Clever Counsel #10 - Are you likable?
Do others see you as likable?
There are two reasons why consultants get called back for repeat engagements:
They’re great at what they do
They’re great to work with
Except in the most desperate circumstances, one or both of these things will always be true.
The highest-paid and highest-demand consultants bring both in spades.
I know a lot of wonderful and brilliant people, so if you’re reading this - I’m going to assume that you are indeed both of these things.
I’m also going to assume that you’re doing a lot to publicly, repeatedly prove your talents. You’re sharing your professional insights and counsel, you’re presenting case studies, you’re putting together valuable offerings.
Odds are, you’re doing all you can to showcase that you’re great at what you do.
But are you showcasing that you’re great to work with? In what ways? How often? To what extent?
It’s such a simple, obvious, human thing:
People want to work with people they like.
People who treat others well. People who have great personalities. People they can create a connection with. People who care.
A little humor doesn’t hurt, either.
I’ve talked a lot about how to differentiate yourself in a saturated consulting market - things like memorable value proposition, unique offerings, competitive analysis.
But highlighting your likability, empathy and charisma is another way to do it - and this approach can have a massive impact (both for your lead generation and your frequency of return clients).
If you have a public-facing platform (LinkedIn, newsletter, podcast, etc) - and I really hope you do - make sure that you're periodically incorporating stories that showcase what you're like as a person.
It’s a wonderful way to stand out and stick in prospective clients’ minds. Especially in a sea of overly sanitized and self-serving "thought leadership" content.
Here are a few ideas for demonstrating your personality and likability in your public positioning:
If you’ve mentored a junior professional recently, tell us how that experience filled your cup and what you learned from it.
If you work and live for your children, share lots of photos and stories about them.
If you had a funny moment pop up during a project, spin a yarn to delight your audience.
If you’re passionate about a specific nonprofit org, tell us why it matters to you and how you first got started working for that cause.
If your pets are the light of your life, share a funny video (and kindly make sure I’m on the distribution list).
