One of the biggest truths I live by is that…
“People won’t believe the message if they don’t believe the messenger.”
You can have a great product, but if you can’t connect with people and tell them about it, you won’t sell any.
This doesn’t mean you have to have Ryan Seacrest like charisma, or look like a Supermodel.
Far from it.
It does mean that you need to be you. You don’t need to pretend to be someone or something else.
The times when I’ve had the biggest struggles was when I was trying to hard to be what I thought people wanted me to be, and not be who I truly was.
Every time I go back to being Greg, things get better. I attract better people into my life. I attract more opportunity and have greater experiences.
I bet you can relate.
I bet you’ve tried a little too hard a few times and didn’t get the results you desired. Maybe it was a time when you really needed something to happen. You were desperate.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Prospects can smell a desperate man a mile away. Instead of trying to be desperate, you should simply be authentic.
Be you.
Now, with a lot of humbling experience, that is much easier said than done.
Sometimes you have to practice really hard to be authentic, and just be you. This is especially true when every commercial, magazine ad and celebrity studded award show is trying to get you to be their version of the perfect person.
It’s even harder when your likes and desires are not necessarily popular. Or go against the grain.
But…
…when you give in to the things that make you…you, a world of opportunity opens up to you.
This week we are hosting an Ambitious Live Class with Norma Hollis, one of the world’s top experts on Authenticity. In the class Norma is going to be sharing how you can be more authentic in your life and within your business.
As we’ve been putting this live class together, we have been looking at ways to quickly be more authentic to your audience.
We all like quick wins – I sure do.
In honor of this week’s live class (which you should totally register for and hang out with us), I wanted to share 3 quick wins to help you be more authentic.
Authentic Quick Win #1 – What Did You Wear Today?
There are times and days that call for a suit and tie, or a tuxedo, but if you are wearing your suit and tie today, in the middle of May just because you think that’s what your clients expect you to wear, you aren’t being very authentic.
I used to think this way. I dressed up every single day.
And I live in Orlando. As I type this it’s 91 degrees outside. I’d be a puddle of sweat and super uncomfortable.
Instead, I’m in a henley and jeans, some Adidas kicks and Apple Headphones in my ears.
This is what I would wear with my kids to the park on the weekend or for a date night with Jennifer.
Now, I can already hear you saying, “but Greg, I can’t do that.”
Unless you are a lawyer and have court today, why can’t you?
I have 2 financial advisor clients that are top 6-figure earners who wear Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts to the office to meet with clients. You’ll find them on Fridays with a margarita machine in the office and Jimmy Buffet playing on the speakers.
The clients they attract love it. They have found a financial advisor who isn’t stuck up or stuffy and is truly being authentic.
Question why you wear what you wear. And if what you are wearing allows you to be the most authentic version of you. If you’re not, it’s time for a wardrobe change.
Authentic Quick Win #2 – Write How You Talk
This is a big one. People buy from people. Not corporations or robots or stock brochures.
We have a fairly large company. 50 or so employees. But every piece of communication comes from a human, with real personality, being authentic to who they are.
This post today is just me, typing on a laptop, eating a burrito at Lime, sitting outside between meetings.
It’s long. It’s not perfectly grammatically correct. Heck, I think that last sentence wasn’t grammatically correct.
But it connects with my audience. If this were a form email, sent from a template it wouldn’t produce results the way this type of writing does.
The same is true in your business.
Write how you talk. Again, this is easier said than done, but it’s important.
Talk about sports or the kids or your last vacation. Talk about your successes and failures. And do it from the heart.
Do that and you won’t have to read How To Win Friends And Influence People. I just summed it up in 3 sentences.
Authentic Quick Win #3 – Have Some Hobbies
This one is strange. I get it. But hobbies are what make us human. It’s what makes me different from you.
I bet most of you don’t want to run a Spartan Race with me this summer. Totally cool. But I love that stuff.
I also love tacos and burritos. And good tequila.
Hobbies make us who we are. But here’s the thing – most people have hobbies that please their friends, their spouse or societal norms. They aren’t necessarily the things that we want to do, or have a desire or passion to do.
Today, I want you to spend some time on a hobby that you feel good about. It might even be a guilty pleasure.
Go to a wrestling event. Spend an afternoon at the comic book store or the record shop.
Go to a live concert or drive down the highway with the top down listening to the Backstreet Boys.
Do something that is authentically you, even if you would normally feel weird or embarrassed by the rest of the world – or at least your friends.
Don’t hold back. Be authentic.
Deep Dive With Norma And I To Help You Become More Authentic
So now that you have 3 super quick authenticity wins, I want to invite you to take a deep dive into becoming more authentic.
This week, we are hosting the world’s top authenticity coach and expert, Norma Hollis in the Ambitious Live Studios.
She is going to be teaching you everything you need to be more authentic in your business, in your relationships and in your life, so you close more deals, have deeper relationships and live a happier life.
Click here to get registered now.
It’s going down from 1pm-5pm Eastern and it’s 100% free to attend live. Hope you can join us.
Here’s to being authentically you!
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