When I first started in business, I remember hearing something about needing to ‘get the nod’ from your ideal client. I had bought an online training course to learn about marketing my new business and the trainer was talking about getting into the head of your ideal client and identifying their ‘pain points’, then talking about them so that they resonate. Your ideal client is then nodding along saying ‘Yes! That’s me! This woman really understands my issues and challenges and can help me.’ It was sage advice. I remember not long after, delivering my new and improved ‘elevator pitch’ at a networking meeting and someone coming up to me asking if I’d been in their bedroom! It worked! I’d got the nod. 

 

The way I knew so profoundly how that woman was feeling and how those feelings were impacting her life was because I’d been there myself. I had had those challenges and feelings myself previously. I’d worked through them and knew that I had skills and experience that could help others get to a better place too. I have always used my personal experience as a selling point for my business. I believe that it’s important, when you are your business, to share your stories and experience to show who you are. You want prospective clients to feel like you get them and understand where they are coming from. 

You’ll have heard me talk about the know, like, trust factor and how people buy people before. When you share stories of your experiences it provides and insight to your values and thoughts. People get a sense if who you are and can make a decision based on whether or not they like the cut of your jib. You are looking to build rapport from the get-go with the way you present yourself and your business. The more aligned you are with your ideal client , the more like you are to get their business over someone else offering a similar product or service. You are your USP – unique selling point. When you give nothing away about yourself as a person you aren’t setting yourself apart and standing out from the crowd. 

 

Of course with all of this stuff you only share what you’re comfortable with sharing. I’m not advocating spilling your guts for the sake of it or sharing all kinds of inner most secrets that are totally irrelevant to your business. Showing a level of vulnerability takes strength but I’d always recommend talking from a place of healed scars rather than open wounds if you are sharing anything. 

 

You need to decide on and maintain your personal boundaries. Don’t identify other people in your story without permission. Think about whether or not the details you’re sharing will make you feel regret if they got into the wrong hands – once something goes public it’s out there forever. Also think about whether or not it could damage your ‘brand’ persona and be used against you by someone out to get you. 

 

When I was employed, I posted something on Facebook about finding it hard being back to work the first day back after a holiday. A friend jokingly commented saying ‘don’t worry, the first day back is about drinking coffee and deleting emails you can’t be bothered reading’. I responded by saying ‘yep, that’s true!’. This post was screenshotted, printed off and sent in the internal post to my boss with an anonymous note complaining that I’d been bragging on Facebook about getting paid for doing nothing and didn’t take my job seriously! 

This is quite extreme but it did mean I was very wary of showing any inkling of my personality in my business for a long time when I first became self employed. But when you’re in business hiding isn’t a great strategy is it? Being a well-kept secret isn’t serving anyone. 

 

At the beginning of my business, I traded under a brand name (another way of hiding?) I rarely posted pictures of myself. I would post regularly on social media using graphics but never really photos of me. 

 

I didn’t fully appreciate how the know, like, trust factor would be accelerated if people saw me as the face of my brand. 

 

It took a client to say that she wanted to see more of me showing up to give me the courage to start sharing images of myself. (Even then, for a long time it was just head shots because I was conscious of my weight.) 

 

These days I recognise that I need to walk my talk and be more visible if I’m to encourage other women in business to be more visible, be themselves and show up in their power as the face of their personal brand. 

So if you’re thinking about sharing more of yourself with your audience, consider whether or not this snippet of information/piece of your life will help them connect with you on a deeper level. Will it aid the bonding process and show that despite being a [insert profession] you might not always have your shit together? Will it make you seem more human and relatable in the world of social media highlights of Instaglam and Fakebook. It’s not about oversharing or ‘TMI’ posts. It’s about opening up conversations or provoking food for thought for your audience. 

 

When you are your brand it’s about you giving off the right kind of vibe to attract your tribe. When you get this right it’s a short cut. It accelerates the know, like trust factor as people feel like they know you. Remember dot to dot puzzles from when you’re a kid, a seemingly random group of dots joined up to create the full picture? It’s what I do with my clients through personal branding work. 

 

The way I work is with compassion. I listen and *see* people and then translate ALL of that to showcase the person in all their glory. Every client is different, so the process is bespoke, but essentially, I help you join up the dots to create a cohesive picture that is your personal brand identity. 

 

The end result is that the way you present yourself and your business feels totally aligned. You feel uber comfortable and confident that it is a true representation. In turn, this means you show up confidently, loud and proud, increasing your visibility. It all becomes very YOU-NIQUE and instantly recognisable as yours. Your ideal clients are magnetically attracted to your vibe and the know, like, trust factor is accelerated. The buying process is quicker, your bottom line is boosted. 

🦩We look at clothes, style, colours for you and your brand. 

 

🦩How you look and feel as your best self when you get dressed, how to dial your look up and down without stress, for various environments and situations. 

 

🦩 Your branding gets a makeover to match who you are too. Fonts, textures, shapes, composition for the graphics to be used on biz cards, banners, social media templates, graphics, etc. and your website. 

 

🦩 We talk about the kind of stuff you need to discuss with your photographer for a branding shoot and your web designer too, so it all looks cohesive. 

 

 

I say I’m a VIBE Liberator because of what my work encompasses. 

 

V – visibility 

 

I – individuality 

 

B – belonging 

 

E – empowerment 

 

I work primarily with women in business who ARE their brand to help them show up as the best version of themselves. You are in your power and OWN your look. It’s the whole package. Starting with how YOU want to be perceived and then aligning that with what people experience when they come across you. You present yourself and your business cohesively, this includes sharing stories and your background, the stuff that makes you tick. 

 

It’s about being more YOU, then even more YOU. It’s about how you show up holistically. Getting your BRAND VIBE accelerates the know, like, trust factor so that your ideal client moves towards crossing your palm with silver faster and who doesn’t want that for their business? #bemoreyou