honoring the way they show up for their family when they said no to you so that they could prioritize something that was more important. Maybe showing up for somebody that is in pain or going through a tough time; honor the way they live, according to their values. Give. People. Honor.
And trust me, I don’t get it right every time or all the time but I tell you some of the specialist moments on calls have been with someone that I’ve never met before. I get on this call with them and I spend 20-30 minutes just asking and listening to their story, getting to know them. And before we move on to anything else on the call, I just take a moment to honor, acknowledge and show respect for who they are. I find the courage in their story and I honor them for it. I find perseverance, grit and I honor them for it. I’ll find a part in the story where they had the guts to heal or forgive and I will honor them for it.
And it never ceases to amaze me, but in those moments, I’ve had people shed tears… because unfortunately in our society, we are not used to being seen at that level. Like really having someone take the time to see us and verbally express it and give honor where honor is due. If you want to let somebody know that you care, take the time to see them and give them honor because when you can slow down and make a moment all about them (not about you), they are going to know deep down that you care and that is a powerful thing.
HOW CAN YOU STAND OUT IN THE MARKETPLACE?
My answer is to show people that you genuinely care and I just gave you four practical points that you can apply and put into systems and processes in your business and make habits in your life that you can show up and celebrate. You can encourage, you can give honor… and you all know I am not just talking about business, I am talking about life. If you want to be a person that other people know you care about and you’re going to show up, encourage, celebrate and give honor. Be. That. Kind. Of. Person. Because that person is going to stand apart in any environment you come into, because you become known as the person who really cares about people.
And I am being real when I say that I do not get it right all the time, but this is something that I strive to live into. I love people. I care. I’m going to try and slow down. As full as my schedule is, I am going to try and make time to let people know that they matter and that I care about them.
And so I encourage you, why don’t you pick one of those key points and show up for someone! It might be a little awkward for you or you might pick one you are really good at… and here’s a bonus. If you really want people to know that you genuinely care; give them time and proximity to you. Out time is such a valuable commodity, especially if you’re an entrepreneur, if you’re growth minded, if you’re going after it, like time is the most valuable commodity. So go have coffee, go to the gym, go on a double date with spouses. Give them your time and proximity.
You all freaking rock, I hope this added value to you. Let me know which one you are going to practice this week. Put into action to let people know that you care – that is how you are going to stand out in the marketplace and everywhere else!! This is where you should go out there and give your greatness to the world because somebody needs what is on the inside of you. Go out there… Give it away. YOU all are AMAZING. Have a great week!
