Ultimately, building your influential voice in your business requires that you truly discover you and your influential voice. The fourth element in my book, The Influence Factor, focuses solely on doing this. I find with every client I work with the biggest struggle they have is understanding who they are and how that’s different from what they do. When you want to build an influential voice that attracts and calls the tribe of people who want what you have to offer you need to dig deeper than just what you sell.
There are many ways that you can dig deeper and understand who you truly are and infuse it into your brand message and marketing. When you do, you will truly discover your influential voice in that message. In the book I give several great activities to help you on this journey, and one of the things that I encourage you to do is step away from the roles that you play and start to think about who you are regardless of those roles. For example, I am “smart savvy and sexy”! I actually think it says that on my About.me page! And if you look at my brand messaging all three of those things come through: in my writing, in my personal style, in my pictures, website and my graphics.
Funny thing? Is for a long time I tried to NOT “do me” and dumbed down my best self. My hair, the clothes I wore, the language I used (Bad-Assery never was said back then!). I was afraid (needed to overcome being scared) that they would impact people in a negative way, and then they would not want to work with me. And all I did was attract people that didn’t really like me, and frustrated the hell out of me! Now I stand up tall and proud show off who I am use my savvy opinions and mindset show the intellect that I carry and do it in 5 inch high heels!
It’s me. It calls my tribe. And embracing it makes my influential voice and brand message powerful. Who are you what do you need to bring forward in your influential voice and for your brand message?
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
You know about the meat diaper right? This year my husband and I started buying our meats; beef, lamb, chicken, pork, at the butcher. This particular butcher does all sustainable, and grass fed meat. Honestly, as we grown older the corn and soy feed has just not worked for us! Over the months, I’ve really grown to enjoy our trip to the butcher and to pick out what we will eat for the week. Earl always gets something special for our old German Shepherd Blaze too.
They have turkey and chicken and all cuts of beef and pork. Earl LOVES ground lamb burgers! It is all raised and healthy and sustainable ways. We were leaving this last week, and I had a chuckle because we were talking about how great it has been to get to know the butchers and show up every weekend to buy our meat. I also had to laugh at how different the quality of the meat is on every level, not just in how it’s raised and butchered. Earl made a comment about that plastic wrap and Styrofoam that you find in the stores when you buy meat, and that plastic thing they put in there to “soak up the juice.”
I laughed and said, “yeah, it’s like it’s a meat diaper,” Earl laughed out loud. You have to wonder when they have to put a diaper in your meat what’s really going on with it don’t you?
Every now and then somebody will comment how expensive it is to eat meat like that. Yes, is the price per pound a little higher, of course it is. But, we also have learned that our portions were pretty out of control, so I buy way less than I used to, so we’re really not spending any more than we did before. And the cool thing about the butcher? He will give me exactly the amount I want, no more or no less, pretty much of every cut we could want.
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
Building your influential voice and brand messaging can be a challenge. And I am known for saying forever, just as people known me forever, “there are a million people who do what you do it’s you that makes a truly unique.” This means that your influential voice and brand messaging comes from your stories. I find more than too often because people live their lives every day that they see their stories as ordinary and boring.
Shift that thinking, and realize that your influential voice comes from sharing the stories of your life. Why? Because people will relate to you. I recently saw a multi-millionaire business owner speak from the stage. He said that the fastest way to grow your brand is to start telling your story.
I completely agree.
Storytelling makes you real, it makes you likable, and it builds trust. It allows people to step into the human side of the person behind the business. Simple storytelling makes people laugh, smile, cry, even get angry sometimes! It’s the power of the story. As a brand messaging coach this is the most important layer of my 6 pronged approach with my clients: building, and sharing the STORIES. And another layer is uncovering the BRAND story.
For a long time in my business, and I’ve been self-employed since 1997, I know ancient times (lol), I did not want to tell my BRAND story. I was afraid of being judged, of having people feel sorry for me. And I’m a warrior; I don’t want people to feel sorry for me! Then it clicked that my story is the journey of why the warrior exists! It is who I AM. The battles I’ve had to fight to overcome the things I’ve overcome. Understanding that the biggest battle is me. It is what allows me to teach you what I teach. My story on a deeper level matters.
