Find Your X-Factor To Go Beyond Name Recognition
What do you want to be known for? The fact of the matter is that people may not always remember your name in the speaking business. What makes you memorable is your message or the key thing that you do for your audiences. Once you know what that is, use that to become known for it and go beyond just your name alone.
How many times have you been asked if you know someone by name, only to have your memory jogged when the person asks you, “You know, the guy who does x”. X stands for whatever it is that makes that person stand out and memorable.
I’ve been working with planners and organizers for nearly two decades now, and from this work I have learned that the speakers who are most successful are not generalists. They are the people who really dig to make sure they are known for one thing and they are “the” best at it. The go-to expert set apart from the crowded field of others that have the same topic.
They are dynamic professional experts with a very narrow focus on specific, highly defined, key information. For example, if you speak on sales, then make your focus ‘Sales Only’. Do not try to do “sales”, “leadership and team-building,” “time leveraging” expert. Be “the” sales expert.
Don’t use general titles like, Professional Speaker and Author. You want people to read those next few words after your name and know without a doubt what it is that you do.
Choose something like Direct Sales Expert, Linkedin Groups Expert, Team Building Expert for the Healthcare Industry (if you want to work with one industry), Personal Branding Expert, etc. It goes hand-in-hand with your niche. Call yourself The LinkedIn Guy or The Network Guru or something like The Image Maven. Whatever you decide, confidently claim it and embody this new persona based on whatever it is that is the core of your platform.
For instance, think about Bill Nye The Science Guy. For a long time, he was just “that science guy”, but that took hold and he became “The Science Guy” and soon it was the full package, “Bill Nye The Science Guy”. But he was talked about first as that science guy. You get the idea.
Pick a “title” for yourself and stick to it. Don’t keep changing it because that causes confusion. Consistency builds trust. Build your brand on this one thing that you do better than anyone else.
Remember, make sure there is not already someone out there marketing himself or herself in the same way. Be first, not a copycat, even if you think you can do things better. It’s better to be an original and not choose something someone has already adopted as their own title.
Once you have the X factor captured by your title, use it to develop your tagline. Choose your tagline well because you don’t want to keep changing it either. Remember consistency and longevity are key to building a strong brand. So, develop a tagline you can live with for years. Write something that encapsulates what you do for your audience in six to nine words – max. 6 to 9 words to tell the world what you do and how you can help. It’s not as easy as it sounds, but once you’ve got it, it can truly take your business to the next level.
Let your new title and tagline follow you everywhere and put them on everything. They should be specific enough to let people know exactly what you do, and catchy enough to intrigue them to want to know more.
If you liked this post you will LOVE our “Free to $10K, Getting Paid What You Deserve as a Speaker” video training. You can watch it here https://charlijane.com/free-to-10k
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