Don't Be An Ass (In Business!)
Josh Zepess
The Identity Archaeologist ? People Buy People, Not Products (So which are you selling?)
Don't be an ass (in business!)
Wait…allow me to explain. It’s not what you think.
Every business has both a front end and back end.?
The back end is our platform, our product, or our service.?It’s how we do what we do. It’s our competence and our capability to help people move from where they are to where they wish to be.
The front end, by contrast, is the first thing a prospective buyer sees when they walk into our space.?It’s that gut feel on whether they like us or not. And it has nothing to do with WHAT we do and everything to with WHY we do it.
And yet, almost without fail, I see talented professionals introduce themselves with their back end.?
They flash their products, talk about all the features and benefits, and then dangle it as if we’re supposed to immediately hop aboard that gravy train.
And the entire time, they're wearing a full-face mask, hiding themselves behind their products.
If the idea of sharing business booty pics with complete strangers paints a weird and slightly rude picture in your mind, well, that’s probably how it feels to the prospect.
Rudeness aside, the bigger challenge is that everyone’s “junk in the trunk” looks the same. Our products and services are very likely commoditized, meaning other people are making and selling it or something similar.
Therefore, leading a first impression with product or anything back end related guarantees we get lost in the sea of sameness in our crowded industry.
Look. Nobody wants to see that side of your “business” – yet.
Wouldn’t it be easier to recognize someone by their (front) face rather than their back end??Of course.?
If we want to stand out, we have to face forward and lead with everything that makes us unique: US – our purpose, mission, vision, stand, story, etc.
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If we do the first impression right, we’ll have the opportunity to make it to the second impression where we finally get to share the goods and earn a new client.
Front End Asset examples (not exhaustive):
Next time you introduce yourself, I dare you to avoid using borrowed titles, labels, product/service details, or anything else from your back end and replace it with something more emotional, unique, and powerful.
In other words, replace what you do with why you do it.
It just may raise the energy, fun, and ROI of the conversations you’re already having.
Meet you at the top.
Josh
Transforming K-12 School Operations through Innovation and Automation
2 年Josh, I feel really sorry for the embarrassed dog. I hope that they had some treats for the effort :)