The day-to-day stories, although they are important too, and I post them regularly on my blog just go read the wild hair post! Those stories connect on a personal level.
But have your created your influential voice and brand messaging yet? Do you understand how it calls your Tribe?
Do you still believe that you have NO STORY? Maybe we should set up a strategy session and talk!
This video shows the power of your STORY to Brand Message. It is my story. Take 3 minutes, I think you will see the power.
After you’re done reading this article, I want you to do TWO things:
#1. I want you to tell me a story about a time when shared a story and it helped your business. Tell me what changed, and how it helped you. Leave a comment. Share anything you can that you think will benefit the Warrior-Preneur community.
#2. Do you have a friend who you think needs to understand how their story is important to their brand message? Someone like a life coach, a social media marketing expert, or anyone that offers products and services? Send them a link to this article.
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
Stretching and growing is so interesting isn’t it? Most people don’t believe this about me… probably my closest friends know it best, but I am actually extremely shy. I well up with fear at the thought of being in a room full of people that I don’t know!
Crazy for somebody who has been an international speaker and on stages of tens of thousands to say that isn’t it?!
But that is different from being in the crowd. Stretching myself and going to an event all alone without anyone I know in the room is difficult, and I’m doing that more and more. I’m at an event nervous as hell, to the point of tears about going into that room. Where is the stretch for me today? Its in not energetically shutting down. I have been gifted with amazing energy that people are wildly attracted too…until I am in a room full of strangers.
See, my typical way of behaving in those in the situations is to shut down my charisma, shut down my power, become a wallflower if you will.
People often perceive me as mean, or harsh when I shut down like that as you can imagine. When you are a person with a ton of energy naturally, shutting it down will “appear” mean. And that is definitely not who I am.
So I am committed to showing up in this room full of hundreds of people with all my brilliant power out, stretching and growing to be my best self. I feel fear, oh yes, but am NOT scared, because I am moving through it.
Where are you stretching and growing these days?
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
Today I had three private coaching sessions with my amazing clients. Stepping into your influential voice really requires that you own your self-worth. In my book, The Influence Factor, this is one of the four key elements to truly developing your influential voice.
These three clients are struggling with owning their self-worth. How do I know? Because they struggle with owning the value of what they sell. I have written about owning your self-worth and valuing what you offer several times before. I feel compelled again to share how significant it is.
One client in a multilevel network organization said that many struggle because when they first start asking people to sign up, the question is: “Well, how much money are you making?” My response to her was: “How many times have you asked me when I have sold you an additional coaching package, and named the price, what are you making?”
She just started to laugh!
Why? Because she’s never asked me that question! I step into the power of who I am and value what I offer, and able to own that price with ease.
Then we talked about alternative things to say instead of focusing on how much money you’re making when you just start out selling what you sell. The conversation was quite eye-opening and enlightening for her. We talked about what their needs and desires are, what opportunity exists, and selling the benefits, versus the money.
Then, she said quietly: “I don’t know my worth, Ann.”
This is why one of the six layers of my coaching program is about developing this value in my clients. Without, we never get to a place where we EARN what we DESERVE.
When we struggle with our personal value, our self-worth, we struggle with the price to offer. And we often put obstacles in place that stop us from being able to attract the customers we want. Owning your self-worth will empower you to step into your influential voice and own your price.
Where to you struggle with the relationship you have with yourself, that is stopping you from your influential voice, and ultimately getting what you deserve financially?
After you’re done reading this article, I want you to do TWO things:
#1. I want you to tell me a story about how you have struggled with owning your self-worth. Tell me what you changed, and how it helped you. Leave a comment. Share anything you can that you think will benefit the Warrior-Preneur community.
#2. Do you have a friend whom you think needs to own their self-worth and earn more?” Someone like a life coach, a social media marketing expert, or anyone that offers products and services? Please send them a link to this article!
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
ding who they are and how that’s different from what they do. When you want to build an influential voice that attracts and calls the tribe of people who want what you have to offer you need to dig deeper than just what you sell.
