Blending In Before Standing Out

I've recently been listening to James Clear's Atomic Habits. I highly recommend it if you're feeling stuck personally or professionally. It's about making small changes that accumulate over time, rather than being paralyzed by the thought of making huge changes.

One of the concepts he mentioned that literally stopped me in my tracks (I'm usually listening to it as I'm walking) is this:

Once we fit in, we look for ways to stand out.

I think many people in business can relate to this, but I think it's especially true for people in financial services.

I've witnessed this with many people and it DOES really make sense.

As you're starting out in a new field, you want the reassurance that you're doing things correctly (especially in financial planning where there are so many opportunities to get dinged by the powers that be).

But once you get more established, you see the benefits of standing out and you know that's something you should do. The problem is that standing out is SCARY.

It really is a leap of faith to stand on your own, but that's really the only way you're going to get noticed.

You have to determine your niche, but more importantly - and this is the scary part - YOU HAVE TO SAY IT OUT LOUD.

This means saying on your website, social, and email outreach, "THIS is who I serve" and understanding that if someone doesn't fit that description, they will likely walk away.

And watching a potential client walk away can be a really terrible feeling.

Until you start seeing the RIGHT potential client walking toward you. Then it's all good.

REMEMBER THIS:

If you're not standing out...how will anyone find you in the crowd?