One of the best strategies to quickly establish credibility, get known, and differentiate yourself in the marketplace is to share your signature story. A signature story is your own personal account of how you got to where you are today or how you transitioned into your chosen profession.
Your signature story can describe where you were born, a significant life experience, or a struggle and how you overcame it. Stories that demonstrate adversity help you to connect with your audience on a personal level. When presented with authenticity, you envelop the audience in trust and build that connection with them, especially when they share a similar experience.
Over time, you become well-known for your story. You become so good at sharing your story that people will request it. As you know, my signature story is my tire iron story. Moments after questioning if starting a business was the right decision, a tire iron popped up from the freeway, impaled the steel hood of my car and crashed through my windshield missing me by four inches. Each police officer that came on scene said, “Lady, you’re on this earth for a reason.” This experience was my wake up call. It created an instant shift in the way I approach my business. I went on to becoming an expert in systematizing and monetizing my business.
After this experience, I created my own Entrepreneurial Edge SystemTM resulting in filling my practice with 71 clients in just four months and now teach others how to take a systems approach to profitability to fill their practices. One of the reasons why my clients end up hiring me is because they identify with my story.
By sharing my experience, it speaks to others because I was in their shoes at one point and now I’m on the other side. Clients tell me they have struggled bringing in pre-qualified prospects automatically; but after seeing the results I have achieved by taking a systems approach to profitability, they see that they can do it, too.
Share your experience to pull in clients in the following ways:
1. Speaking. A good way to develop instant rapport is to share your core story that is a unique expression of you. Share where you were born or any unique experiences. What can be seen as an ordinary experience becomes an amazing story, especially if you tie it into learning a life lesson or even overcoming adversity.
When you weave your story with key points, you leave your audience bonding with you and wanting more. Recently, as a gentleman was sharing his presentation with me and I asked him where he was originally born because he had a thick accent and didn’t mention it in his presentation. Once he shared with me his birthplace, I became very enrolled and I suggested that he include it in his presentation because it is likely that his audience will have the same question in their minds. Recently, he shared with me that it transformed his presentation.
By sharing his birthplace, he connected with his audience on an emotional level. Since his audience is curious about his accent anyway, he addresses it so they can be fully present in the rest of the presentation or conversation.
2. Teleseminars or Webinars. Whether you organize your own teleseminars or webinars on a regular basis or get booked as a guest, telling your story helps engage your audience. Through development and performance, you become known and your prospects identify with your experience.
3. Website. Another way to develop a bond is to share your signature story on your website. When your story includes the reasons you got into business, it helps to develop your credibility even further.
What is your signature story? How did you become passionate about your work? Creating your signature story to share with others is a powerful way to establish a relationship, connect with them, and attract more clients.