Are You In Or Are You Out?


by Heather Dominick - Date: 2006-12-08 - Word Count: 496 Share This!

One of the most important points I learned, when building my first business as a Health and Energy Coach, was I needed to make myself stand out and FAST. At least this is what I realized for myself, but I then soon came to understand this is the case for all solo-entrepreneurs. We are our business and there are A LOT of us. Standing out is EVERYTHING. If you try to fit in, you'll blend in. (This isn't good when it comes to connecting with clients and building an EnergyRICH™ business, by the way.)

The question then becomes, 'How can we each stand out when we're all trying to do the same thing?' The answer is easy; the action is what's challenging to most. The answer is-nobody else can be you! The challenge is-most of us are afraid to be who we are in our business. We are caught in what Dan Kennedy refers to as "marketing incest," a.k.a doing what everyone else is already doing. I recently had a prospect say to me, "but aren't all the good marketing ideas taken?" to which I responded, "Is there anyone else out there that's you?" The only thing you'll get by imitating what's out there is lost in the shuffle. To stand out you've got to be willing to be bold.

One thing you can do is always look for ways to improve incrementally. Ask yourself, "How can I make my service better? How can I connect with more people? How can I grow?" These are very different questions then, "How can I get by? What can I do to stay in business? What will happen if I fail?" If you are always looking for ways to improve, your customers, and clients see and feel this. Your energy is on the horizon and they will follow you there.

So, what does one do to actually stand out? Think OUT of the box:

That can be a dentist that offers chair massage while you wait. (Or manicures! Personally, I would love that.)

It can mean a financial advisor that hosts theme parties. (I know I would enjoy my yearly planning much more.)

Or a Wellness Consultant that sends out a joke of the week. (They say there's nothing like laughter to keep you healthy.)

I've heard many, many times, "Heather, I can't do that in my line of work. That's not what so-and-so professionals do." Of course, barring anything illegal, dangerous, or harmful, my thought is, "Why not?" All that you do should absolutely be authentic to you; however, shouldn't we let folks know what that authenticity is?

Look around at what you've been doing in your business this past year. Now look at what others in your field have been doing. Similar or different? If you come up with mostly similar, let's start by brainstorming ways for you to stand OUT rather than just fit in. You can trust me, people will still like you and, actually, probably more :). Go ahead, make your business EnergyRICH™!


Related Tags: entrepreneur, energy, profit, productive, self-employed, business owner

Heather Dominick, Solo-Entrepreneur Expert, host free EnergyRICH Business Re-Charge Calls with experts from all over the world every Wednesday. Get access to these incredible calls and your free membership here: http://www.energyrichcoach.com and as a bonus receive the FREE 5 Part E-course, "How to Avoid the 5 Major Misconceptions Solo-Entrepreneurs Make".

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